Comments by "Holger P." (@holger_p) on "AMERICAN FLUENT IN GERMAN! Our Bilingual Friendship | Feli from Germany" video.

  1. I think that's the experience of any migrant. And in some rare cases you unintendedly influence German by bringing in some foreign words. But this would rather happen if there would be a larger Croatian group and you speak it in public.
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  2. After a few generations, almost any American may be 1/8 german - even some black ones.
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  3. That's very common on all the Fräuleins, that the Americans took home after War in 1945-50.
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  4. The meaning is little different, it's only on childs and if you speak it really perfectly. It means there is no second/first, or own language/foreign language. It means equal-ranked languages. For achieved foreign language it's very unusual, because it would be a downgrade to skills of most people. Somebody who speaks 3 languages would never use the term zweisprachig, cause he isn't. The information "bilingual" is meaningless anyway. People just say, "Ich spreche English" or "Ich Spreche Französisch". Why this useless conversion "I'm bilingual - which language do you speak - it's German". That's American small talk. Putting the content of 3 words in 20 words.
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  5. This 'example' thing is just the switch from abstraction to the real world. I think in common English people are less abstract, it's really a matter of logic skills. Concluding from one case to the general, is kind of stupid ....unless you say, there are more cases, I just name you one here.
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  6. I'm German and was in Canada for about a year, I kind of didn't miss speaking German, and if meeting somebody speaking German, it was just hard to decide in how to talk with each other; so an additional complication. And with a semi-perfect speaker, you tend to speak slower, using less slang etc. Learning accent less is just you have to start before adolescence (before 15), when the brain is not totally finished, it's able to create new special sounds to a certain language, like th, R, W.. I started learning with 14 but had no native language teacher - so were was no chance to hear accent free English. I think Denglish is used by almost all Germans, just if ENglish speakers try to speak German, they do not dear to use their English words in German, but the Germans do it.
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  7. No, we do not have double citizenship, and you might not know, this heritage thing was used by the Nazis, to define who is german and who is not. Even today a migrant has a hard time to become German. That's kind of impossible for some people. It's more common in USA to be American and something else. Now think about the two phrases "German Jews killed by Germans" and "German Jews are Germans". Additionaly, in Sixth generation, he has about 32 or 64 migrated grand-grand-grand-grand-parents. He could have 32 nationalities in himself. So he could be 1/32 german ? But again. That's NAZI logic. If you were 1/8 Jew, you are non-german.
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  8. Nothing else in mind ? Americans are always so fast in getting married. Germans would never even use this word rushing somebody in a marriage.
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  9. What's a six pack session ? For a six-pack you need a Fitness coach .. and the session would take a year.
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  10. Among scientists this is completely OK, it's less common among normal people. They talk with less logic or evidence. They do not try to give proof of their speech. They talk in a manner, "It's so, cause I'm saying so". While in German it's more like, you give an abstract rule, a general law or whatever, and than you try to make it easier to understand by using examples. Or in Reverse : "For Example" expresses "There is a common logic behind it - I'm just missing the abstract words".
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  11. I think no German does even know the name or is interested in the name of grand-grand parents. I know my great grandmother was born in 1881, cause I knew her in person; I don't even know the name of her husband, cause he was already dead.
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  12. Die meisten Deutschen lernen es ja auch von Menschen mit Dialekt.
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  13. This is such a culture translation thing. In English, talking about drinking rather translates to drinking beer in the mindset. The German does not, cause half of them drink almost wine-only; especially women. So getting drunk, having a party or whatever does not relate to beer. Beer is lower-class football watching Homer-Simpsons type of guy.
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  14. That sounds like a threat.
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  15. Oh not again. You must be a female American speaking German. This is not a soap opera. Lebenspartner is a term you use for unmarried couples.
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  16. Es wird von "Muttersprache" aber wieder positiv ausgeglichen. Das heißt in englisch nur "Native". Das Nummerieren der Fremdsprachen machen auch nur Schüler. Weil sie eine zuerst lernen, und dann noch eine. Niemand wird von der ersten fremdsprache reden solange er keine Zweite hat. Der erste Weltkrieg heißt auch erst sei 1945 der erste Weltkrieg ;-)
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  17. No. That is human. Once you break the language barrier, you find what you have in common with everybody. That has absolutely nothing to do with America, but this statement is very American.
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  18. "born and bred" is a very unique example of american phrases. Nobody else would use it, cause only Americans tend to move a lot. "for example" means "there is something more general behind it - I only give you an excerpt here", it can be generalized to a higher level. It really has a meaning. You Explain or proof yourself. This might be more german habit. Germans are teaching and giving lessons. To everybody. Americans don't like to get a lesson, they haven't asked for. So maybe your are a Scientist or a Teacher or a Nerd, than it might be conclusive if you use it in English a lot.
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  19. Now, is this English, or do you talk french ? Which way you pronounce excellence ? Maybe you talk German ?
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