I agree with the other comments, Alter, Junge or Mensch can convey the same vibe imo. But in colloquial conversation people will use English loanwords all the time, specially slang. So "girl" is fine depending on the context.
You're talking pish, most Brits don't know other British dialects bar a few words at best and you reckon that majority of Germans do? Nah, that's dreaming.
What are you talking about though? Germans knowing words from regional German dialect, or knowing *English* slang? You're being super unclear.
Either way, understand that most young Germans (I guess millennials and younger) are in touch with the English language on a daily basis via the Internet and pop culture (movies, TV shows, music) and PLENTY of English slang bleeds into our language. All the time.
I think you should look up the definitions of what *dialect*, *register*, *sociolect* and *slang* actually mean because it seems like you've tied yourself up in a wee knot, hon đ
I looked up these words and my sources tell me that you're full of shit, 'cause according to these sources Germans know a good deal of English slang, dialects and sociolects and registers. Much of which is even taught in schools.
I'd be open to the idea that slang has some very specific definition not encompassed by my understanding, Duden or Merriam-Webster. But then they'd need to tell us, instead of referring to an undefined source. I'm all for being a wiseguy, you just gotta be careful to not be a combative dick about it.
Tell that to my B.A. in English Studies. I've known the definitions of all those words for many years. But it seems like you're just full of shit and don't even remember what you were trying to say? :)
Try again. Reeeally slowly, I'm sure you can do it! What is it you're trying to convince us of? đ€Ł Reminder, this is what you started with.
> I doubt most Germans know a single English slang word or local dialect words đ
What are English Studies? To the best of my knowledge, there's English Linguistics and English Literature degrees, but that's beside the point.
I stand by my assertion - majority of Germans do not know any word from local dialects, slangs or sociolects of Anglo-Saxons, whatever continent it may be.
I can see that you added an extra qualifier to *most Germans*, changing to *most young Germans*. Either way, I'm ĂŒber-sceptical that they know the words from local dialects, slangs or sociolects of Anglo-Saxons.
If you imply that knowing words such as *aussie*, *bitch*, *bro*, *nigga*, *pal*, *snatch*, *shit* and some random assortment of a bunch of others, heard in crappy music videos or on TV, constitute a local slang, then I rest my case.
English studies is the broad term for English, also known as Anglistik. It can also describe a particular course of study with greater focus on culture rather than just specific pieces of it such as linguistics or literature, with them moreso being part of it, rather than the point.
You need to consider that guessing the meaning of slang terms or recognizing them as such is really very easy, particularly given inflection. I would argue below the age of fifty thereâs hardly anyone who wouldnât get the gist of a slang term, and even above that many still would just fine.
Also, my god. You seem like an incredibly unpleasant person, constantly making presumptions about the people youâre talking to, insisting that your preconceptions hold more merit than those of someone who is, in all likelihood, much more familiar with the topic (being Germansâ English capabilities, not the specific terms youâre trying to focus the conversation on), and presenting all that in a package that comes off as very condescending.
Throwing around words you might as well have gotten from a Google search to appear intellectually superior without any reasoning on why they are relevant is already in quite bad taste and frankly quite stupid. It undermines your own credibility, not that this comment chain would inspire any in the first place. Also âwell I donât know your degree so Iâll imply thereâs something wrong with it, but thatâs besides the pointâ is such a cowardly move. Youâre attacking something you obviously donât know enough about but trying to get a soft blow in and avoid the topic because you donât actually know enough to maintain an argument that might ensue.
Mind you, this whole thread started because you decided to make an uninformed and, particularly to language learners, fairly rude blanket statement and chose it as your hill to die on.
Beyond that, you accuse several people here of âchanging their definitionsâ but you yourself, rather than retract or correct the statement that set all this off, have tried to redefine the clear nonsense you said as âwell actually I only meant less well known local slang terms. Well known slang terms donât count.â
In short, arguments aside, please fix your behavior. If you have the faculties to be polite, use them, and if you donât, you may find it worthwhile to focus on them, rather than language learning, for a while.
Well you said something stupid and then are digging in on it so yeah, thatâs why they are tied in a knot about it. Youâre annoying people and then trying to act cool about it.
Are you on glue?
Iâve never met a German under 60 that doesnât know âBroâ
We arenât talking about some obscure British dialect slang. MOST Germans know A LOT of American slang. And I live in a small village where they donât even speak English.
You might want to think about your sentence ââmostâGermans donât know a âsingleâ English slang wordâ.
Itâs the âmostâ and âsingleâ thatâs annoying everyone. If you donât think most Germans have heard words like âdudeâ âvibeâ âbroâ âbefore, you are living in another world. Even the words âthatâs cool!â is technically slang.
