More Childhood German

This week, I had more than one chance to use "German" words with clients, one of which came to mind out of the blue.  (I take care of old people so they can stay in their own homes).   This couple (C and B) grew up speaking German first, plus they farmed for much of their lives AND they used German the way my parents did--to keep stuff from the kids...lol
My company has us journal about what got done each time, and after the particulars, I wrote that of course we had time for "schnissing".  (That's the word that came to me as I was writing--wow!)  B said he wasn't familiar with the word, and I explained what I thought it meant: banter, with teasing and laughing.  I said it was a lot like "schputt" which means pulling someone's leg...?
He may have been schputting, but he didn't recognize that word either, he said.

SO, when I got home I emailed Anon, who speaks fluent German, and here's what he said:


"Schnisse is a dialect word meaning to chat, actually talk too much all the time from my recollection.  The other word I never heard of,  probably "spotten" with a German-American spelling according to its sound.  "Spotten"  means to pick on or tease in a kind fun-loving way". 


HURRAY!  That's exactly what those family words meant.  It's so clearly Hesch to use words that describe talking and teasing...lol

Go here, type in Spotten, and click the "Listen" button.

BTW, remember when you got a putch ?

"Don't forget the schleckerei"

Aww, it's pronounced like it looks: schleck-er-rye.  If you went to the store for something that'd cost maybe $8.00, your Hesch would give you a ten and say--"Bring some schleckerei..." with a wink and a smile.

It's such a joy to have "einem alten deutschen Kunden"...or, an old German client, with a familiar sense of humor.  He used the word schleckerei last week, and we both knew what he meant without knowing the actual translation...lol


First I tried translating "sweet" to German on Google Translate:


As a NOUN:

My Schatzchen!

 Bonbon                                     
Dessert
Nachtisch
Liebling
Schätzchen


As an ADJECTIVE--
süß
lieb
lieblich
niedlich
frisch
herzig
goldig
rein
nicht sauer


...and SWEETS translates to Süßigkeiten....nope.


A neat thing about Google Translate is that it tries to translate as you add letters to the word; as I typed "s-c-h-l-e-c-" it asked if I mean SCHLECK"?  which means Licking...lol...I was on the right track!

A chain of drugstores in Germany, evidently...
I'm sure you can buy schleckerei there...
(Ahh, a note in my email: "Hello Marlys! SCHLECKER is in 
Germany and Austria a Kosmetik Store ( Market ). LG Heinz"
so it depends on what what kind of "treats" you need!
THANKS, Heinz! ☺) 

Schleck means licking      
schlecke means lick

SCHLECKEREI =
noun
delicacy
licking
eating sweet things

...or..."BRING TREATS!"

Gawd, I'm learning German one odd word at a time...☺

More mis-understood German

Mom and dad were both second generation German-speakers.  They learned to speak English in school.  (Mom often told about how the nuns expected them to play ball in English, and how HARD that was...lol)
By the time we came along, German was only used for conversation we "didn't need to know about", and for teasing or admonishing us.  
For instance, if we asked why kids couldn't drive cars, or why we couldn't have only ice cream for every meal, one of them would laugh and say what sounded like "Du bist fer-icht!", meaning "you are crazy" or "you are goofy".  Now, the only way I can find out if 'frricht' is an actual word is with Google Translate...and nope, it isn't.  So, what's a word for 'crazy' in German?  Ahh...verrückt.  It's pronounced "ferr-oo-cht".  (See the comment from Lois, below.  Thanks, Cookie!)  They knew what they meant, and we understood....gut genug.


'Course, there were some words Google doesn't know, like "schluparsch", meaning a...well,  a willfully messy, dirty person.  We understood it like "slop ass"...lol  Heaven forbid you should be called that!
One of my clients is the age my parents would be now, and she grew up with German at home too.  I was applying lotion to her back after her shower and it was a little cold--we were both laughing, and she called me something in German that I hadn't been called in 50 years.  
'Course, I didn't write it down, and now neither of us can remember what it was...lol  I'll add it here if it comes back to me.  But if YOU have a suggestion, add it in a comment, ok?

German words in Math's Diary

Thanks to the excellent translation skills of Michael Hortsch, we have some new info! There were three pages of German written by Helena Wiciak and Math, but that'll be a different post.

THIS post deals with what he wrote down on the second part of the page, above. It was something he saw posted in Opole, probably in the White Wall Theater. Michael translates:

"Wer hier larmt oder
hetzt wird an die
Frische luft gesetzt"

(In German these lines rhyme.)

"Those who make noise or cause trouble will be thrown out".

LOL!
BTW, Math probably thought the rhyme was cute, and I'm sure he used it in the Buckman News once he got home....probably saying some local farmer had it posted in his chicken coop...lol

(And, if you missed the post about the first bit highlighted above, here's the translation, also courtesy of Michael Hortsch:

"Blessing in the Hortsch Inn in Susslau:

Wo Glaube da Liebe
Wo Liebe da Frieden
Wo Freiden da Gott
Wo Gott keine Not

Where there is Faith there is Love.
Where there is love there is peace.
Where there is peace there is God.
Where is God there is no adversity".)

Thank you, Michael! You made this a LOT easier for Larry and me.

How much German do you remember?

I have a client right now who grew up with German-speaking parents, like we did. Her parents used it like ours did, too--among the uncles and aunts, and to keep us from knowing what they were talking about. She has Alzheimers, but words from her past are delightfully familiar, so I've been wracking my brain for words to pop into normal conversation...lol
Here are some she's loved so far, spelled phonetically, ok?

(Say 'em out loud...it helps!)

Donder-vetter
vee gates
selpt lopt schtinct
Du bist ferr-icht!
kleina katz
Vass vilst du habben?
schvine hundt
Eince, svay, dry, feer, fimph, seks, seben, ochten, noine, tsen...
Paat-chee, paat-chee kuchen, der baker hat ged-oo-fen...lol

She loves it if I ask what a word means, too.
Help me here, ok? What German words do YOU remember?
(Thanks in advance!)