Anyone speak German?

Hello! Sorry if this is in the wrong place....

So I'm in the process of learning German, I'd say I'm so-so at the moment, and I've been curious about something for a while. I was hoping someone here may be able to answer this for me.

How would a gender-neutral person be referred to and speak about themselves auf deutsch?

I'm curious because gender is so important in the formulation. It would break my heart if I ever offended someone by not knowing.


Thanks for any help and insight!

Did you know we have special interest groups here? There is one for the German Language. Sometimes the groups aren't well monitored but at least there are some names of members you can talk to.

I can speak a little German and I know there is a large group of members from Germany.

Off the top of my head I would say "das". That would be grammatically correct, but I am not sure if that is socially correct.

A gender neutral person?

That's quite hard to use to be honest. I mean you could, but it would sound awkward. And may even offend the person much more as it helps.

You should know the basic problem lies in the language itself. It's the dominance of the generic masculine, which most people critize for this reason. So nouns with masculine gender (der). It is used to describe a man or a person unknown in the singular gender and sometimes a woman, a compound in the plural , but especially mixed and pure male groups.

While we also have generic feminine words and generic neuter (most of diminutives), but the generic masculine predominates greatly in number and frequency.
So we also got the gender inflection derived form - using the morpheme -in(nen) - which exists explicit to describe a woman or a group of them.


Hence it's hard to be genderneutral. The most common way is to name both sides of the gender, i.e. for example in a formal letter you would "sehr geehrte Damen und Herren" (=Dir sears or medames), non formal as example you just make the gender visible, like Studenten und Studentinnen (= studends (male plural) and students (female plural). The only other way would be to work your way around it, with saying something like using the verb and changing this into the noun, in this case it would be Studierende (students/studying people namely).


What should work very well however, in the case if you're talking to a person whether it's directly infront or indirect via a letter or something similar, is to use the formal appellation "Sie", a personal honorific pronoun. It's plural, while you can still use it to adress one person (while the conjungation for any verb is still plural however).

About yourself as gender neutral... this should be no problem with using "Ich" and "mein" usually, if I'm not forgetting something. I mean my name is is basically the same in german and it's neutral in itself. If you come across something I'd say work your way around it. We got tons of synonyms and it's the language of poets and thinkers after all.

Hallo! Mein name ist Henry! Ich sprache ein wenig Deustch! Ich hat für vier Jähre Deutsch studieren, aber Ich has viele viele vergessen!!

In other words, my German is really rusty!! I took 4 years in highschool/college but it's been a while!! But if you want someone to practice German, we can teach each other!

As for the very first question : i do speak german as native language.
Though I am confused about that gender neutral thing.
Is it about the language or about certain issues?

The only German I've ever picked up is from the Ramenstein music that was blared on the school bus by other people in highschool. Before I got my car, anyway. All that stopped once I figured out how to drive, ha.

Thanks for all the replies!

I do not personally identify as a gender neutral person, but I am an anthropologist so I like to look at such things.

daLira said:

You should know the basic problem lies in the language itself. It's the dominance of the generic masculine, which most people critize for this reason. So nouns with masculine gender (der). It is used to describe a man or a person unknown in the singular gender and sometimes a woman, a compound in the plural , but especially mixed and pure male groups.

While we also have generic feminine words and generic neuter (most of diminutives), but the generic masculine predominates greatly in number and frequency.
So we also got the gender inflection derived form - using the morpheme -in(nen) - which exists explicit to describe a woman or a group of them.


Hence it's hard to be genderneutral. The most common way is to name both sides of the gender, i.e. for example in a formal letter you would "sehr geehrte Damen und Herren" (=Dir sears or medames), non formal as example you just make the gender visible, like Studenten und Studentinnen (= studends (male plural) and students (female plural). The only other way would be to work your way around it, with saying something like using the verb and changing this into the noun, in this case it would be Studierende (students/studying people namely).