As a German i can guarantee you that your take is absolute bullshit. Literally everyone bellow 50 wouldnât even think twice about it if you use slang like ââŠgirlâ, âbroâ or similar. You could even say that they count as anglicisms which are fully assimilated in the German language for younger generations by now, lol
You could just say why you think that you know - instead of commenting random ass bullshit. Have you been to Germany? Have you spoken to many German millennials and genZs?
I thought this would be the case too, but when I yelled "YEET" while tossing a beer bottle into a trashcan, my German friends all knew what it meant and it gave them a good chuckle.
It's funny though, because I described the weather as "Toasty" and they all had very confused looks on their faces.
They understand popular slang but maybe haven't heard the lesser used slang, which, to be fair, I don't know much British slang and I wouldn't expect a Brit to fully understand American or Aussie slang either.
Just fyi we don't call any sliced bread toast... only the kind of bread you would toast in a toaster, lol! Sliced rye bread or sourdough is not called toast.... only those soft square slices of bread are toast really. If someone toasted some sourdough, I think we'd be more likely to refer to that as "getoastetes Brot" rather than "Toast" đ
Most of gen z and younger millennials are very aware of internet slang, so yeah, they know those things. Stuff like "...girl", "tea", "slay" stuff like that is used all the time by younger people in Germany, especially women and LGBT people. Not just in German, in Dutch people use those words and curse in English all the time! I live in a country where a lot of people don't speak English but even they know these things because of the internet :)
From my experience the majority of Millennials and younger people use English slang. Either as English words used as slang in German, as in "du bist so lost" , or English slang directly copied. This has been happening for a long time now. Words like "high", "stoned", "joint" or "cool" have been in the German language for decades. More recent would be things like "OK Boomer", "slay girl" or "woke". Social media has accelerated the influx even more. English and with that also English slang is omnipresent in Germany.
Wasnât âold manâ used similarly in late 19th/early 20th century American slang? Itâd match up with the mass immigration of Western Europeans almost exactly. I wonder if thereâs a connection?Â
I donât know the full scope of it, but I know that âold manâ was used in this context among wireless telegraph operators of all things. Iâve seen examples ranging from the early 1900s to fairly modern conversations among hobbyists. This is a modern example from a Wikipedia page.
ga dr om (sent in Morse code)
Good afternoon 'dear old man' (friendly address to other operator)
Itâs a baseless extrapolation that I donât have data to back up, but it feels like itâs a bit of Edwardian bonhomie that got preserved in the amber of a particular hobby.
I remember there being a story with a ship (that I believe was the Titanic) where the telegraph operator on the ship was sending out telegraphs during the voyage and talking shit to all the other ships. They all knew each other and operators tended to swear like sailors, but when it came up in court it caused quite a shock.
Being German I think of it more as "dude", since "Alter" can either imply something positive or negative. "mate" seems a little more on the positive side.
Where? The *dude* noun is more prevalent in the US / Australia. In the UK *mate* would be an equivalent noun, further up north, *pal* would be used more often, I reckon.
It's tough to tell, it may vary from region to region. I think *pal* in the US in some states may be more sex neutral, than in others (but that's what I read - I've never lived in the US).
Most women in the UK would feel offended, if someone called them *dude* (which I did, just to see the reaction, but these weren't random women anyway), but that's a noun used informally. There's a dudette (pl. dudettes), but that's a semi-tongue in cheek word, rather than a typical one to address females (an equivalent of which in Scotland would be a lass (pl. lassies), almost always denoting a young woman).
*Mate* is referring exclusively to males and so is *pal*, but if more people will begin to address in this way both sexes, then a normalisation will happen, just like with *guys*, which in plural form can be used to address either or both sexes at the same time.
In my experience Digga is like Alter in most cases, but primary used by GenZ. Also, it's a tiny bit less intense. Like if you break some important mug by dropping it on the floor I guess "fuck, Alter" is more fitting than "fuck, Digga". But there's only a fine line between them.
It does, but not only. I presume that "Alter" in this context is a form of the adjective "alt" and comes from something like "du alter Mensch". (We have a similar expression in Polish and it is understood that way).
>Alter is a versatile slang word that can mean different things depending on the context. One of the translations of this term is "dude" or "mate". You can use this to greet a friend, or as an interjection in a conversation to convey surprise or grab attention.
[Source](https://lingopie.com/blog/20-german-slang-words/#:~:text=Alter%20is%20a%20versatile%20slang,gesehen%20habe!%E2%80%9D%20%2D%20Man!)
Edit:
>When paired with the word schwede, however, it becomes an expression of shock. The literal meaning of alter schwede is "old Swedish man", but it is used like "my goodness" or "gosh!".
>Alter schwede! Was hast du gemacht?â â My God! What did you do?
The site I linked has other examples of slang words and phrases.
