Apr 11, 2002 18:16
22 yrs ago
1 viewer *
English term
Belize
my foot!
English to German
Art/Literary
I have heard this expression several times and I think it means something like: "Ist das denn zu fassen" or "Ist das denn möglich" or maybe "kann ja nicht sein".
Can someone help me with this expression, please? It is mostly used in a slightly cynical or unbelieving way at the end of the sentence where someone repeats something that was said before.
Example: "I have delivered 1,000 babies". Answer: "a thousand babies, my foot".
Thanks!
Can someone help me with this expression, please? It is mostly used in a slightly cynical or unbelieving way at the end of the sentence where someone repeats something that was said before.
Example: "I have delivered 1,000 babies". Answer: "a thousand babies, my foot".
Thanks!
Proposed translations
(German)
| 4 +7 | wer's glaubt, wird selig |
Ulrike Lieder (X)
|
| 4 +3 | Quatsch! |
dieter haake
|
| 5 | das glauben Sie doch selber nicht? |
Alexander Schleber (X)
|
| 4 | meine Güte! |
Klaus Dorn (X)
|
| 4 | ja, richtig! |
Ursula Peter-Czichi
|
| 4 | Quatsch! |
fachexpert (X)
|
Proposed translations
+7
8 mins
Selected
wer's glaubt, wird selig
Might be one possibility.
A couple of other suggestions:
"und das soll ich glauben?", "aber sicher doch!", "na klar doch", "zweifelsohne", or some such phrase, where, as in the English, it's mostly the intonation that indicates disbelief.
In written texts, it might be better to use a phrase such as "und das soll ich glauben?" , or "wer's glaubt, wird selig" to underscore the doubt.
Hope this helps a bit.
A couple of other suggestions:
"und das soll ich glauben?", "aber sicher doch!", "na klar doch", "zweifelsohne", or some such phrase, where, as in the English, it's mostly the intonation that indicates disbelief.
In written texts, it might be better to use a phrase such as "und das soll ich glauben?" , or "wer's glaubt, wird selig" to underscore the doubt.
Hope this helps a bit.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks everyone for your help! All the answers were great! It was hard to pick one only!!
Jana"
+3
8 mins
dieter haake
Austria
Austria
Native in German
Austria
futurlingua - Sprachen verbinden
Native in: German 
Works in: Italian to German, German to Italian, German
Related KudoZ points
:
94
Quatsch!
=
my foot (or my feet)
d. h. im gewissen Sinne eine Steigerung von...
Kann doch nicht sein (s.o.)
HTH
didi
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Alexander Schleber (X)
: Quatsch is stringer than my foot, but short and to the point, Disagreement.
24 mins
|
| agree |
Werner George Patels, M.A., C.Tran.(ATIO) (X)
: Best one - no doubt!!!!!!!!
54 mins
|
| agree |
verbis
: I cannot think of anything else.........
463 days
|
10 mins
Klaus Dorn (X)
Native in English
&
German
Klaus Dorn (X)
We love languages!
Native in: English 
, German
Works in: German to English, English to German, Turkish to English, and 3 more.
View
Related KudoZ points
:
743
meine Güte!
or "meine Fresse", if you want it a bit more casual...
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Geneviève von Levetzow
1 min
|
| agree |
NGK
6 mins
|
| disagree |
Caro Maucher
: nice expressions :-), but they express astonishment rather than disbelief.
10 mins
|
|
well, that's what she's asking above, isn't she?
|
|
| disagree |
Alexander Schleber (X)
: This is "my goodness".
19 mins
|
| agree |
Chris Rowson (X)
: Caro and Alexander are right, these are astonishment, not the disbelief of "My foot!".
1 hr
|
| disagree |
fachexpert (X)
: These expressions indeed express a degree of astonishment. Is is as good as saying "Dear Oh! Dear" or "Good heavens"
1 hr
|
35 mins
das glauben Sie doch selber nicht?
That is a longer and slightly softer version of "Quatsch".
my foot is the approxiamte equivalent of "come on!" or "you don't believe that yourself".
my foot is the approxiamte equivalent of "come on!" or "you don't believe that yourself".
1 hr
Ursula Peter-Czichi
United States
United States
United States
Techn. Translation: First Rate Service
Works in: German to English, English to German
Related KudoZ points
:
78
ja, richtig!
ja, sicherlich!
ja sicher!
I personally like: "Quatsch", but just in case you do not want to be too drastically insulting.
Quatsch = Nonsense, Garbledegook (How do you spell that?)
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-04-11 19:57:13 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Germans are also in the habit of putting some double-meaning or sarcasm into sentences like that:
e.g.
Tatsaechlich! Sie sind fuer 1000 Babies verantwortlich?
Richtig, Sie haben 1000 Babies in die Welt verholfen!
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-04-11 20:05:11 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Germans are also in the habit of putting some double-meaning or sarcasm into sentences like that:
e.g.
Tatsaechlich! Sie sind fuer 1000 Babies verantwortlich?
Richtig, Sie haben 1000 Babies in die Welt verholfen!
ja sicher!
I personally like: "Quatsch", but just in case you do not want to be too drastically insulting.
Quatsch = Nonsense, Garbledegook (How do you spell that?)
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-04-11 19:57:13 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Germans are also in the habit of putting some double-meaning or sarcasm into sentences like that:
e.g.
Tatsaechlich! Sie sind fuer 1000 Babies verantwortlich?
Richtig, Sie haben 1000 Babies in die Welt verholfen!
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-04-11 20:05:11 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Germans are also in the habit of putting some double-meaning or sarcasm into sentences like that:
e.g.
Tatsaechlich! Sie sind fuer 1000 Babies verantwortlich?
Richtig, Sie haben 1000 Babies in die Welt verholfen!
2 hrs
Quatsch!
Frankly I personally like the expression "Quatsch!"
However the expression "von Wegen!" has also been indicated in one of the dictionaries I have.
Hope this helps.
However the expression "von Wegen!" has also been indicated in one of the dictionaries I have.
Hope this helps.
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