If anything, the rest of the world should be complaining about a nation who has different words for the same act.... I mean - Can i borrow or can you lend doesn't represent the same thing? Why two different words, then? This borrow/lend confusion is not German-specific.... It is one of these little English idiosyncrasies us foreigners like so much Germans could also start * hating * us for misuse of nominative and acusative, and Latins go postal when use ser [to be] and estar [er.... to be] indistinctly.

Back to transaliterations: I drives me nuts when i see comas before prepositions. For example, "the car, if is red, and goes very fast, when Alonso drives it is a Ferrari" . Just drives me nuts. In any language.

Not quite the same thing, no. If you think Can I borrow from you and Can {I,you} lend to {you,me}, it makes more sense, no?

For me, I don't see the point of noun genders and the ensuing complications caused by the subsequent declensions. However, I can appreciate why making cases explicit can resolve ambiguity.

Just remind them of the old adage "neither a borrower, not a err.... borrower be"

I used to date a German girl who wanted me to come over to her department. She had a two-bedroomed department with balcony just over the border.

Everytime she said it, I offered to come to her office. She finally realised why

Oh wait, I thought of another one:

"You are so sensible..." when the person really meant to say within the context of the topic, of course, "You are so sensitive..."

Here's another one: Sometimes I hear,
"I'm gonna to..." instead of just saying, "I'm going to..." or "I'm gonna...".

Ok, two more:
"I am so exciting about..." We know what they really want to say.

"I am so attracting to..." Ditto.

Jan Freeman, who writes The Word column for the Boston Globe, recently mentioned:

Borrow for lend, reports the Dictionary of American Regional English, is found in a number of states, especially in the western Great Lakes: "Borrow me your pencil."

This is more about written than spoken language, but I've come across "save sex" or "saver sex" a few times.

A work colleague sometimes says "I watched a documentation about ... last night."

What about "I am boring" for "I am bored" and "I am interesting..." I only ever correct the second one!

My girlfriend says 'Doh' for though. It cracks me up because she reminds me of a slightly hight pitched homer simpson when she says it.

bugger...just noticed my spelling of high...

Working in Finance, I hear "monthses" and "millionses" everyday... I just don't have the heart to correct our chief in front of everyone... but maybe someday soon.

Also, while a student here, people would often say "learning" instead of "studying" and "learn me" instead of "teach me" (similar to the borrow/lend mistake). I can understand the direct translation from Deutsch to English causes these little hilarities. Ho ho...

Now, as much as I enjoy these misuses of the English language (sometimes by supposedly native speakers, might I add), I would love to hear of all the funny things I say when speaking Deutsch. Perhaps the Swiss folk on here can enlighten us and "learn us" how to speak better.

This thread has degraded into nothing but the lot of you taking the piss out of people who probably speak 2 or 3 languages.

Do people's efforts at speaking your language really bother you that much ['Still annoys me', 'Drives me nuts']? If the answer to that is yes, then you need your head checked.

Agreed. Speaking 2-3 languages reasonably well with the odd mistake is far more respectable than speaking only one and reacting in a negative manner to those who make the occasional mistake. Seeing the funny side in a light hearted way does no harm.

I can speak 1 well, another quite well and 2 not so well (but learning) and I would actually find it quite useful for someone to point out the recurring and possibly funny mistakes I make in any of them. For example, I used to say 'Ich will' when I meant 'Ich werde' - must have sounded demanding or inept. D'oh!

[QUOTE=

Now, as much as I enjoy these misuses of the English language (sometimes by supposedly native speakers, might I add), I would love to hear of all the funny things I say when speaking Deutsch. Perhaps the Swiss folk on here can enlighten us and "learn us" how to speak better. [/QUOTE]

I rather embarrasingly used to make the mistake of asking for a 'furz' rather than a 'feuerzerug'. (Fart rathet than lighter). It was the cause of much amusement. Sometimes people would actually oblige.

"Open Hair" is a good one. "You look good with open hair." Yet no one ever says "closed hair" for a ponytail.

My Swiss friend sent out e-mails to folks inviting them to my bachelorette party. I forget the specifics but my sister loved the mistakes made there-in.

One mistake that made me laugh so hard that a bathroom was neccessary was "My apartment is a Puff" Meaning "Tip".

"funny" where "fun" is meant, as in "We're going to play some funny games today" or "Let's all go see this funny film!".

But yes I agree with what was said elsewhere, I have nothing but respect for these people who are fluent in many languages. I'm struggling to learn German right now and am sure I talk crap half the time.

Hmmm.... It is a transaliteration from the German word sympatisch. In English language, sympatisch means congenial, friendly, likable, likeable, personable (via Leo).

The intended meaning of the my example is "Frankfurt is not friendly city" (Frankfurt ist nicht eine sympatisch Stadt).

Other than French, Portuguese, Spanish and Catalan native speakers tend to fall into the same trap. Though sound similar, sympathy and simpatia have different meanings. Same goes for sensible and sensivel/sensible

Oh, but it's just a bit of fun . Have you never been asked by a Swiss to say the word "Chuchichäschtli" - that's the password if you really want a Swiss passport.

"What really annoys me" is when Swiss journalists/copywriters use English words incorrectly just to make a report/an ad sound trendy. Most of the time the German word would be more appropriate.

Well, I don't see that too bad - I am Swiss an trying my best with English. And exactly threads like these help me to improve my English (I bet, I said a couple of these "wrong used words" in my past - and might also do it in the future).
However, I don't feel offended by anything in here. This concerns also the Mid-Weeks drinks. I usually attend them, and I am feeling well integrated - so this is really a big "thank you" to all of you guys!