• De_Narm@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    German numbers are weird because we kinda switch the last two digits.

    43 in most languages becomes ‘40 - 3’, but in german you say ‘3 & 40’.

    But we do not pronounce the whole number backwards.

    143 in most languages becomes ‘100 - 40 - 3’, in german you say ‘100 - 3 & 40’.

    • grrgyle@slrpnk.net
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      5 months ago

      I like the sense of suspense. Leave l leaves sometimes critical information to the last second!

      • ladicius@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        The concept really is bullshit, and that’s coming from a German. For certain kinds of triple digit numbers people sometimes resort to saying the single digits in a row (“drei fünf neun” instead of dreiundertneunundfünfzig). Less misunderstandings, and faster.

      • Codex@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        I’ve been learning German and I call it the surprise ending language because everything is like that. In complex phrases, you often leave the primary verb until the very last word. So you might get something like:

        I’d like to, with your daughter and a duck, this coming weekend, at the park, if it’s not raining, with our bicycles, go for a ride.