I was wondering how does one say the following phrase in German:

"Would you like to chat to kill some time?"

I'm not familiar with which word is used for chat or how to link the phrase.
Maybe:
"Willst du plaudern um die Zeit zu vertreiben?"

Putting technical translation issues aside for the moment....I would not be inclined to chat to KILL time..... but rather to FILL time.
Some of my most memorable moments have been spent chatting to strangers on trains and buses in the Far East and Scandanavia.
If you go on vacation........... don't drive.....commute.

in Bärn, don't you simply drool a little and slooooooowly mutter, "mou..."?



in Switzerland, I usually hear "plaudern" with a vaguely negative connotation, e.g. "äch...du plodderisch eso!" Why not simply use "reden"?

I don't know the context, obviously, but I would find it very odd to be asked if I want to chat instead of the other person just starting the conversation in a casual way. If I dod not know the person quite well, I would get away as fast as possible, as it would feel too targeted. My suggestion would be to just say something about the weather, the place where you are or whatever makes sense.

As for the actual sentence, I would go with "Wollen wir uns unterhalten?" which also avoids the question of "Du" or "Sie".

Ok context :
You're in a waiting room with someone and both of you have nothing going on. If the other person is Swiss, likely they won't initiate the conversation so you ask, "Hey, do you wanna chat to kill some time?".

I feel that reden/talk is too formal (it's not I know) but I was looking for something closer to chat (informal, light banter).

Thanks for the plaudern comment, I didn't know how it was used at all.

Edit:

Guys I'm really just looking for the translation, I can handle the social stigma of approaching strangers myself :P.

I agree with this, if someone asked me if I wanted to chat I would find it a little odd. On the other hand, a friendly comment about the train being late or whatever, would start the ball rolling.

I heard that there was no such concept as a friendly chat in German. Only the brief exchange of pertinent facts.

Geh weg.

There is a German verb 'chatten', to chat, according to the Collins German dictionary.

Edit... I think it is used for Internet chatting rather than real life chatting.

I think the proper phrase is "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?"

Oh, wait. That's French. But it's okay... most people in the German part speak French, too.

Likewise in Italian, but only for Internet chatting. (ciattare)

The correct Italian word for normal (verbal) chatting is chiacchierare.

Tom

In that context (in a waiting room, on a train, etc.), why not just say something to get a conversation going? Starting by saying "Hey, shall we have a conversation?" sounds very contrived and awkward to me.

Edit: saw Hannah's auntie's post after I had already posted... yes, I completely agree.

I think "reden" would seem more formal in standard German, where perhaps "schwätzen" might work. if I were stuck in an office and looking to kill some time, I might try "Exgusi, ich lerne mi tüütsch und hätti mi gärn mis tüütsch au no verbessere. Händ (oder hätted) si schnell ziit / luscht zrede mitenand?"

(Entschuldigung, ich lerne mich Deutsch und ich hätte mich gerne mein Deutsch noch verbessern. Haben (oder hätten) Sie schnell Zeit / Lust zu reden miteinander?)

DISCLAIMER: Auf weder Deutsch noch Schweizerdeutsch bin ich Experte - though I also handle social stigma and embarrassment reasonably well.

Sweet! I'll just start using whatever you type!! Nice to know who the experts are on the Forum

uh-oh..."auf weder Deutsch NOCH Schweizerdeutsch".



as the lawyers say, "res ipsa loquitur" (the thing speaks for itself).

"plaudere" (plaudern) is indeed used for idle chat, with positive, neutral or even slightly negative connotation, subject to context. "wäred em wandere hemmer viel pläuderlet" would be an example for (probably) positive connotation as hiking is done voluntarily and for fun. I think this word is rarely used these days.

However, calling somebody "Plauderi" or to say "äch...du plodderisch eso!" means someone uses an awful lot of words or speaks all the time, but produces either nothing of substance or even false stuff. Empty words, hot air, nonsense, rubbish and baloney come to mind. Plauderi is close to "Plagööri" ("plagiäre")(Aufschneider, Angeber), though the latter has a negative connotation with respect to the subjects character.

hey! bock zu quatschen?