What is the the German word for when things go worse when you are trying to make them better?
There are about a dozen German words that can’t be translated into English but are so important that I hope English speakers will start using them. Fremdschämen is such a word. It describes the moment when you feel embarrassed for the actions that someone else is taking.
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the verb is verschlimmbessern and it's one of my favourite words :)
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Great word. German is a treasure trove. I love Streicheleinheiten (cuddle units).
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On a more poetic level, I like “sternklar” for a clear winter sky.
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On those terms, I think there‘s no word more beautiful than Habseligkeiten, used to describe few (often pitiful) belongings, but often cherished ones (haben = to have, selig = blessed). And while the blessed part is not implicit, I find this word incredibly moving.
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In
#Finnish "myötähäpeä" . Maybe Fremdschämen is easier to pronounce for the English speakers
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that's gold!
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In Dutch it's two words: plaatsvervangende schaamte... Which also doesn't really lend itself to being pronounced by the English
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*facepalm*
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Hahaha, that's actually pretty close!
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To cringe us pretty close, as I. "his outfit made me cringe". Cringe-worthy is great as an adjective.
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@EricaMarini this (unintentionally?) set a new standard for vaguebooking (we’ll never know)
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That is RICH. And I’m gonna learn to pronounce it and vaguebook people in real life.
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The link has a pronunciation function: https://m.dict.cc/german-english/Fremdsch%C3%A4men.html …
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Please take credit for the GOAT subtweet.
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Describes a lot of moments while watching shows/movies.
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I couldn't possibly describe reality TV without the word :)
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Which makes total sense. That is a reality.
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