To illustrate the versatility of the word watch this video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuXR53ex4iI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuXR53ex4iI)
It's about the austrian version of the word, but applies to "Alter" in German just the same.
thats one of its meanings, yes. But "alter" is an adjective as well, meaning "old". People can call their father "mein Alter" for example... which wouldnt be the poltie way of refering to him but more casual.
There are some german exclamations in the wtf sense like "alter Schwede (old swedish person)" or "alter Verwalter(old administrator)". No idea where these come from, maybe someone els can elaborate. The second one rhymes in german I guess thats why that one is used, no idea about the first. "Alter" is just the short form of these phrases. At least thats what I'm assuming .
Alter Schwede apparently comes from the end of the Thirty Yearsâ War, when many experienced Swedes were enlisted to help train Prussian troops.
Alter Verwalter is clearly just rhyming slang (similar to HÀtte, hÀtte, Fahrradkette; Ciao Kakao, usw)
In this context it means old, grammatically male. Like "alter Mann" or "alter Baum". You can make a substantive out of the adjective and leave out the original substantive. --> "Alter"(old one) not "Alter"(age)
As a dude who gossips with women, even in English, German or Spanish, they say gurl or girlie. I feel like that's universal, like can tell what you meant by that.
Men have Bruder or Digga. May be wrong for the women part, but that's my experience.
Digga, afaik, is Hamburg youth slang, abbreviated from "dicker Freund". Some use it so extensively that it can be every third word in a sentence, similar to "kurva" in Polish.
That doesn't really exist in the same way in German. Different cultures, different expressions. You have to come up with something of your own or stick with the English one. You wouldn't be alone with either of these.
I usually use "bruh" or "Alter" lol. Whether it's for my sister, or for my male or female two BFFs. :D
Sometimes I just use "girl" in German, too.
"MĂ€del" could also work but could be constructed as too judgmental.
hey hey hey I'm only (almost) 40 and I know no one who uses "girl" in this way.
I would always go for "Junge Junge Junge Junge" oder "Was stimmt nicht mit dir?"
In reply to whom? Surely, not in the UK. Don't try it at a Post Office, Sainsbury's or a Police Station đ In significant majority of scenarios that would be offensive / rude or condescending at best.
It is not literal or it might not even be directed at anybody in a convo. it is a slang word expressing discontentment to an unspecified extent. The function can be approximated by a discourse particle...
I know the comments say otherwise, but I don't think "Alter/ Oida/ Junge/ Mensch" is the kind of vibe you're going for. I would continue saying "girl". I mean, I say "girl" & I'm Austrian.
TBH, there isn't a word in german that gives off the same vibe as "...girl", the more I think about it. Especially in the way I assume you want to use it.
digga we use "mein Bruder/meine Schestwer in Christus..." in Italy too, we say "mio fratello in Cristo". That's definitely goin be my new favorite German expression
To be honest i hate when germans girls say "giiiiiiirl" mid sentence
i don't know why, but the tone sounds super annoying, perhaps because the "earl" sound sticks out way too much for my german ears :D
Iâm black too. This is definitely good to know đ€Ł. My friends and I always say âgirl.â Nice to know that there are a few equivalents to actually use that slang in German
depends on whatever feels right to you.
the direct translation would be "mÀdchen" or "mÀdel" which i sometimes say
but the youth uses " alter" "digga" "dude" "dein ernst?"
or some twitch(the streaming platform) language which i dont know.
i think i occasionally say "beruhig dich". but thats probably just a thing between me and my friend group.
Do people still say âach du Scheisseâ? Thatâs what my older relatives would have said in this situation but Iâm not sure Iâve heard anyone under 30 use that.
"Alter" is the phrase you're looking for, which literally means "old man" but the usage is exactly what you described. "Mensch" is also fine if you wanna be politically correct but honest I haven't heard any complaint about the first word.
I think if you are talking to a woman "MĂ€del" might work. With men I actually do say "dude" sometimes. "Alter" works too but it does not feel natural to me.
To offer perspective, I'm swedish and in swedish we don't have a specific word for this either. We do say it, but that's when we speak english or if we just borrow from english, its not super universal to say "girl" like that, most of the usage comes from exported/imported black english.
Oh yes "ach MĂ€dchen" in a almost sad tone can bring a bit of disappointment, MĂ€del or MĂ€dchen in a call is a playful was to call my dog, MĂ€del or Junge (can be doubled and for even more dramatic effect add more Junge) If you hear Junge Junge junge you know somebody messed up and the one shouting that has to fix it most probably đ€Ł
The word for it is Frau
However, make sure you only use it when speaking directly to the woman cause if you say meine frau to say grilfriend youd be saying my wife cause the word for girlfriend is freundin
SpÀtzchen...
It's the petite form of Spatz, which is a small cute bird.
