bernd -> RE: Help! Entre dos aquas with chords (Sep. 19 2014 17:20:04)
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"Du" and "Sie" in German means the same as "you" in English. The difference is that "you" in German hast more meanings. Among famlily and friends we use "Du". If an older or much oder person belong the familiy or is a personal friend so someone, then we also use "Du". We also use "Du" even to strangers older persons that are personal friends, if the atmosphere of the company is open for to do so. We say "Sie" in any formal situation, to strangers and older people of non-personal relationship outside from the mentioned atmosphere. E. g. in the street: "Do you know where the next discounter is?" => "Können Sie mir bitte sagen, wo der nächste Discouter ist?" - In this situation you can say "Du" among kids and teenagers. Adults say "Du" to teenies and kids as well, while in the opposite direction (young to old) "Sie" is used. Among friends "Du" is always used. You ONLY (!) use "Du" in any other situation, if the other person has offered you his "Du". Otherwise it´s unfriendly and disrespectively. The other meanings refer to more than just one person. While "you" in English is used for talking to just one or and even more persons, in German "Du" is only used for one person exclusively and "Sie" for more than one Person; the particular thing in this situation is, that "Sie" is meant for THIRD person plural and changes to "Ihr" in FOURTH person plural. => Example 1) Jim and John have come home from downton. Her father is asking them both: "Where have you been?" => "Wo wart Ihr?" 2) Later in the evening the mother is asking the father where the kids were. If he is talking to them:"You were downtown." => "Ihr wart in der Stadt." But talking to his wife "you" changes to "they" in indirect speech: They were downtown." => In German indirect speech "Ihr" changes to "sie" (normally non-capital first letter!), but here it is with capital first letter, because in German every sentence begins with a capital letter: "Sie waren in der Stadt." As part of a longer sentence, e. g. "... but they were downtown." => "... aber sie waren in der Stadt." I hope this tiny German lesson could make it clear and didn´t confuse too much [;)]
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