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See I was thinking along the same lines, but then I was wondering about das Mädchen. But then again das is used for the -chen ending if I'm not mistaken. And when referring to a group of mixed individuals, in my experience at least, generally only the masculine plural is used.

I was assuming the formal "Sie" would be used, much like english, but I really wanted a more fluent person's opinion. Thank you

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kik91 said:

Hallo! Mein name ist Henry! Ich sprache ein wenig Deustch! Ich hat für vier Jähre Deutsch studieren, aber Ich has viele viele vergessen!!

In other words, my German is really rusty!! I took 4 years in highschool/college but it's been a while!! But if you want someone to practice German, we can teach each other!

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Hallo Henry! Ich kann etwas auch Deutsch. Ich lernte Deutsch für vier jahre im Gymnasium. Und jetzt, ich lerne Deutsch auf dem Uni. Sprechen Wir zusammen!

shhsecret said:

Hallo Henry! Ich kann etwas auch Deutsch. Ich lernte Deutsch für vier jahre im Gymnasium. Und jetzt, ich lerne Deutsch auf dem Uni. Sprechen Wir zusammen!

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Gut, sehr gut. Ich habe Es sagt, meine Deustch ist night viel gut. Aber ich die Sprache liebe und Ich möchte nochmal es studieren! Viel Glück mit deines Deutch unterricht und bitte für mein Gramatik probleme.

Tchüss!

Hallo, Wilkommen zu den Duetshische Sprachen! Meine grammatik is nicht so gut aber ich kan deutcsh gut gelesen.

There aren't really any ways to be grammatically correct and "gender neutral" in the case that you put it. I really don't know of anyone who would be offended by you using correct grammar. "sie" would be used regardless when referring to "they" and if you were talking directly to a group of people you would use "ihr" to say "you all". If speaking directly to a person, usually a friend, you would say du; but if you do not know someone that well or are afraid of offending them you can use "Sie".

Most people in Germany will no what you are talking about if you screw up the gender of the infinitive. I don't think somebody will want you dead if you accidentally say die Rathaus instead of das Rathaus.

Hope I helped.

ThePaddedGamer said:

Hallo, Wilkommen zu den Duetshische Sprachen! Meine grammatik is nicht so gut aber ich kan deutcsh gut gelesen.

There aren't really any ways to be grammatically correct and "gender neutral" in the case that you put it. I really don't know of anyone who would be offended by you using correct grammar. "sie" would be used regardless when referring to "they" and if you were talking directly to a group of people you would use "ihr" to say "you all". If speaking directly to a person, usually a friend, you would say du; but if you do not know someone that well or are afraid of offending them you can use "Sie".

Most people in Germany will no what you are talking about if you screw up the gender of the infinitive. I don't think somebody will want you dead if you accidentally say die Rathaus instead of das Rathaus.

Hope I helped.

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Thanks for the reply

I'm not sure if we're on the same brainwave of "gender-neutral" though. I was talking about an individual that does not identify on the binary gender spectrum, as in they don't consider themselves a "he" or a "she". I'm not sure if you were getting at the same thing.

I was using the formal "Sie" as a way to identify them without having to use "er", "sie" or "es". Rather than just in general when talking about a noun.

Sorry if I confused what you were saying! I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page or not!

ThePaddedGamer said:

...If speaking directly to a person, usually a friend, you would say du; but if you do not know someone that well or are afraid of offending them you can use "Sie"...

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Isn't it "Der" and "Sie"?

I know some, due to my grandmother although I don't think I would be of much help.

vaanatffxii said:

Isn't it "Der" and "Sie"?

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No, that's ok how ThePaddedGamer put it. If you adress someone directly it's du (informal) and Sie (formal). Der (masc), die (fem) and das (neutral) are bestimmte Artikel, like the, only more complicated, depending on the genus of the noun. And then there is of course a whole list of pronouns, personal pronouns for example: ich (1st person singular); du (2nd person singular); er (masc), sie (fem), es (neut) (3rd person singular, also depending on the genus of the represented person/noun); wir (1st person plural); ihr (2nd person plural); sie (3rd person plural).