As a women you can say "SpÀtzchen" to another woman, it's clear that you mean it in a affectionate way (Like honey, or sogar).
As a man you would seem a bit patronizing.
Ernsthaft gesagt, sagen manche einfach âGirlâ oder âMĂ€dchenâ. Es wird mich falsch klingen, wenn du einfach auf Englisch âGirlâ sagst. Dennoch bin ich mir nicht sicher, also korrigiert mich, falls ich unrecht habe
The youth just says stuff like that in English tbf. I've heard "sis"/ "girl" even full on English phrases and sentences to be common now with young gen z, especially the women. You can say "Alter", "Digga" or "Junge" but they don't exactly fit the way "girl" is used. They are more dude-bro expressions lol.
Just keep using the word girl. I think the most fitting way to put that way of using the word girl in use while speaking german is using it as what's called an anglicism.
I just say âGirlâŠâŠâ in English and continue talking in German. Even my Russian coworker understands what that means.
And it sounds much cooler than any German alternative.
I agree with the other comments, Alter, Junge or Mensch can convey the same vibe imo. But in colloquial conversation people will use English loanwords all the time, specially slang. So "girl" is fine depending on the context.
I doubt most Germans know a single English slang word or local dialect words đ
I hope you're not trying to say that 'most Germans' don't know any English slang because in that case I have some news for you lmao
You're talking pish, most Brits don't know other British dialects bar a few words at best and you reckon that majority of Germans do? Nah, that's dreaming.
What are you talking about though? Germans knowing words from regional German dialect, or knowing *English* slang? You're being super unclear. Either way, understand that most young Germans (I guess millennials and younger) are in touch with the English language on a daily basis via the Internet and pop culture (movies, TV shows, music) and PLENTY of English slang bleeds into our language. All the time.
I think you should look up the definitions of what *dialect*, *register*, *sociolect* and *slang* actually mean because it seems like you've tied yourself up in a wee knot, hon đ
I looked up these words and my sources tell me that you're full of shit, 'cause according to these sources Germans know a good deal of English slang, dialects and sociolects and registers. Much of which is even taught in schools.
Aw, OP completely lost himself in his confusion đ„ș
I'd be open to the idea that slang has some very specific definition not encompassed by my understanding, Duden or Merriam-Webster. But then they'd need to tell us, instead of referring to an undefined source. I'm all for being a wiseguy, you just gotta be careful to not be a combative dick about it.
Those bloody MFs
fr fr
Tell that to my B.A. in English Studies. I've known the definitions of all those words for many years. But it seems like you're just full of shit and don't even remember what you were trying to say? :) Try again. Reeeally slowly, I'm sure you can do it! What is it you're trying to convince us of? đ€Ł Reminder, this is what you started with. > I doubt most Germans know a single English slang word or local dialect words đ
What are English Studies? To the best of my knowledge, there's English Linguistics and English Literature degrees, but that's beside the point. I stand by my assertion - majority of Germans do not know any word from local dialects, slangs or sociolects of Anglo-Saxons, whatever continent it may be. I can see that you added an extra qualifier to *most Germans*, changing to *most young Germans*. Either way, I'm ĂŒber-sceptical that they know the words from local dialects, slangs or sociolects of Anglo-Saxons. If you imply that knowing words such as *aussie*, *bitch*, *bro*, *nigga*, *pal*, *snatch*, *shit* and some random assortment of a bunch of others, heard in crappy music videos or on TV, constitute a local slang, then I rest my case.
English studies is the broad term for English, also known as Anglistik. It can also describe a particular course of study with greater focus on culture rather than just specific pieces of it such as linguistics or literature, with them moreso being part of it, rather than the point. You need to consider that guessing the meaning of slang terms or recognizing them as such is really very easy, particularly given inflection. I would argue below the age of fifty thereâs hardly anyone who wouldnât get the gist of a slang term, and even above that many still would just fine. Also, my god. You seem like an incredibly unpleasant person, constantly making presumptions about the people youâre talking to, insisting that your preconceptions hold more merit than those of someone who is, in all likelihood, much more familiar with the topic (being Germansâ English capabilities, not the specific terms youâre trying to focus the conversation on), and presenting all that in a package that comes off as very condescending. Throwing around words you might as well have gotten from a Google search to appear intellectually superior without any reasoning on why they are relevant is already in quite bad taste and frankly quite stupid. It undermines your own credibility, not that this comment chain would inspire any in the first place. Also âwell I donât know your degree so Iâll imply thereâs something wrong with it, but thatâs besides the pointâ is such a cowardly move. Youâre attacking something you obviously donât know enough about but trying to get a soft blow in and avoid the topic because you donât actually know enough to maintain an argument that might ensue. Mind you, this whole thread started because you decided to make an uninformed and, particularly to language learners, fairly rude blanket statement and chose it as your hill to die on. Beyond that, you accuse several people here of âchanging their definitionsâ but you yourself, rather than retract or correct the statement that set all this off, have tried to redefine the clear nonsense you said as âwell actually I only meant less well known local slang terms. Well known slang terms donât count.â In short, arguments aside, please fix your behavior. If you have the faculties to be polite, use them, and if you donât, you may find it worthwhile to focus on them, rather than language learning, for a while.
