Help your fluency in a nifty way

[Imralu]

I kind of feel like adding "-ass" to adjectives is only natural in attributive position

"He's badass" geht nicht bei dir?
"He's bad-ass" doesn't work for you?

Ni tofauti tu. Hainamaanisha "mbaya sana". Na huenda ningesema "a badass" au "pretty badass" lakini nisingesema "He's badass" tu.
That's an exception. It doesn't mean "very bad". And maybe I'd say "a badass" or "pretty badass" but not just "He's badass".

And in any-case, "ass" in this context is a loan. I have "ass" meaning "donkey", which is [æs] and "arse" meaning bottom, backside, butt, bum [äːs] but [æːs] is an Americanism and I always replace it with "arse" except for "Jackass" adjective-ass because they just sound stupid with "arse" and are Americanisms anyway.

[Travis B.]

Leider wurde es hier wieder kalt.
Unfortunately it got cold again here.

[jal]

Unfortunately it got cold again here.

Hier regnet es wieder, aber es ist glücklicherweise nicht so kalt.
Here it rains again, but it's fortunately not that cold.


JAL

[Imralu]

Hapa ni nyuzi Selsiasi nane. Siku hii mwaka mmoja uliopita kulikuwa na barafu nyingi. Sasa kuna mvua kidogo. Niko kazini. Ni saa kumi na nusu mchana na jua linakuchwa. Nje ni pa kijivu. Nilipaswa kuandika mazungumzo ya wawili kwa bosi wangu wanafunzi wake watumie wajizoeze lugha ya ishara yao. Mazungumzo yanahusu hali ambayo mahakama yataamua kama mtoto ambaye wazazi wake wanataka asiingiziwe vidude viwili vya konokono za masikio atalazimishwa kuvipata.
It's eight degrees Celsius here. On this day last year there was lots of ice. Now there is a bit of rain. I'm at work. It's half past four in the afternoon and the sun is setting. Outside it's grey. I had to write a dialogue for my boss that her students can use to practice their sign language. The dialogue is about a case in which the court is deciding whether a child whose parents don't want their child to get cochlear implants will be forced to get them.

[Astraios]

Ich bin krank. Hynt is die doïgke Temperatur uif bis siebetzen Celsius (by mir noch kalt) mit helle Himmlen unn a lychten Windt, ober oich eppas semdeldigk unter die Fiess unn in die Lungen, wos, gloub ich, hot mich gimacht oder giholfen machen asou krank in Keel wie in Kopp, as ich bin schoun frieïg ahaim vun der Arbet inn Mittel Schicht (emetzer is es do giween mich machlif ze syn, hoben sai mich jo aruisgilosen). Sitz ich itzt varn Gliehaiss mit Thei unn Kichelech unn fiel mich a Bissel besser.

I’m poorly. The temperature here got up to seventeen Celsius (still cold for me) today with bright skies and a light wind, but also kind of gritty underfoot and in the lungs, which I think made or helped make me so ill in the throat and the head that I went home early from work in the middle of a shift (there was someone to replace me, so they did let me go). Now I’m sitting at home in front of the space heater with tea and cookies and feeling a bit better.

[Travis B.]

Es ist 2 Celsius draußen hier.
It is 2 °C outside here.

[hwhatting]

Hehe, mein Akzent ist eher belgisch, daher bin ich fast ein Belgier. Vorhin war ich nicht ganz klar, deshalb sollte ich klarstellen, dass nur meine mündlichen Sprachkenntnisse untersucht wurden und nicht meine schriftlichen Fähigkeiten. Mein Französich wurde mit C2 bewertet. Ich sollte meine schriftlichen Fähigkeiten untersuchen lassen.

Hehe, my accent is more Belgian so I'm almost a Belgian. Earlier I wasn't clear so I should clarify that only my oral skills were tested and not my writing skills. I speak French with a C2 rating. I should have my writing skills tested.

Ich hoffe, dass mein Englisch auch C2 ist, aber ich fürchte, dass es nur C1 ist. Mein Deutsch ist nicht höher als A2, aber ich hoffe, dass es mir eines Tages gelingt, es auf B1 zu erhöhern.
I hope my English is also C2, but I'm afraid it's only C1. My German isn't higher than A2, but I hope that some day I'll be able to get it to B1.

Es ist ziemlich warm für Januar im Moment.
It is quite warm for January right now.

