Did you know that German and English belong to the same language family? Well, both German and English have West Germanic roots, which make 60 percent of their vocabulary the same! That is one of the reasons why German is easy to learn for English speakers. If you are learning German from a German Language School in Delhi, you must have heard about the term Denglish. Quirky as it sounds, the term is an amalgamation of the words Deutsch and English, and is also known as Denglisch or Germish (German+ English). Sounds cool, right? So are you ready to make some Denglish words? Let’s get started!
What is Denglish?
As the classy term implies, Denglish is a combination of German and English, when you try and incorporate English words while speaking German. Like we said in the beginning that both the languages share more than half of their vocabulary, there are certain English words used in German. Words like computer, URL, skyscraper are used conveniently in the German language and are widely known.
There are a number of reasons why Germans love Denglish:
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Germans love to make up new words
Yes, Germans have the liberty of making new words, which means combining two or more words to make a single word. By making use of the compound nouns, Germans know how to flaunt their compound German skills.
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Sophistication is the key
The Germans believe that Denglish is a sophisticated way of showing the world that they know a language other than German. The use of Denglish words are the best way to sound educated.
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Germans love precision
It is a fact that Germans don’t like making up stories. The more precise they are the better. Hence the compound nouns that they use offer a great deal of help in describing a situation in a single word.
When you learn German, it is important that you consider the fact that Denglish also exists, and is prominent among Germans.
So let’s show you certain ways of incorporating English words while speaking German:
Making the English nouns German
When you make use of English words in the German language, you need to follow two simple steps:
Step-1: Begin the noun with a capital letter
In the German language, all nouns are capitalized. So when you incorporate an English noun like Computer, Couch, Job training or sofa; make sure that the nouns start with a capital letter.
Step-2: Assign an article to your noun
In German, each noun has a separate article, depending upon the gender of the noun. For a masculine gender, use der. For a feminine noun, use die. And for a neuter noun, use das. There are a lot of English words, the gender of which are debatable; but all you’ve got to do is feel the word and put an article accordingly according to the hints for German nouns.
Making the English verbs German
Horen (to hear), sehen (to see), essen (to eat), are some of the common German verbs that describe a form of action. To use English verbs in German, you need to follow three steps as under:
Step-1: Take a verb
Taking an English verb to use it in German is a bit complicated, but once you know the process, the transfer will become quite smooth. Regular English words when incorporated into the German languages are an easy task, because they don’t change with the change of a sentence. Verbs like walked, bounced, shrugged, are some examples.
Step-2: Change the verb endings
The next step that you need to do is incorporate verb endings to your English verbs and make them German. For example, bounced becomes bouncen, with the letter d being replaced with n; shrugged becomes shruggen and so on.
Step-3: Apply the standard German rules
Now all you need to do is apply the German grammar rules that follow, to make your English word look purely German. Apply them to your sentences and see what impression they make.
Conclusion
German is an interesting language, full of surprises. If you are seeking to learn the language and take it to a professional level, choose from the Best German Language Courses in Delhi, and also make up Denglish words yourself!