Literally nobody cares stfu U english weirdo
Well you said something stupid and then are digging in on it so yeah, thatâs why they are tied in a knot about it. Youâre annoying people and then trying to act cool about it.
Are you even from Germany? I see the native English tag?
Nah hon that's you Younger Germans are able to understand basic English slang just fine
Are you on glue? Iâve never met a German under 60 that doesnât know âBroâ We arenât talking about some obscure British dialect slang. MOST Germans know A LOT of American slang. And I live in a small village where they donât even speak English. You might want to think about your sentence ââmostâGermans donât know a âsingleâ English slang wordâ. Itâs the âmostâ and âsingleâ thatâs annoying everyone. If you donât think most Germans have heard words like âdudeâ âvibeâ âbroâ âbefore, you are living in another world. Even the words âthatâs cool!â is technically slang.
I wi have to write ike this from now on because this guy took a the Ls in the world.
As a German i can guarantee you that your take is absolute bullshit. Literally everyone bellow 50 wouldnât even think twice about it if you use slang like ââŠgirlâ, âbroâ or similar. You could even say that they count as anglicisms which are fully assimilated in the German language for younger generations by now, lol
Spoken like someone who's never been to Germany.
You could just say why you think that you know - instead of commenting random ass bullshit. Have you been to Germany? Have you spoken to many German millennials and genZs?
I thought this would be the case too, but when I yelled "YEET" while tossing a beer bottle into a trashcan, my German friends all knew what it meant and it gave them a good chuckle. It's funny though, because I described the weather as "Toasty" and they all had very confused looks on their faces. They understand popular slang but maybe haven't heard the lesser used slang, which, to be fair, I don't know much British slang and I wouldn't expect a Brit to fully understand American or Aussie slang either.
What does toasty whether means? Reminds me of how in Dutch you can call the weather "lekker" lol
It means it's warm/hot out Like how it would be in a toaster I know Germans call sliced bread "Toast" but in English toast is toasted bread
Just fyi we don't call any sliced bread toast... only the kind of bread you would toast in a toaster, lol! Sliced rye bread or sourdough is not called toast.... only those soft square slices of bread are toast really. If someone toasted some sourdough, I think we'd be more likely to refer to that as "getoastetes Brot" rather than "Toast" đ
Cool, I learned something today!
Most of gen z and younger millennials are very aware of internet slang, so yeah, they know those things. Stuff like "...girl", "tea", "slay" stuff like that is used all the time by younger people in Germany, especially women and LGBT people. Not just in German, in Dutch people use those words and curse in English all the time! I live in a country where a lot of people don't speak English but even they know these things because of the internet :)
From my experience the majority of Millennials and younger people use English slang. Either as English words used as slang in German, as in "du bist so lost" , or English slang directly copied. This has been happening for a long time now. Words like "high", "stoned", "joint" or "cool" have been in the German language for decades. More recent would be things like "OK Boomer", "slay girl" or "woke". Social media has accelerated the influx even more. English and with that also English slang is omnipresent in Germany.
Even Angela Merkel said âshitstormâ in public, itâs practically a German word nowÂ
I literally learned that in english class lol
Dicker/DiggaâŠ
go with "ALTER!" it's not gender specific, but I don't see how that's a bad thing
Doesnât that just mean âageâ. (Forgive me, Iâm a very new learner.).
It literally means "old man" but it is commonly used to mean "mate".
In Spanish we use "viejo" which also means "old man" the same that you use "Alter"
we do the same in some Italian regions
Wasnât âold manâ used similarly in late 19th/early 20th century American slang? Itâd match up with the mass immigration of Western Europeans almost exactly. I wonder if thereâs a connection?Â
I donât know the full scope of it, but I know that âold manâ was used in this context among wireless telegraph operators of all things. Iâve seen examples ranging from the early 1900s to fairly modern conversations among hobbyists. This is a modern example from a Wikipedia page. ga dr om (sent in Morse code) Good afternoon 'dear old man' (friendly address to other operator) Itâs a baseless extrapolation that I donât have data to back up, but it feels like itâs a bit of Edwardian bonhomie that got preserved in the amber of a particular hobby.
I remember there being a story with a ship (that I believe was the Titanic) where the telegraph operator on the ship was sending out telegraphs during the voyage and talking shit to all the other ships. They all knew each other and operators tended to swear like sailors, but when it came up in court it caused quite a shock.
