"I can't drive funf und funfzig"
jj
Please help a Yank out with the German translation of "I can't drive
55!"
No need for the "miles per hour" or mph.
Thanks
Jay
Paul Schmitz-Josten
>Please help a Yank out with the German translation of "I can't drive
>55!"
>
>No need for the "miles per hour" or mph.
"Ich kann nicht fünfundfünfzig fahren!"
or
"Ich kann keine neunzig Stundenkilometer fahren!"
There might be a more idiomatic translation if you describe the situation:
Is your vehicle too slow or is the road too bad or are you a racer ignoring
the speed limits?
Ciao,
Paul
Joachim Pense
> jj in <44f0db3e....@news.flex.com>:
>
>>Please help a Yank out with the German translation of "I can't drive
>>55!"
>>
>>No need for the "miles per hour" or mph.
>
> "Ich kann nicht fünfundfünfzig fahren!"
In German, it should be "fünfundfünfzig Meilen". Or you'd have to
translate it to "Ich kann nicht 88 fahren".
> or
> "Ich kann keine neunzig Stundenkilometer fahren!"
>
In colloquial German it's just "Kilometer", not "Stundenkilometer".
Joachim
Paul Schmitz-Josten
>>>Please help a Yank out with the German translation of "I can't drive
>>>55!"
>>>
>>>No need for the "miles per hour" or mph.
>>
>> "Ich kann nicht fünfundfünfzig fahren!"
>
>In German, it should be "fünfundfünfzig Meilen". Or you'd have to
>translate it to "Ich kann nicht 88 fahren".
I followed the "no need for the miles per hour" instruction in the OP.
>> or
>> "Ich kann keine neunzig Stundenkilometer fahren!"
>>
>
>In colloquial German it's just "Kilometer", not "Stundenkilometer".
ACK, but then "neunzig Kilometer weit" must be excluded by the context.
Ciao,
Paul
Diedrich Ehlerding
> In German, it should be "fünfundfünfzig Meilen". Or you'd have to
> translate it to "Ich kann nicht 88 fahren".
But noone in Germany understands "Meilen". Translate it by "90
(kilometers)" - no speedometer is sufficiently precise that anyone can
see the difference. In colloquial German, your speed can be "80 km/h"
or "90 km/h", bit noone talks about "88 km/h". (Well, there is one
exeption: if you step into a radar trap, then the ticket will tell you
the exact speed.).
> In colloquial German it's just "Kilometer", not "Stundenkilometer".
Ore "Ka-Em-Ja" (spelling the usual abbreviation "km/h". Or very
colloquial, just "Sachen". E.g.: "ich war gran mit 120 Sachen auf der
Autobahn unterwags, als mein Reifen platzte".
Diedrich
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Einde O'Callaghan
> Joachim Pense meinte:
>
>
>
>>In German, it should be "fünfundfünfzig Meilen". Or you'd have to
>>translate it to "Ich kann nicht 88 fahren".
>
>
> But noone in Germany understands "Meilen". Translate it by "90
> (kilometers)" - no speedometer is sufficiently precise that anyone can
> see the difference. In colloquial German, your speed can be "80 km/h"
> or "90 km/h", bit noone talks about "88 km/h". (Well, there is one
> exeption: if you step into a radar trap, then the ticket will tell you
> the exact speed.).
>
>
>>In colloquial German it's just "Kilometer", not "Stundenkilometer".
>
>
> Ore "Ka-Em-Ja"
I think you mean "Ka-Em-Ha" ;-)
Gruß, Einde O'Callaghan
Diedrich Ehlerding
>> Ore "Ka-Em-Ja"
>
> I think you mean "Ka-Em-Ha" ;-)
Ja, latürnich - äh natürlich.
Danke, Diedrich
Joachim Pense
> Joachim Pense meinte:
>
>> In German, it should be "fünfundfünfzig Meilen". Or you'd have to
>> translate it to "Ich kann nicht 88 fahren".
>
> But noone in Germany understands "Meilen".
I don't agree.
> Translate it by "90
> (kilometers)" - no speedometer is sufficiently precise that anyone can
> see the difference.
Here, I do agree.
> In colloquial German, your speed can be "80 km/h"
> or "90 km/h", bit noone talks about "88 km/h". (Well, there is one
> exeption: if you step into a radar trap, then the ticket will tell you
> the exact speed.).
>
>> In colloquial German it's just "Kilometer", not "Stundenkilometer".
>
> Ore "Ka-Em-Ja" (spelling the usual abbreviation "km/h". Or very
> colloquial, just "Sachen". E.g.: "ich war gran mit 120 Sachen auf der
> Autobahn unterwags, als mein Reifen platzte".
Or, as originally suggested, just the number, without any unit.
Kilometer will be understood, unless the context is explicitly the
states or UK.
Joachim
jj
Hello All,
Thanks for the help.
Funfundfunfzig is one of my favorite words. I love how it rolls off
the tongue.
I was just curious what the classic US saying "I can't drive 55" would
translate to in German.
And Paul, my car is old and slow. :-) I'm thinking your first
translation has just the right amount of ambiguity for me.