God am I happy that I don't have to learn that stuff.

Got it
You are talking about the article.

I was assuming a gender question not a grammar question

By gender neutral I think you mean neotrum (sächlich) e.g "das Haus"

I think its a hard question to translate over since English doesn't have gender grammatically. Because even in English there isn't a officially recognized word for the referencing of gender-neutral people, but to my understanding they/them or xe/xer along with others are used. Thinking back I probably should have said I was looking for pronouns; that might have been a better way of putting it.

Hi I'm german but I don't know if I am of any help as I never ever thought about this question.
I probably would say "sie" if I refer to the person in general, so "sie" for "the person".

shhsecret said:

Hello! Sorry if this is in the wrong place....

So I'm in the process of learning German, I'd say I'm so-so at the moment, and I've been curious about something for a while. I was hoping someone here may be able to answer this for me.

How would a gender-neutral person be referred to and speak about themselves auf deutsch?

I'm curious because gender is so important in the formulation. It would break my heart if I ever offended someone by not knowing.


Thanks for any help and insight!

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Ja ich spreche deutsch! Ich habe fur funf Jahre in mein Gymnasium gelernt.

CookieMonstah said:

Ja ich spreche deutsch! Ich habe fur funf Jahre in mein Gymnasium gelernt.

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Das ist toll! Ich mag andere Nicht-Muttersprachler kennenlernen.

I speak fluidly german (beter than english i think ^^)

There are a few special things in this language:

The first problem with the pronouns "ich du er sie es" (i you he she it) is, that in english when you talk to a person (you dont know praviously) everyone would say "you".
In german really no one would do this, except the person have offered you, that cou say "du".
With friends or the family thats ok, but for your manager for example thats absolutely taboo - Also your manager will wont say "du" without your agreement.
When someone who isn`t a good friend he probably would say: "Michael, can you pleas make 5 copies of that document?" and in german: "Michael, können sie mir bitte 5 Kopien von dem Dokument machen?"
Normally, when some persons know them for a longer time, they offer themself to call them directly with "du" (2 Leute haben sich das DU-Wort abgeboten)(2 people have offered the DU-Word to each other)

Wow ;-)
When i think on this thing in an other language i just recognize how stupid this actually is ^^

But theres one more (and even more stupid thing) here:
A mechanic is allways a mechanic... At least in englisch... It's just a job... Male or female doesn't matter.
In German the job in generel is "Mechaniker", the Male "Mechaniker" is "der Mechaniker" and the female "Mechaniker" is "die Mechanikerin".
Ok - thats quite normal in german buuuut some itiots put the in (or innen for plural) on the ending of absolutely everything!
Even if it's grammatically totally incorrect.
I dont have problems with the equality between Man and women, but these guys say, its discriminatory, when someone dont allways use both versions at the same time.
These guys make a lot of funny things here . In Vienna for example they have "gendered" some of the traffic lights to "show the spirit of equality" ^^ (funny things they do with the taxes if you ask me).
But also it's getting more and more complicate to get all this bullshit out of the sentenses and read a clean and grammatically correct german i think.
In german threads in the internet i often get eye-cancer.

Would be nice to talk in german here with other guys - In the other hand it also would be great if i can improve my englisch here a bit.
Wäre ganz nett, wenn mit anderen hier auf Deutsch zu plaudern - Andererseits wäre es auch nett, wenn ich hier mein Englsich ein wenig verbessern könnte.

And i shoud go to bed now, because its 1am right now and i have work tomorrow.
Und ich sollte nun zu Bett gehen, weil es bei uns gerade 1 Uhr früh ist und ich morgen arbeiten muss.

see ya
Man sieht sich