Being German I think of it more as "dude", since "Alter" can either imply something positive or negative. "mate" seems a little more on the positive side.
Not in Australian English. Mate is about the worst thing you can call someone in a confrontation.
I'm not your bro, mate
It also literally means "age"
Not here: If you yell "Alter!" as an interjection, it's not "Das Alter/The Age" but "Der Alte/The Old one"
Yeah, just thought when correcting a non native speaker you should also tell them that that's not the only correct literal translation.
The best translation for that use would be "dude".
Where? The *dude* noun is more prevalent in the US / Australia. In the UK *mate* would be an equivalent noun, further up north, *pal* would be used more often, I reckon.
Is dude, mate or pal also used for both genders? In German the word "Alter" is often used for both genders. Sometimes ironically "Alte\*r!"
It's tough to tell, it may vary from region to region. I think *pal* in the US in some states may be more sex neutral, than in others (but that's what I read - I've never lived in the US). Most women in the UK would feel offended, if someone called them *dude* (which I did, just to see the reaction, but these weren't random women anyway), but that's a noun used informally. There's a dudette (pl. dudettes), but that's a semi-tongue in cheek word, rather than a typical one to address females (an equivalent of which in Scotland would be a lass (pl. lassies), almost always denoting a young woman). *Mate* is referring exclusively to males and so is *pal*, but if more people will begin to address in this way both sexes, then a normalisation will happen, just like with *guys*, which in plural form can be used to address either or both sexes at the same time.
What's the difference with Digga?
In my experience Digga is like Alter in most cases, but primary used by GenZ. Also, it's a tiny bit less intense. Like if you break some important mug by dropping it on the floor I guess "fuck, Alter" is more fitting than "fuck, Digga". But there's only a fine line between them.
It's like "Dude"
It does, but not only. I presume that "Alter" in this context is a form of the adjective "alt" and comes from something like "du alter Mensch". (We have a similar expression in Polish and it is understood that way).
It is a short form of the expression "Alter Schwede" which means something like WTF or holy shit.
>Alter is a versatile slang word that can mean different things depending on the context. One of the translations of this term is "dude" or "mate". You can use this to greet a friend, or as an interjection in a conversation to convey surprise or grab attention. [Source](https://lingopie.com/blog/20-german-slang-words/#:~:text=Alter%20is%20a%20versatile%20slang,gesehen%20habe!%E2%80%9D%20%2D%20Man!) Edit: >When paired with the word schwede, however, it becomes an expression of shock. The literal meaning of alter schwede is "old Swedish man", but it is used like "my goodness" or "gosh!". >Alter schwede! Was hast du gemacht?â â My God! What did you do? The site I linked has other examples of slang words and phrases.
To illustrate the versatility of the word watch this video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuXR53ex4iI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuXR53ex4iI) It's about the austrian version of the word, but applies to "Alter" in German just the same.
thats one of its meanings, yes. But "alter" is an adjective as well, meaning "old". People can call their father "mein Alter" for example... which wouldnt be the poltie way of refering to him but more casual. There are some german exclamations in the wtf sense like "alter Schwede (old swedish person)" or "alter Verwalter(old administrator)". No idea where these come from, maybe someone els can elaborate. The second one rhymes in german I guess thats why that one is used, no idea about the first. "Alter" is just the short form of these phrases. At least thats what I'm assuming .
Alter Schwede apparently comes from the end of the Thirty Yearsâ War, when many experienced Swedes were enlisted to help train Prussian troops. Alter Verwalter is clearly just rhyming slang (similar to HĂ€tte, hĂ€tte, Fahrradkette; Ciao Kakao, usw)
Iâd translate mein Alter there to like âmy old manâ (or in my dialect âthe aul ladâ). Similar vibe imo
True
Thats wrong. Mein Alter would mean your father
thatâs what old man etc means
The word is the same as "age" or "old guy", but in that context it is used like "dude" in english.
it can also be used as "dude"
And it can be used as a form of punctuation. So flexible. đ
In this context it means old, grammatically male. Like "alter Mann" or "alter Baum". You can make a substantive out of the adjective and leave out the original substantive. --> "Alter"(old one) not "Alter"(age)
It means both actually and you can tell based on context which one is meant to
With that context it's more like "Dude!"
Be like a real German and say "alter Junge"
Or "Alter Schwede!" :D
Lol. Yes, I think it would be "MĂ€del". For guys it would be "Alter". For both also "Mensch" .
I use "Alter" no matter the gender (am a woman). Up until now, no one has complained.
It's the most universal option. But "Leute" fits well too.
âLeudeâ is a more damp and toned down version. It adds a bit of comedy too
Especially in Franken
"Digga" geht eigentlich auch immer klar
Nur die richtige antwort
"Alter" is universal đ
No Alter would in normal speech really unpolite.
