"Auf"

steelafan36 · Postby **steelafan36** » March 9th, 2009 10:49 pm

Hello,

I just finished newbie lesson #10. I have a question. What is the exact meaning of "auf"? I see it all over the place. And not to sound dumb, its a bit weird. Does it mean "of", "or", "it"? Can anyone shed a little light on this?

Thanks,

Mark the Newbie :wink:

Kobukuro · Postby **Kobukuro** » March 10th, 2009 11:54 am

Mark, it would be very helpful, if you could post some sentences with "auf". It will make an explanation more easy! Maybe some samples from the lessons

?

steelafan36 · Postby **steelafan36** » March 17th, 2009 5:26 pm

Sorry for the delay. Ok, here are some examples:

"Haben sie noch Lust auf einen kaffee"
"Auf Wiedersehen"
"Wieso haben sie keine Lust auf Kino"

3 different uses?? :shock:

Kobukuro · Postby **Kobukuro** » March 18th, 2009 4:40 pm

Wow, Mark, these are phrases from the Newbie lessons :shock:

?

"auf" is a preposition, which could mean: at, on, upon, up, onto, in, to and so on.

I don't know, if you have heard about the accusativ and dative. "auf" implies these cases.

"Haben sie noch Lust auf einen kaffee"
"Auf Wiedersehen"
"Wieso haben sie keine Lust auf Kino"

These phrases, which you really use like this in German, are somehow colloquial.

"Haben sie noch Lust auf einen kaffee"
is actually: Haben Sie noch Lust, einen Kaffe trinken zu gehen.

"Auf Wiedersehen"
is actually: "Auf ein Wiedersehen (mit Ihnen)" But "auf Wiedersehen" is really common!

"Wieso haben sie keine Lust auf Kino"
is acutually: Wieso haben Sie keine Lust auf einen Kinobesuch.

Btw, if I have met someone, to whom I talk with "Sie", I wouldn't use "Wieso haben sie keine Lust auf Kino". That doesn't fit somehow. I have to know this person very well to use it

After every "auf" in your sentences follows the accusative, which is not so clear, when you read the lesson-phrases.

I really recommend to take them as set-phraes first. It makes life more easy and I really guess, that a detailled explanation will follow in the beginner or intermediate lessons.

steelafan36 · Postby **steelafan36** » March 19th, 2009 3:18 am

Kobukuro · Postby **Kobukuro** » March 19th, 2009 4:49 am

That's why I am really surprised, that there are people outside Germany, who wanted to learn German :lol:

!

Mark, try to learn, what the lessons want you to learn. Don't think too much :wink:

!

steelafan36 · Postby **steelafan36** » March 19th, 2009 4:13 pm

Those phrases were straight from the dialogue in the Newbie lesson. Am I practicing wrong?? Is there more to the questions i'm not doing correctly? I thought I had a good grasp at the basics but now I don't know.

Are you a native German?

Kobukuro · Postby **Kobukuro** » March 19th, 2009 5:55 pm

Uhaa.... I'm so sorry Mark, that you are feeling sad now because of my explanations

.

I don't know, in what kind of context they used the phrases in the Newbie lesson. Of course, they are ok and you can use them!!! I really guess that the team will give you a detailed explanation, when you have the right basics!

It is just, that I wouldn't use...

"Haben sie noch Lust auf einen kaffee"

...when I would talk to a person, I don't know so well. In this situation I would prefer:

Haben Sie noch Lust, einen Kaffe trinken zu gehen. It's more polite, which doesn't mean, that "Haben sie noch Lust auf einen kaffee" is impolite

.

I just pointed it out, because you were asking, what "auf" means :oops:

.

Yes, I am a native German, but it is really difficult to explain the Grammar in English

!

Well... so... hm... the simple answer to your question

What is the exact meaning of "auf"? I see it all over the place. And not to sound dumb, its a bit weird. Does it mean "of", "or", "it"? Can anyone shed a little light on this?

is...

"auf" is a preposition, which could mean: at, on, upon, up, onto, in, to and so on.

Nicole

PS: Mark, hast du Lust auf einen Kaffee

?

steelafan36 · Postby **steelafan36** » March 20th, 2009 3:55 pm

"Ich liebe Kaffee!"

