{"id":10910,"date":"2019-08-08T11:00:18","date_gmt":"2019-08-08T11:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=10910"},"modified":"2019-07-20T14:08:56","modified_gmt":"2019-07-20T14:08:56","slug":"german-sayings-expressions-23-wishes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/german-sayings-expressions-23-wishes\/","title":{"rendered":"German Sayings + Expressions 23: Wishes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you have any\u00a0W\u00fcnsche<\/em> (wishes) or\u00a0Verlangen\u00a0<\/em>(desires)? Then it is helpful to have words to express this. Today in our sayings and expressions, we look at\u00a0these wants and how we can accommodate them in the German language.<\/p>\n

For older posts, please\u00a0follow this link.<\/a>\u00a0Now, let\u2019s start with the\u00a0Sprichwort\u00a0<\/em>(saying)!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Der Wunsch ist der Vater des Gedankens<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n
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Image by Vil Son at Unsplash.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Literally: The wish is the father of the thought<\/strong><\/p>\n

The wish is father to the thought<\/em><\/p>\n

This is not an originally German\u00a0Sprichwort<\/em>, but comes from Shakespeare’s\u00a0Henry IV<\/em>. However, even Shakespeare borrowed it from Latin! It definitely made its way into the German language.<\/p>\n

Der Wunsch ist der Vater des Gedankens<\/em> is something you say when somebody sees something the way they imagine it, not the way it actually is. So basically, your hopes led you to believe something that is not true.<\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n

Ich glaube, er findet mich toll!<\/em><\/p>\n

–\u00a0Bist du dir da sicher? Er hat dich noch nicht mal angeguckt.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ja, klar! Ich frage ihn, ob er mit mir ausgeht.<\/em><\/p>\n

–\u00a0Der Wunsch ist der Vater des Gedankens…<\/em><\/p>\n

(I think he likes me!<\/p>\n

– Are you sure? He did not even look at you.<\/p>\n

Yes, of course! I’ll ask him to go out with me.<\/p>\n

– The wish is the father to the thought<\/p>\n

etw. zu w\u00fcnschen \u00fcbrig lassen<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n
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Image by Merve Ayd\u0131n on Unsplash<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Literally: to leave sth. to wish for<\/strong><\/p>\n

To leave sth. to be desired<\/em><\/p>\n

This Ausdruck <\/em>simply means that something does not meet Erwartungen <\/em>(expectations) (nice idiom there is nicht die Erwartungen erf\u00fcllen <\/em>(to not fulfill the expectations)) or W\u00fcnsche <\/em>of the Verbraucher <\/em>(consumer).<\/p>\n

It comes from the way an interaction goes when you are in a shop to buy something, and the staff \u201cfulfills your wishes\u201d.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say, you go to a German shop and you get some Pralinen <\/em>(chocolates) at a Schokoladenladen <\/em>(chocolate shop), the conversation could go something like this:<\/p>\n

Ich h\u00e4tte gern sechs Pralinen in einer Schachtel.<\/em><\/p>\n