{"id":12145,"date":"2020-11-11T23:00:19","date_gmt":"2020-11-11T23:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=12145"},"modified":"2020-11-10T20:50:48","modified_gmt":"2020-11-10T20:50:48","slug":"the-german-word-fisimatenten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/the-german-word-fisimatenten\/","title":{"rendered":"The German Word Fisimatenten"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guten Tag! Today we\u2019re looking at a peculiar German word: Fisimatenten.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re thinking, Well, that doesn\u2019t look like a German word<\/em>, you\u2019d be right! There are a few different theories as to this word’s origins.<\/p>\n

But before we get into that, what on earth does Fisimatenten<\/strong> actually mean?<\/p>\n

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Photo by John Lambrechts on Unsplash<\/p><\/div>\n

Die Fisimatenten<\/h3>\n

Fisimatenten is difficult to translate accurately, as it has a variety of meanings, but it roughly translates to \u2018nonsense\u2019 or \u2018messing about\u2019. It is a plural word (so you wouldn\u2019t have a singular \u2018Fisimatent\u2019, for example).<\/p>\n

Mach keine Fisimatenten!<\/strong>
\nDon\u2019t mess about! \/ Don\u2019t make excuses! \/ No nonsense!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Duden<\/a> describes Fisimatenten as,<\/p>\n

“Etwas, was unn\u00f6tigerweise etwas anderes behindert, verz\u00f6gert”<\/strong>
\n“Something that unnecessarily hinders or delays something else”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Similar words to Fisimatenten include:<\/p>\n

der Unsinn<\/strong> – nonsense
\nder Bl\u00f6dsinn<\/strong> – stupidity
\ndie Dummheiten<\/strong> \u2013 stupid behaviour\/activities
\ndie Schwierigkeiten<\/strong> \u2013 difficulties (being awkward\/difficult)
\ndie Ausreden<\/strong> – excuses
\ndie Umst\u00e4nde\u00a0<\/strong>– fuss, bother<\/p>\n

As you can see, there are several, different ways to use the word Fisimatenten!<\/p>\n

So where did this word come from?<\/p>\n

Theory 1: I am visiting my aunt – Ich besuche meine Tante<\/h3>\n
\"\"

Can’t – visiting my aunt. Photo by Aaron Lee on Unsplash<\/p><\/div>\n

The first theory is that Fisimatenten is an interpretation of the French phrase Je visite ma tante<\/em> \u2013 \u2018I am visiting my aunt\u2019 \u2013 used in the 19th Century as an excuse to get out of unpleasant or unwanted plans. So when someone tells you to stop with the Fisimatenten, they are telling you to stop making excuses!<\/p>\n

Theory 2: Come visit my tent – Besuchen Sie mein Zelt<\/h3>\n
\"\"

Come visit my tent. It has a nice view. Photo by Dominik Jirovsk\u00fd on Unsplash<\/p><\/div>\n

The second theory is that it is an interpretation of the phrase Visitez ma tente<\/em> \u2013 \u2018Visit my tent\u2019 \u2013 allegedly said by French soldiers in the Franco-Prussian war to invite women into their tents. So when someone advises against Fisimatenten, you could say they are telling you not to get up to any \u2018nonsense\u2019 or \u2018funny business\u2019!<\/p>\n

Theory 3: Officer commissions – Offizierspatente<\/h3>\n
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Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash<\/p><\/div>\n

The third and most likely theory, however, is a much more straight-forward one! It is said to come from the Latin visae patentes<\/strong> \u2013 officer commissions<\/em> (\u2018Offizierspatente\u2019 in German). Becoming an officer was such a long, arduous process back in the day, that the phrase visae patentes<\/em> soon came to be used when talking about anything that was unnecessarily kompliziert<\/em> (complicated) and involved a lot of hassle (die M\u00fche<\/em>).<\/p>\n

A note on spelling:<\/h3>\n

It is not known why Fisimatenten starts with an F rather than a V, like its origin words (visite\/visitez\/visae). One explanation might be, that the letter V is often pronounced like an F in German, so this may have influenced the word’s spelling. You can read more about German letter pronunciation by clicking on this post.<\/a><\/p>\n

The French connection:<\/h3>\n

France had a big influence on Germany during the 18th Century. Click here<\/a> if you\u2019d like to read about French loanwords in the German language.<\/p>\n

Bis bald!<\/p>\n

Constanze<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Guten Tag! Today we\u2019re looking at a peculiar German word: Fisimatenten. If you\u2019re thinking, Well, that doesn\u2019t look like a German word, you\u2019d be right! There are a few different theories as to this word’s origins. But before we get into that, what on earth does Fisimatenten actually mean? Die Fisimatenten Fisimatenten is difficult to…<\/p>\n

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