{"id":5165,"date":"2014-06-26T23:01:00","date_gmt":"2014-06-26T23:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=5165"},"modified":"2018-02-07T10:48:56","modified_gmt":"2018-02-07T10:48:56","slug":"untranslatable-german-words-gemutlichkeit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/untranslatable-german-words-gemutlichkeit\/","title":{"rendered":"Untranslatable German Words: Gem\u00fctlichkeit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guten Tag<\/em>, and wilkommen<\/em> to week 3 of my series of posts on \u2018untranslatable\u2019 German words! In this series of posts I talk about one or more German words that there is no direct translation for in English. In my first post on this topic, I suggested that the reason for this was to do with the way the German language can combine several nouns to create new words, while the English language does not. Other times, a word will reveal something about German culture, and may exist only as a result of that. Each week I will bring you one or more of these \u2018untranslatable\u2019 words, and try to discuss its meaning (Note: I put inverted commas around the word \u2018untranslatable\u2019 because although the word itself cannot be translated, the meaning of it can be).<\/p>\n

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This week, I would like to introduce you to the word Gem\u00fctlichkeit<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

What is the meaning of <\/strong>Gem\u00fctlichkeit<\/em><\/strong>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gem\u00fctlichkeit <\/em><\/strong>refers to a feeling of cosiness, contentedness, comfort and relaxation. It is difficult to translate using one word because it refers to a specific kind of feeling and situation that the words \u2018cosy\u2019 or \u2018comfortable\u2019 are too simple for. For example: A soft chair in a coffee shop might be considered \u2018cosy\u2019. But sit in that chair surrounded by close friends and a hot cup of tea, while soft music plays in the background, and that sort of scene is what you\u2019d call gem\u00fctlich<\/em>. Some might say that the Weihnachtsm\u00e4rkte<\/span><\/span><\/em> (Christmas markets) in M\u00fcnchen have a very gem\u00fctlich <\/em>atmosphere.\u00a0Gem\u00fctlichkeit <\/em>has social connotations, but it is not restricted to that \u2013 you can experience it on your own, too. Another, less common meaning refers to the comfort of a well-off, middle-class life. In short, it refers to the comfort of an atmosphere or situation more than it does to the comfort of physical objects. Its definition is very vast!<\/p>\n

What does <\/strong>Gem\u00fctlichkeit<\/em><\/strong> literally translate as?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The adjective\u201cgem\u00fctlich\u201d means \u2018cosy\/comfortable\u2019, and by adding \u201ckeit\u201d onto the end it becomes a noun meaning \u201cthe feeling of comfort\/cosiness\u201d. Interestingly, the noun Gem\u00fct<\/em> in gem\u00fctlich <\/em>is also quite difficult to accurately translate: broadly speaking, it refers to mood and feeling.<\/p>\n

How can you use it in a sentence?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Using the adjective, you can say \u201cSo gem\u00fctlich wie Zuhause wird es nie hier\u201c, meaning something like \u201eIt will never be as cosy\/comfortable here as it is at home\u201d.<\/p>\n

What is the nearest English equivalent?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It translates to \u201ccosiness\u201d or \u201ccomfort\u201d, but those words aren\u2019t adequate because they are too simple for the concept of Gem\u00fctlichkeit<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Weihnachtsmarkt<\/a>

Sind deutsche Weihnachtsm\u00e4rkte gem\u00fctlich? Are German Christmas markets gem\u00fctlich? Photo by Adelina Horn on flickr.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Interesting facts:<\/p>\n