Can't go a day without a gallon on it!! :lol:

No need to apologize. I just can't believe that one word has that many meanings. I know im new to it but I hope it comes natural once I'm more experienced. I am getting better though. The vocabulary comes easy, the grammer, not so much! :wink:

So where in Germany are you from. I'm In New Jersey.

Mark

Kobukuro · Postby **Kobukuro** » March 20th, 2009 4:08 pm

Haha.... ich liebe auch Kaffee! But I don't drink that much :lol:

! A gallon :shock:

? Your poor stomach :roll:

!

I'm from Hamburg... no actually I live in Pinneberg, which is very close to Hamburg

. Far away from New Jersey. Ah... Dennis Rodman kommt aus New Jersey, oder?

steelafan36 · Postby **steelafan36** » March 21st, 2009 4:22 am

Nein, Dennis Rodman ist aus Jupiter! :lol:

I don't know where he is from. I dont know basketball. Football only. Do you like football?

One of the things I'm rying to get used to is how questions are asked. Like when I asked "Do you come from Germany"? Wohnen sie Deutschland? (If thats even right) In German, I noticed you don't actually say the "Do you"? Kind of shortned. Which I think is awesome!

Kobukuro · Postby **Kobukuro** » March 21st, 2009 5:27 am

Jupiter? What a great place to live :lol:

!

Well... no... I don't know football

. But maybe you have heard about the really famous (ok, in Germany *haha*) Hamburg Blue Devils http://www.hamburgbluedevils.eu/ ?

Ich trainiere Wudang Pai (Internal Martial Arts from China).

One of the things I'm rying to get used to is how questions are asked.

You're welcome

!

Like when I asked "Do you come from Germany"? Wohnen sie Deutschland? (If thats even right) In German, I noticed you don't actually say the "Do you"? Kind of shortned. Which I think is awesome!

Yes, when we talk to eachother, we often shorten sentences. But I guess, that's maybe the same in English? In the more formal German speech you wouldn't do it really.

Do you come from Germany?
Kommen Sie aus Deutschland?

No chance to shorten it actually. When I talk to friend I would tend to say:

Kommste aus Deutschland.
Kommste (is an abbreviation. -> Kommst du)

But when the subject is clear, we often omit it. Sometimes it is like Japanese a bit. But this way is more colloquial and again, I wouldn't use it when I talk to "strangers" or superior person.

Warum lernst du Deutsch? Deutsch ist so schwer :roll:

!

steelafan36 · Postby **steelafan36** » March 21st, 2009 8:30 pm

Believe it or not, I was told by many people that teach languages that German is the easiest language to learn for a natural English speaker. They say, and I see it now, that German was a foundation of English. It is true. I see many similar words. And others seem very close. There are many root words that I recognize as well. I don't know. I like it.

So where did you learn English? How long have you been fluent?
The only Blue Devils are from a Uni around here. Sorry. You ever hear of the Pittsburgh Steelers?

http://www.steelers.com

That my team.

Kobukuro · Postby **Kobukuro** » March 21st, 2009 9:37 pm

Believe it or not, I was told by many people that teach languages that German is the easiest language to learn for a natural English speaker.

? I would like to hear them talking in German

! But you are right... for me, English is not sooo difficult to learn like Japanese. And actually I'm not fluent in English. I have learned it maaaany many years ago at school and since then, I didn't need it in daily life for years. I have a huge lack of vocabs and my English-Grammar is very "German-like". Two years ago I started to learn Japanese and all the interesting and good sources to learn this Language are in English. So I'm forced somehow to bring my English back to life again :lol:

.

That's your team? Are you playing football? Pittsburgh Steelers? I'm sorry, but I have no idea about football :oops:

.

PS: We are completely off-topic..

steelafan36 · Postby **steelafan36** » March 22nd, 2009 1:48 pm

I took Japaneese in college. Let me ask you this. Is there more than one way to ask a "How" question?

In the lesson, there was a question "Was macht die Arbeit?" Now that means "how is work?" Right? But isn't "Was" mean "What?" Is this the way how questions are asked?

GermanPod101.com

"Auf"

"Auf"