Conversation

Notices

1. Embed this notice
   Jens Clasen (jensclasen@mastodon.social)'s status on Sunday, 19-May-2024 20:02:40 JST Jens Clasen

   in reply to

   Explanation: The adjective "gescheit" comes from medieval German "geschide" (clever).

   The past participle "gescheitert" comes from "scheitern" which means "to fail". It comes from "zerscheitern" which used to mean "to break into pieces".

   • Embed this notice
     Jens Clasen (jensclasen@mastodon.social)'s status on Sunday, 19-May-2024 20:02:41 JST Jens Clasen

     The German word "gescheit" means "smart".
     🤓

     The word "gescheiter" means "smarter".
     🤓

     But: The word "gescheitert" means "failed".
     😱

     So, if you have problems understanding something or finishing a task (like putting up an Ikea shelf), you can always tell yourself: "Daran sind schon Gescheitere gescheitert." ("Smarter people have failed trying this.")

     Enjoy our language!

     GreenSkyOverMe (Monika) repeated this.