In German, the two verbs "andern" and "verandern" with umlauts on the first "a" in each word, both mean "to change". However, there are supposedly different ways of using them, ie. you use "andern" in certain circumstances and "verandern" in others. A German guy told me this but didn't know why so does anyone out there know?
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2007-02-01 06:32:26 · 4 answers · asked by Xan 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Good question. I'd say the verbs are almost synonymous, with "ändern" tending slightly more towards "modify/alter", and "verändern" tending slightly more to more fundamental change. So if you have a pair of jeans altered, you'd say "Ich habe die Jeans ändern lassen", but a sentence such as "The climate change will change the whole world" woud probably be translated as "Die Klimaveräderung wird die ganze Welt verändern".
"to change", by the way, is not just a 1:1 translation for either of the two verbs you mentioned; it can also translate as "wechseln" in contexts such as changing a government or changing money.
2007-02-01 10:20:21 · answer #1 · answered by Sterz 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Stertz is correct. Also, "ver" as a prefix to a verb in German adds a sense of "complete" or "extreme" to the verb - thus a contrast between change (potentially a minor thing) and complete and total change (of the extreme kind).
2007-02-01 18:28:18 · answer #2 · answered by Anna 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Change means several things in English too - same thing.
You get change from a £10 note, you can change your clothes. Two different meanings for starters
2007-02-01 14:39:30 · answer #3 · answered by chillipope 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think his translation was off, and one must mean change, and the other probably means alter or exchange.
2007-02-01 14:40:39 · answer #4 · answered by savs 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