Hello everyone, I have a question about the German translation of "like." In German, it typically translates to "mögen," like "Ich mag Schokolade." But in English, it also can mean "such as". See how I just used it? LIKE "ich mag Schokolade". It can be used like that too. (See, I just used it again.) What is the German word for this meaning? Is it "wie"?
Here's another example. Yesterday a German friend was explaining to me what "au pair" means. When I finally understood, I said, "Oh yeah, like a nanny." See the way I used "like" there? It can mean "such as," "for example," or "similar to" in English.
*Side note* In America, we use "like" A LOT in our conversations. It's almost like a slang word. (I just used it again). It's not considered good grammar here, but it certainly sounds natural. If you know any colloquial American English, you know what I'm talking about.
In English the two kinds of "like" in "I like chocolate" and "It tastes like chocolate" are two different words. One is a verb and the other is a preposition.
I'll give you some example how to translate "like" into German:
the verb "to like"
like + noun phrase
I like chocolate. Ich mag Schokolade.
I like this dress. Ich mag dieses Kleid. or: Mir gefällt dieses Kleid.
like + -ing
He likes telling jokes. Er erzählt gern Witze. (Not "Er mag Witze erzählen"!)
like + to infinitive (This is a tricky one, because it could be translated in different ways)
I don't like to cycle in the dark. Ich fahre nicht gern Rad im Dunkeln.
He likes his friends to call him Hank. Er mag es, wenn seine Freunde ihn Hank nennen.
Do you think she would like us to bring some chocolate or flowers? Denkst du, sie würde sich über Schokolade oder Blumen von uns freuen? (I translated this sentence very freely, because a literal translation would sound unnatural).
like + wh-clause
I don't like what he did. Mir gefällt nicht, was er getan hat.
would like
Would you like another coffee? Möchten Sie noch einen Kaffee?
like as a preposition meaning "similar to"
My sister is like my mother. Meine Schwester ist wie meine Mutter.
like as conjunction
Like any good book will tell you.... Wie jedes gute Kochbuch dir sagen wird...
like as suffix
There is something child-like about Marianne. Marianne hat etwas kindliches an sich.
like in infomal speech
It’s … like … it’s a very difficult decision for us to make. Es ist ... also ... es ist eine sehr schwierige Entscheidung für uns.<o:p></o:p>
There were like five hundred guests at the wedding. Es waren etwa/an die fünfhundert Gäste auf der Hochzeit.<o:p></o:p>
A: Some really funny things happened on the last day of school.<o:p></o:p>
B: Funny things? Like what? Lustige Dinge? Was denn? <o:p></o:p>
Jason was like ‘I’m not going to Alma’s party… Jason (war) so „Ich gehe nicht zu Alma`s Party“ (That is very colloquial)<o:p></o:p>
It’s like when you go to the airport and you keep thinking that you have forgotten something important. Es ist so, wie wenn du zum Flughafen gehst und ständig denkst, dass du etwas Wichtiges vergessen hast.<o:p></o:p>
What’s your new apartment like? Wie ist deine neue Wohnung (so)?<o:p></o:p>
What does your father look like? Wie sieht dein Vater aus?<o:p></o:p>
Thank you guys, this is exactly what I was wanting to know and then some! Miriam, that is so helpful, I think I'm going to print out your answers and keep them for reference. You explain things so thoroughly, and obviously know both languages very well. Thank you so much!
Lauren, oh yes I love slang! It's such a personable part of a language. We do use "like" for an awful lot of situations, don't we? Halt and doch? How are they used? This is the most excited I've been about German for several weeks. XD