Liniment

Nawet nie wiedzałem, że to słowo istnieje w niemieckim. Sprawdziłem, rzeczywiście istnieje. Zwyczajnie ludzie mowią "Salbe" albo "Einreibemittel".
I didn't even know that this word exists in German. I checked, it really does. Normally, people say "Salbe" or "Eineibemittel".

[linguoboy]

Nawet nie wiedzałem, że to słowo istnieje w niemieckim. Sprawdziłem, rzeczywiście istnieje. Zwyczajnie ludzie mowią "Salbe" albo "Einreibemittel".
I didn't even know that this word exists in German. I checked, it really does. Normally, people say "Salbe" or "Eineibemittel".

Du hast keine Ahnung, wie hoch ich diese Trouvaillen schätze.
You don't even know how much I treasure finding these words.

Ich brauch 'n schlankeres Portmonnaie. Meins ist zu dick; es verunziert die Hosenlinie.
I need a slimmer wallet. The one I have is too fat; it spoils my trouser line.

[Imralu]

Rafiki yangu mmoja aliniomba nilale nyumbani kwake usiku mmoja niwatunze paka wawili anaowatunza kwa ajili ya rafiki yake mmoja. Niko kitandani nikiwa na paka anayependeza sana juu ya mkono wangu wa kushoto akikoroma.
One of my friends asked me to sleep at her place for one night to cat-sit two cats she's cat-sitting for a friend of hers. I'm in bed with a gorgeous cat purring under my left arm.

Linguoboy, nami nilikuwa na tatizo hilohilo mpaka niliponunua kipochi kidogo sana. Ukubwa wake ni wa kutosha kwa kushikilia kadi zangu, lakini lazima nikunje pesa.
Linguoboy, I had the same problem until I bought a tiny wallet. Its size is enough to hold my cards, but I have to fold money up.

Paka amesimama na kuniacha.
The cat has gotten up and left me.

Astraios, "gk" katika Kiyahudi chako inamaanisha nini? Natumaini usiwe mgonjwa tena.
Astraios, what does the "gk" in your Yiddish mean? I hope you're not poorly anymore.

I couldn't find any translation of Yiddish other than Kiyahudi , which can also mean "Hebrew"... essentially "Jewese". Hebrew can also be Kiebrania, so, given that there's that and Yiddish is essentially Yiddish for "Jewese", Kiyahudi seems pretty good to me.

[kanejam]

Il fait beau ici; hier il dépassait trente degrés.
It's lovely here. Yesterday it got over 30 degrees.

Ko te pepa tāku wārete, ehara nā taua te kāpia, te tēpara. Ka āhuahua ki te tāra Merikana, ā, ka whakamihia rawatia. He tūā-rauiti.
My wallet is made of paper without any glue or staples. It looks like an American dollar, and I often get compliments about it. It's fairly slim.

Je vais faire une randonnée de quatre jour autour un lac ce weekend. C'est un des 'Chemins Grands' de la NZ.
I'm doing a four day tramp (= hike) around a lake this weekend. It is one of the Great Walks of NZ.

[Viktor77]

Il fait beau ici; hier il a dépassé trente degrés.
It's lovely here. Yesterday it got over 30 degrees.

Je vais faire une randonnée de quatre jours autour d'un lac ce weekend. C'est un des 'Grands Chemins' de la NZ.
I'm doing a four day tramp (= hike) around a lake this weekend. It is one of the Great Walks of NZ.

Ik zou graag Nieuw-Zeeland bezoeken willen maar het vliegticket zou te veel kosten.

I would like to visit New Zealand but the plane ticket would cost too much.

[Znex]

Ko te pepa tāku wārete, ehara nā taua te kāpia, te tēpara. Ka āhuahua ki te tāra Merikana, ā, ka whakamihia rawatia. He tūā-rauiti.
My wallet is made of paper without any glue or staples. It looks like an American dollar, and I often get compliments about it. It's fairly slim.

折り紙かな？
那麼是摺紙嗎？
Ὀριγάμις ἐστίν;
Est-ce que c'est du origami alors?
Ist es Origami dann?
Un kowa hi origami?
Is it origami then?

[kanejam]

Ik zou graag Nieuw-Zeeland bezoeken willen maar het vliegticket zou te veel kosten.
I would like to visit New Zealand but the plane ticket would cost too much.

Fais-le! Pendant les soldes je crois que le prix d'un vol aller-retour peut baisser à environ USD500 - encore cher mais c'est mieux que le prix habituel d'au moins USD1000.
Do it! During sales return airfares can drop to $700 (~ USD500) - still expensive but better than the usual price of at least $1400 (~ USD1000).