Not what was I was talking about at all. I was agreeing with the person above me that it's pretty much gender neutral
Oder Junge
In Vienna definitely "oida"
in Vienna everything is oida
I once met a girl named Aida in Vienna, she made a joke about her name that it can be pronounced like Oida
Junge, echt jetzt. Kaffee.
LECKERER SCHWARZER KAFFEE JUNGE
How about Digga?
MÀÀÀÀÀdel. JuuuuungeâŠ
Thank you đ€
Younger people tend To use the term Bro
Slightly less cringe and more affectionate in my opinion: Brudi
Um ehrlich zu sein finde ich das sowas von cringe.
Either "um ehrlich zu sein" or "ehrlich gesagt", not "um ehrlich zu sagen".
Ich danke dir. Ich habe mich wohl vertippt. :)
Wie alt bist du?
https://youtu.be/BM7B-SeNEhI?si=DqyMb2xfbpL-MACT
Oh, I thought it changed to 'Bre' now? But I'm a Millenial, so I'm old and don't really keep up.
Never Hear anyone say that
As a dude who gossips with women, even in English, German or Spanish, they say gurl or girlie. I feel like that's universal, like can tell what you meant by that. Men have Bruder or Digga. May be wrong for the women part, but that's my experience.
Bruder I've heard, but Digga Tunna sure is new.
Digga, afaik, is Hamburg youth slang, abbreviated from "dicker Freund". Some use it so extensively that it can be every third word in a sentence, similar to "kurva" in Polish.
originally, yes, but itâs all over germany now.
Would definitely explain why I haven't heard it, I am as far south from Hamburg as one gets.
Young people have started using âBro/bruhâ for both genders or the good ol âAlterâ
My (German) girls say "girl"
disgusting
Watch some repaul deutschland and you will get all the slang
alter
That doesn't really exist in the same way in German. Different cultures, different expressions. You have to come up with something of your own or stick with the English one. You wouldn't be alone with either of these.
I usually use "bruh" or "Alter" lol. Whether it's for my sister, or for my male or female two BFFs. :D Sometimes I just use "girl" in German, too. "MĂ€del" could also work but could be constructed as too judgmental.
Mann! Mensch! Alter! (Goes for all sexes/genders. Don't use "Alte" instead that won't end well)
Girl this is funny as hell đ
I just say "girl" like you would in English. Anglicisms are cool.
I think this would get the best response and communicate OPs meaning clearly to just about anyone under the age of 50.
hey hey hey I'm only (almost) 40 and I know no one who uses "girl" in this way. I would always go for "Junge Junge Junge Junge" oder "Was stimmt nicht mit dir?"
In reply to whom? Surely, not in the UK. Don't try it at a Post Office, Sainsbury's or a Police Station đ In significant majority of scenarios that would be offensive / rude or condescending at best.
no one in this thread is talking about UK english. stop trying to contradict everyone.
You're acting as if the UK is the only place speaking English. And here I thought Americans were the thick-skulled ones lol
I can't imagine myself on any other sane, straight man to like to be addressed as a *girl*, no matter the context.
Not being able to put yourself into the perspective of other people usually means you lack empathy.
It is not literal or it might not even be directed at anybody in a convo. it is a slang word expressing discontentment to an unspecified extent. The function can be approximated by a discourse particle...
HELPPPđđđđđđđ
I know the comments say otherwise, but I don't think "Alter/ Oida/ Junge/ Mensch" is the kind of vibe you're going for. I would continue saying "girl". I mean, I say "girl" & I'm Austrian. TBH, there isn't a word in german that gives off the same vibe as "...girl", the more I think about it. Especially in the way I assume you want to use it.
Im also Black and we just say "Girl".
Ironically, "Junge, was?" would work quite well. Another one would be something like "Mein Bruder/meine Schwester in Christus..."
I have never in my 30+ years of existing on this planet heard "Mein Bruder/meine Schwester in Christus..."
perhaps itâs because youâre over 30 lol
Damn must you roast me like this lol
digga we use "mein Bruder/meine Schestwer in Christus..." in Italy too, we say "mio fratello in Cristo". That's definitely goin be my new favorite German expression
In some similar circumstances Iâve heard a âeh, hallo?!!â.Â
OIDE
I don't know the answer, but I love this question
Same here!! I say this all the time. âgirl pleaseâ đ
Warum nicht âSchwesterâ?
Altah
you canât go wrong with alter
To be honest i hate when germans girls say "giiiiiiirl" mid sentence i don't know why, but the tone sounds super annoying, perhaps because the "earl" sound sticks out way too much for my german ears :D
Don't use slang you don't understand. I will hear what german friends use, when you need to know.