"Ich kann nicht fünfundfünfzig fahren!"
Perchance is 88 in German also melodious?
Danke!
Jay
Paul Schmitz-Josten
>Funfundfunfzig is one of my favorite words. I love how it rolls off
>the tongue.
I think it doesn't. The multiple "f" and "ue" contract the lips - there is
hardly any roll possible.
>I was just curious what the classic US saying "I can't drive 55" would
>translate to in German.
What does it mean, after all?
>And Paul, my car is old and slow. :-) I'm thinking your first
>translation has just the right amount of ambiguity for me.
>
>"Ich kann nicht fünfundfünfzig fahren!"
o.k. then.
>Perchance is 88 in German also melodious?
"Achtundachtzig" at least comes off the mouth more flowingly
- no roll, too, due to the wide open mouth.
"Dreiunddreissig" (33) has some roll in it...
Ciao,
Paul
jj
>jj in <44f2f736....@news.flex.com>:
>>Funfundfunfzig is one of my favorite words. I love how it rolls off
>>the tongue.
>I think it doesn't. The multiple "f" and "ue" contract the lips - there is
>hardly any roll possible.
You're talking about literal roll. I meant figurative roll.
Funfundfunfzig is a fun/funny word.
>>I was just curious what the classic US saying "I can't drive 55" would
>>translate to in German.
>What does it mean, after all?
You were right about it being racers on the highway breaking the speed
limit. There was a famous rock and roll song with the line "I can't
drive 55". I think it came out after speed limits were reduced to
55 mph to save fuel.
Jay
Einde O'Callaghan
> Paul Schmitz-Josten <alos...@web.de> wrote:
>
>
>>jj in <44f2f736....@news.flex.com>:
>>
>>>Funfundfunfzig is one of my favorite words. I love how it rolls off
>>>the tongue.
>
>
>>I think it doesn't. The multiple "f" and "ue" contract the lips - there is
>>hardly any roll possible.
>
>
> You're talking about literal roll. I meant figurative roll.
> Funfundfunfzig is a fun/funny word.
>
and third syllables is much closer to "fin" than to "fun" and the vowel
sound in the second syllable is more like that in the word "book" than
that in the word "fun".
Gruß, Einde O'Callaghan
Joachim Pense
>
> You were right about it being racers on the highway breaking the speed
> limit. There was a famous rock and roll song with the line "I can't
> drive 55". I think it came out after speed limits were reduced to
> 55 mph to save fuel.
>
The idiomatic speed-limit in German is "Tempo-100"). (That's km/h, not
mph, and it doesn't apply on the Autobahn).
Joachim
Michael Pronay
> ... noone ... noone ...
Even though this usage is becoming more and more common - even from
those with English as first languauge -, it's "no one" in two words.
M.
Einde O'Callaghan
reminded of Herman's Hermits - but I suppose that that just shows my
age! ;-)
Gruß, Einde O'Callaghan
Andy
<einde.oc...@planet-interkom.de> wrote
>Michael Pronay schrieb:
>> Diedrich Ehlerding <diedrich....@t-online.de> wrote:
>>>... noone ... noone ...
>> Even though this usage is becoming more and more common - even from
>>those with English as first languauge -, it's "no one" in two words.
Why does no one write no-one instead of noone to avoid confusion with
no one?
>Everytime I see that, which as an English teacher is quite often, I'm
>reminded of Herman's Hermits - but I suppose that that just shows my
>age! ;-)
>
(splutter)
--
Andy
For Austria & its philately, Lupus, & much else visit
<URL:http://www.kitzbuhel.demon.co.uk/>
Diedrich Ehlerding
> Thanks for the help.
> Funfundfunfzig is one of my favorite words.
However, it is not a German word :-(
Don't just forget the "umlaut" dots; if your keyboard has no umlaut
keys, use transcriptions "ä" -> "ae", "ö" -> "or", "ü" -> "ue", "ß" ->
"ss".
Andy
Diedrich Ehlerding <diedrich....@t-online.de> wrote
[
>
>Don't just forget the "umlaut" dots; if your keyboard has no umlaut
>keys, use transcriptions "ä" -> "ae", "ö" -> "or",
or "oe" :)
Paul Schmitz-Josten
("I can't drive 55")
>>What does it mean, after all?
>
>You were right about it being racers on the highway breaking the speed
>limit. There was a famous rock and roll song with the line "I can't
>drive 55".
OIC.
>I think it came out after speed limits were reduced to
>55 mph to save fuel.
Early seventies?
About then, in 1973, "Tempo 100" was introduced in Germany. I remember one
day-long Autobahn drive when we used the brakes only for lunch and fuel
stops...
1977, this was long forgotten here, except for the speed limits on country
roads. During a USA trip, though, I was stunned to see maps with time
measures rather than distance measures.
(I can't drive 55)
You might say "Mein Auto ist nicht dafür gebaut" or "...ist nicht dafür
geeignet" and then add a silly argument like "There are too many resonance
vibrations at that speed!" or "I would get a spasm in my ankle at that gas
foot (sp?) position."
Ciao,
Paul