[Astraios]

Astraios, "gk" katika Kiyahudi chako inamaanisha nini?
Astraios, what does the "gk" in your Yiddish mean?

<gk> is varn /k/, wos men gifinnt in -ig. Ich hob nit gihat holdt es schryben <ik> oder <ick>, wyl es kenn oich syn /g/ in etleche Dialekten, ober <gk> is miës. Efschar soll ich schryben <ig> in Sof a Wort, nor <igk> var a Vokal. Oder poschet <ik>.
<gk> is for the /k/ found in -ig. I didn’t like writing it <ik> or <ick>, because it can be /g/ in some dialects, but <gk> is ugly. Maybe I’ll write <ig> at the end of a word (and say it’s irregularly pronounced /ik/), but <igk> before a vowel. Or just <ik>

Natumaini usiwe mgonjwa tena.
I hope you're not poorly anymore.

Ich hob gimuest wern meer krank var der Ginesung, ober jo, der Fieber is kainenhora schoun op; itzt hob ich nor a Katarr, a Halswaitig, unn nischt kain Motivatie sich nemen zu der Arbet schoun acht asaiger.
I had to get sicker before recovering, but yes, the fever is over with any luck, and now I just have a runny nose, a sore throat, and no motivation to get myself to work at eight o’clock.

[jal]

Ik zou graag Nieuw-Zeeland bezoeken willen maar het vliegticket zou te veel kosten.

Grammatically correct, though the second hypothetical is perhaps a bit to much. More idiomatically, I'd say "Ik zou graag naar Nieuw-Zeeland [op vakantie] gaan, maar het vliegticket is te duur."

Neuseeland scheint mir ein schönes Land, aber ich denke nicht, dass ich dort irgendwann gehe. Es ist zu weit weg (viel zu lange fliegen), es ist viel zu teuer daher zu kommen, und es gibt noch viele andere Länder, die näher sind, der ich auch noch besuchen will.
New Zeeland seems a beautiful country to me, but I don't think I'll ever go there. It's too far away (much too long flying), it's too expensive to get there, and there are many other countries closer by that I'd like to visit as well.


JAL

[finlay]

まだ日本に住んでいるならニュージーランドへ行くべきだね〜 いつからも行きたかった
I should go to NZ while I'm still living in Japan.... I've wanted to for a long time.

でも今年は夏休みに一時的に帰ることになりたいなぁ。どうしようね
But this year I want to go home in the summer for a bit. What to do...

そう言えば、会社は今年に合併をするので、全国にいろんな場所で新しい支所を開所して、あの場所の中に彼氏の国にあるんだ。それから、どうしよう、本当に。そのまま続けられるか、あそこへ移動してみられるか。一方で彼氏の隣に居たいけど、他方で東京をまだ出たくない。知らないことに怖がれるかな。
Speaking of which, my company is going to undergo a merger this year, and as a result they're going to open up a bunch of new branches across the country, among which is going to be one in my boyfriend's neck of the woods. So like, really, what do I do...? I could stick with the status quo, or I could try to transfer/move up there. On the one hand, I want to be near my boyfriend, but on the other, I still don't really want to leave Tokyo. Scared of the unknown...

(Implicit in this, I hope, is that we don't currently live near each other... )

[Imralu]

(Implicit in this, I hope, is that we don't currently live near each other... )

Hata kama nisingeshajua, nadhani kwamba ilielea.
Even if I didn't know that already, I think it was clear.

Sasa umeishi Tokyo kwa muda gani?
How long have you lived in Tokyo now?

Sasa ni saa 9 na nusu mchana na niko njiani kazini.
It's now half past 3 in the arvo and I'm on my way to work.

[hwhatting]

Ist es also Origami dann?
Is it origami then?

Neuseeland scheint mir ein schönes Land zu sein, aber ich denke nicht, dass ich dort irgendwann dorthin fahre*1). Es ist zu weit weg (ein viel zu langer Flug), es ist viel zu teuer, dahin zu kommen, und es gibt noch viele andere Länder, die näher sind, die ich auch noch besuchen will.
New Zeeland seems a beautiful country to me, but I don't think I'll ever go there. It's too far away (much too long flying), it's too expensive to get there, and there are many other countries closer by that I'd like to visit as well.

*1) Or: fliege / reise. We've been through this... gehen means you either a) walk there (good luck) or b) emigrate / get posted to NZ for a longer period.

