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#Post#: 17012--------------------------------------------------
Small pot of coffee
By: Alharacas Date: June 21, 2019, 2:47 am
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Trivia from Germany:
You've travelled to Germany, it's summer weather, you've found
an oldfashioned café with a large terrace overlooking the
lake/town center/Black Forest and would now like a nice cup of
coffee to go with all of this.
You've memorized the words, and proudly order "Eine Tasse
Kaffee, bitte". Instead of noting down your order, however, the
grumpy, middle-aged waitress shouts something incomprehensible
and stares at you expectantly.
This is what she will have said: "Draußen nur Kännchen!"
What it means is that only small pots, Kännchen, containing not
quite two cups of coffee, will be served outside. Per person,
mind you. Presumably, it's to discourage people from occupying
one of the tables for hours, for the price of just one measly
cup of coffee.
Fortunately, with the advent of new-fangled inventions like
Lattes and Cappuccinos, the practice is declining - except where
you least expect it.
Small joke to go with it:
Ein Biber* sitzt auf der Terrasse eines hübschen Restaurants.
Der Kellner kommt, um die Bestellung aufzunehmen.
"Ich hätte gerne eine kleine Fichte*", sagt der Biber.
"Tut mir leid", sagt der Kellner, "draußen nur Tännchen*!"
*a beaver; a small spruce; small fir/s
#Post#: 17015--------------------------------------------------
Re: Small pot of coffee
By: NealC Date: June 21, 2019, 4:31 am
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Google Translate does not find your joke to be very funny:
A beaver * is sitting on the terrace of a nice restaurant.
The waiter comes to take the order.
"I would like a little spruce *," says the beaver.
"I'm sorry," says the waiter, "only dancers outside!"
Hmmmm.
One of the things about Europe that appeals to me is the idea of
sitting outside some wonderful cafe all day, sipping delicious
coffee.
Of course the Germans have to regulate my romantic fantasy.
#Post#: 17018--------------------------------------------------
Re: Small pot of coffee
By: Alharacas Date: June 21, 2019, 5:33 am
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Google translate has a hangover or something.
die Tanne (fir) - das Tännchen (small fir)
der Tänzer (dancer) - das Tänzerchen (small dancer)
#Post#: 17021--------------------------------------------------
Re: Small pot of coffee
By: NealC Date: June 21, 2019, 7:12 am
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I'm still not getting the joke - help!
#Post#: 17024--------------------------------------------------
Re: Small pot of coffee
By: Truman Overby Date: June 21, 2019, 9:07 am
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This is one of those cultural jokes that doesn't translate to
English. I have no idea what the joke is.
#Post#: 17025--------------------------------------------------
Re: Small pot of coffee
By: Alharacas Date: June 21, 2019, 10:24 am
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[quote author=NealC link=topic=1168.msg17021#msg17021
date=1561119153]
I'm still not getting the joke - help!
[/quote]
Sorry. I did say it was about German trivia, didn't I? Just tell
it to a German (in German!) if you'd like to make them giggle.
:-*
#Post#: 17029--------------------------------------------------
Re: Small pot of coffee
By: Truman Overby Date: June 21, 2019, 11:55 am
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[quote author=Alharacas link=topic=1168.msg17025#msg17025
date=1561130662]
[quote author=NealC link=topic=1168.msg17021#msg17021
date=1561119153]
I'm still not getting the joke - help!
[/quote]
Sorry. I did say it was about German trivia, didn't I? Just tell
it to a German (in German!) if you'd like to make them giggle.
:-*
[/quote]
So THAT'S how you make a German giggle.
#Post#: 17030--------------------------------------------------
Re: Small pot of coffee
By: SHL Date: June 21, 2019, 12:26 pm
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One thing I learned about humor, in any language, is that if you
have to explain a joke, it‘s never funny. It has to be
spontaneous or it flops.
Neal gave a great example of how, as I said, google-translate is
garbage and gives gibberish translations, except for the most
basic translations, like „that is a dog.“
To understand the joke, you have to understand how German makes
diminutives. Like how English says „Johnnie instead of John, or
turns Steven into Stevie (don‘t EVER call me Stevie-I hate that.
Steve I‘ve had to learn to tolerate over the years because
everyone says it, but I still have never liked it). German makes
diminutives normally by adding an umlaut to the vowel and a
„chen“ ending. Like die Magd, that old-fashioned word for maid,
became Mädchen“ for girl? Same thing. The name Hans becomes
Hänschen. (I like that expression, „Was Hänschen nicht lernt,
lernt Hans nimmermehr“- you can‘t teach an old dog new tricks, I
suppose, but it‘s really „what little Hans didn‘t learn, grown
up Hans is never going to learn“).
So, die Kanne is a pot, or jug. A Kännchen is just a little pot
for a couple cups of coffee. The beaver wants a Fichte (spruce-
I guess they chew on wood?) and the waitress says outside there
are only small firs (Tännchen- the big ones are just eine
Tanne).
It’s just a play on the diminutives is all.
Again, like I said google-translate was talking about dancing?
It‘s confusing „Tännchen“ with „Tänzchen“ is my guess (a
Tänzchen is a little dance). Google-Translate is about as useful
as a Berlitz phrase book out of the 1970s that tells you how to
order a cup of coffee in 7 languages.
#Post#: 17031--------------------------------------------------
Re: Small pot of coffee
By: Truman Overby Date: June 21, 2019, 12:49 pm
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Steven, are you in Chicago this week? The Communist Party of the
USA is having its 100 birthday party this week in Chicago.
#Post#: 17032--------------------------------------------------
Re: Small pot of coffee
By: SHL Date: June 21, 2019, 1:38 pm
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[quote author=The Artist formerly known as Truman Overby
link=topic=1168.msg17031#msg17031 date=1561139391]
Steven, are you in Chicago this week? The Communist Party of the
USA is having its 100 birthday party this week in Chicago.
[/quote]
Ah, no. But, I‘ll be in Iceland is 2 weeks.
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