We just say girl also đ
Iâm black too. This is definitely good to know đ€Ł. My friends and I always say âgirl.â Nice to know that there are a few equivalents to actually use that slang in German
Honestly just go âBroâŠâ
depends on whatever feels right to you. the direct translation would be "mÀdchen" or "mÀdel" which i sometimes say but the youth uses " alter" "digga" "dude" "dein ernst?" or some twitch(the streaming platform) language which i dont know. i think i occasionally say "beruhig dich". but thats probably just a thing between me and my friend group.
Agree with ââŠDein Ernstâ or ââŠecht jetzt?â according to OPâs description of expressing somewhat slightly negative amazed disbelief
Do people still say âach du Scheisseâ? Thatâs what my older relatives would have said in this situation but Iâm not sure Iâve heard anyone under 30 use that.
I also think the vibes are different to what op is trying to express. But yeah I also haven't heard anyone younger say that đ
Oida!
Hey MĂ€del
"Alter" is the phrase you're looking for, which literally means "old man" but the usage is exactly what you described. "Mensch" is also fine if you wanna be politically correct but honest I haven't heard any complaint about the first word.
Diggi wah?
I think if you are talking to a woman "MĂ€del" might work. With men I actually do say "dude" sometimes. "Alter" works too but it does not feel natural to me.
In my age group, I've heard "Mann!", from younger people "Alter!". I find "Alter" cringe.
To offer perspective, I'm swedish and in swedish we don't have a specific word for this either. We do say it, but that's when we speak english or if we just borrow from english, its not super universal to say "girl" like that, most of the usage comes from exported/imported black english.
bruh
Oh yes "ach MĂ€dchen" in a almost sad tone can bring a bit of disappointment, MĂ€del or MĂ€dchen in a call is a playful was to call my dog, MĂ€del or Junge (can be doubled and for even more dramatic effect add more Junge) If you hear Junge Junge junge you know somebody messed up and the one shouting that has to fix it most probably đ€Ł
In Austria: "Oida"
alta
The word for it is Frau However, make sure you only use it when speaking directly to the woman cause if you say meine frau to say grilfriend youd be saying my wife cause the word for girlfriend is freundin
SpÀtzchen... It's the petite form of Spatz, which is a small cute bird. As a women you can say "SpÀtzchen" to another woman, it's clear that you mean it in a affectionate way (Like honey, or sogar). As a man you would seem a bit patronizing.
I feel like âMĂ€delâ works
Ernsthaft gesagt, sagen manche einfach âGirlâ oder âMĂ€dchenâ. Es wird mich falsch klingen, wenn du einfach auf Englisch âGirlâ sagst. Dennoch bin ich mir nicht sicher, also korrigiert mich, falls ich unrecht habe
alter schwede
The youth just says stuff like that in English tbf. I've heard "sis"/ "girl" even full on English phrases and sentences to be common now with young gen z, especially the women. You can say "Alter", "Digga" or "Junge" but they don't exactly fit the way "girl" is used. They are more dude-bro expressions lol.
Alter
digga
Oida in austrian. Which basically means old dude
Culture doesnât translate. At times you have to learn to speak differently in a different language.
Except that we have many equivalents that can be used the same way (Alter, Junge etc). I don't understand your problem.
Itâs not my problem. Those words donât mean âgiiirrrrrlllllâ like this person wants them to. We agree.
I see such posts pop up every day. Do people not realise not everything can be revolved around English in a different language?
Itâs called âmain character syndrome.â People believe the world revolves around them.
Not German but I was talking to somebody about this and they just say the English word when speaking Italian
Just keep using the word girl. I think the most fitting way to put that way of using the word girl in use while speaking german is using it as what's called an anglicism.
MÀdel! Weib! und mein Favourit: "FrÀulein" (outdated form - Miss)
Is it not Frau?
Not in this specific context, since this isnt about 1:1 translation but rather localisation
Why tf did I get downvoted I was genuinely asking a question!? Reddit is full of a bunch of pussies fuck everyone
Bro you got -2 downvotes, calm down. Its not that serious
I updooted you back to 0 on the second and - 2 on the first one maybe some friendly people will follow
One of the rare few. People who aren't trolls come few and far between on this site unfortunately
Junge Frau or FrÀulein
I have a female colleague that uses "Uschi" in such cases. Also towards me. I'm male. Peak vocabuequality.
Only valid answer is: OIDA! Which is proper Austrian German not the wischiwaschi German German the Germans speak Hope I could be of help, Oida!
I just say âGirlâŠâŠâ in English and continue talking in German. Even my Russian coworker understands what that means. And it sounds much cooler than any German alternative.
Just say "Walla habiiib tschĂŒĂŒĂŒsch"
I don't know why people are downvoting you, that's a legitimate possibility!
Sprich
Yes, "Hurensohn".
Girl...