Chciałbym widzieć Nową Zelandię. Ale rzeczywiście jest bardzo daleko stąd.
J'aimerais bien voir la Nouvelle-Zélande. Mais elle est vraiment très loin d'ici.
Ik wou graag Nieuw Zeeland zien. Maar het is werkelijk ver.
I'd like to see New Zealand, but it really is far away.

[Imralu]

Mimi nimewahi kufika New Zealand.
I've been to New Zealand.

[Znex]

我小的時候，去過新西蘭。這還是唯一的我澳大利亞外訪問過國家。
Ich habe nach Neuseeland gefahren, als ich war ein Kind. Es ist das einzige Land noch, das ich außerhalb von Australien besucht habe.
Je suis allé à la Nouvelle-Zélande quand j'étais un enfant. C'est encore le seul pays que j'aie visité dehors de l'Australie.
Eu fui para a Nova Zelândia quando eu era criança. Ela ainda é o único país que eu visitei fora da Austrália.
I went to New Zealand when I was a kid. It is still the only country I have visited outside of Australia.

[finlay]

(Implicit in this, I hope, is that we don't currently live near each other... )

Hata kama nisingeshajua, nadhani kwamba ilielea.
Even if I didn't know that already, I think it was clear.

Sasa umeishi Tokyo kwa muda gani?
How long have you lived in Tokyo now?

Sasa ni saa 9 na nusu mchana na niko njiani kazini.
It's now half past 3 in the arvo and I'm on my way to work.

2週間前は6周年だった
Two weeks ago was my sixth Japanniversary

スワヒリ語では昼で9時って言うんだ…おかしい〜
So they say 9 o’clock in the afternoon in swahili... how strange

前回言ってたことはね、確かじゃない。マネージャーもあの合併ということをくわしく知らない。本部の人はコミュニケーション苦手だと思う
Anyway what i said last time, it’s not certain. Even my manager doesn’t really know what’s happening with the merger stuff yet. The HQ folks aren’t so good at communicating...

[Vijay]

スワヒリ語では昼で9時って言うんだ…おかしい〜
So they say 9 o’clock in the afternoon in swahili... how strange

Ni saa za Kiswahili. Saa moja ni saa ya kwanza ya siku.
It's Swahili time. 7 AM is the first hour of the day.

[ˈd̪ʲɛ.gɔ kɾuˑl̪]

Chciałbym widzieć zobaczyć/zwiedzić(?)* Nową Zelandię, ale rzeczywiście jest bardzo daleko (stąd)**.
I'd like to see New Zealand, but it really is far away.

*If one would really like just to see New Zealand, they'd say zobaczyć, but I think the Polish equivalent is zwiedzić, could you please check if it better conveys what you mean in your dictionary?
**I don't personally use this word in such constructions, I just say something like bardzo/strasznie/serio/pierońsko daleko, it is obvious one is then speaking about distance from their place

[Dē Graut Bʉr]

Ik wou zou graag Nieuw-Zeeland willen zien, maar het is werkelijk ver.

"Wou" only means that you wanted something in the past. Also, I think "Ik zou graag naar Nieuw-Zeeland willen (gaan)" sounds better than "Ik zou graag Nieuw-Zeeland willen zien".
The second sentence might be expressed more idiomatically as something like "maar het is inderdaad heel ver weg".

[Imralu]

2週間前は6周年だった
Two weeks ago was my sixth Japanniversary

Unahisi upo nyumbani, au uko tayari kwa mabadiliko?
Do you feel at home or are you ready for a change?

前回言ってたことはね、確かじゃない。マネージャーもあの合併ということをくわしく知らない。本部の人はコミュニケーション苦手だと思う
Anyway what i said last time, it’s not certain. Even my manager doesn’t really know what’s happening with the merger stuff yet. The HQ folks aren’t so good at communicating...

Kampuni ninayofanyia kazi pia itaunganishwa. Bado si wazi itaendeleaje. Sasa tuko Berlin tu, lakini wakati ujao tutakuweko Hamburg pia.
The company I work for is merging too. It's still not clear how it's all going to work out. Right now, we're only in Berlin, but in the future we're going to be in Hamburg too.

Saa moja ni saa ya kwanza ya siku.

Sentensi hiyo ina maana dhahiri kwa Kiswahili. Kiswahili chako ni kizuri!
This sentence is kind of stating the obvious in Swahili. Your Swahili is good!