# German Speakers: Is There a Word for "Put?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 18, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301 "2015-03-18T16:08:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301/1 "2015-03-18T16:08:28Z")
I remember my German professor from college telling us that German had no word for “put.” Instead, a word that more specifically described the action would be used. Here are examples of the concept (illustrated in English): - I _set_ the glass on the table - I _lay_ the papers on the table. - I _spread_ the cream cheese on the bagel. - I _hung_ the coat in the closet. Is it true that German is effectively put-less? ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301/2 "2015-03-18T16:35:35Z")
Yes, that is correct. The English word _put_ is extremely versatile. > **[put - LEO: Übersetzung im ­Englisch ⇔ Deutsch Wörterbuch](https://dict.leo.org/englisch-deutsch/put)** > > Lernen Sie die Übersetzung für 'put' in LEOs ­Englisch ⇔ Deutsch­ Wörterbuch. Mit Flexionstabellen der verschiedenen Fälle und Zeiten ✓ Aussprache und relevante Diskussionen ✓ Kostenloser Vokabeltrainer ✓ ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301/3 "2015-03-18T16:37:30Z")
There is, of course, a translation for “put” in each of these instances, but it’s not always the same. So yes, there is no full equivalent for “put” in German. In other instances (e.g. a put option in finance), the English word was simply borrowed into German. That is, however, not at all peculiar when translating stuff from one language into another. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301/4 "2015-03-18T16:45:55Z")
It seems to me that every language has some catch-all verbs that get put to lots of idiomatic use. It’s just that those catch-all verbs don’t correlate with any target-language verbs one-to-one when translating. English has “put”, “set”, “run”, and others. Sppanish and French seem to get a lot of mileage out of “_hacer_” and “_faire_” respectively. I’m sure German has some specific examples. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301/5 "2015-03-18T16:51:39Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > Here are examples of the concept (illustrated in English): > > - I _set_ the glass on the table > - I _lay_ the papers on the table. > - I _spread_ the cream cheese on the bagel. > - I _hung_ the coat in the closet. If you want all your examples to be consistently past tense, that should be “I _laid_ the papers on the table.” ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301/6 "2015-03-18T17:01:46Z")
> [@Schnitte](#): > > There is, of course, a translation for “put” in each of these instances, but it’s not always the same. So yes, there is no full equivalent for “put” in German. In other instances (e.g. a put option in finance), the English word was simply borrowed into German. That is, however, not at all peculiar when translating stuff from one language into another. This is similar to the way that there is no 1 to 1 translation of “to be” into Spanish. Most cases of “to be” would be translated as either ser or estar, but which one is correct depends on the circumstances. It is possible, however, to translate an English sentence containing some form of “to be” into Spanish - you just have to do some extra work other than slavishly translating each word individually. And anyone here who knows more than one language knows that you can’t translate like that - context is important. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301/7 "2015-03-18T17:36:00Z")
Thanks everybody. The reason I’m asking is this: Tomorrow night, I have to give a very short presentation on a point of English grammar or word usage in public speaking. One bit of standard advice to improve speeches is to opt for words that are more specific and more descriptive. It occurred to me that “put” might offer some opportunities to sub in more specific and descriptive words. Not all instances of “put” can be feasibly replaced, but changing out a few would make for an easy way to liven up a speech. I was going to use the German thing to introduce the point, given that’s what made me think of it, but I wanted to check to see if it was true first. I just have to be careful not to say something like “so see what you can do with your puts.” ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301/8 "2015-03-18T22:37:01Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > English has “put”, “set”, “run”, and others. Sppanish and French seem to get a lot of mileage out of “_hacer_” and “_faire_” respectively. I’m sure German has some specific examples. I guess the German _machen_ (to make) is similar. (at least the way I, with my horrible German and frequent blanking on the verb I should use, use it). ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301/9 "2015-03-18T22:42:49Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > I just have to be careful not to say something like “so see what you can do with your puts.” You wouldn’t want to look like a schmuck. ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301/10 "2015-03-19T05:39:26Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > If you want all your examples to be consistently past tense, that should be “I _laid_ the papers on the table.” And of course if you want them all to be present tense you would say “I hang the coat in the closet.” ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301/11 "2015-03-19T10:03:06Z")
> [@Moe](#): > > I guess the German _machen_ (to make) is similar. (at least the way I, with my horrible German and frequent blanking on the verb I should use, use it). That’s the example I was thinking of too. I speak German, but I also teach English and my German students often over-use the word make. I saw it in a TV show the other day too (Great Continental Railway Journeys, FTR), where a German curator with fairly good English said an artist had “made an exhibition” in some city or other. That’s a common error for German ESL speakers, and funnily enough in English one of the ways to phrase it, depending on context, would involve “put,” as in “put on an exhibition” - from the context it wasn’t clear whether the artist had put on an exhibition or simply been included in one; in German “machen” can be used for either meaning with context telling you which is more likely. ---
**Author:** ![Doughbag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301/12 "2015-03-19T14:03:23Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > That’s the example I was thinking of too. I speak German, but I also teach English and my German students often over-use the word make. > > I saw it in a TV show the other day too (Great Continental Railway Journeys, FTR), where a German curator with fairly good English said an artist had “made an exhibition” in some city or other. That’s a common error for German ESL speakers, and funnily enough in English one of the ways to phrase it, depending on context, would involve “put,” as in “put on an exhibition” - from the context it wasn’t clear whether the artist had put on an exhibition or simply been included in one; in German “machen” can be used for either meaning with context telling you which is more likely. Yeah, in German you can make the cake… make the train… make the door open,please … make (instead of do) your/the work ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301/13 "2015-03-19T19:46:51Z")
> [@Doughbag](#): > > Yeah, in German you can make the cake… make the train… make the door open,please … make (instead of do) your/the work Nitpick: “Make the train” is not an instance where I’d use _machen_, at least not if the intended meaning is to reach a train which is about to depart. The literal translation of “make the train” (“den Zug machen”) would be referring to making a move, e.g. in a boardgame. The other instances you name are very common, though, and there are many more - such as _macht nichts_ (“It doesn’t make anything”), meaning that something doesn’t matter or doesn’t bother you. I wouldn’t want to exclude, however, that there is a colloquial usage I’m not aware of where “making the train” in the sense above is used. ---
**Author:** ![Doughbag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301/14 "2015-03-20T12:52:43Z")
> [@Schnitte](#): > > Nitpick: “Make the train” is not an instance where I’d use _machen_, at least not if the intended meaning is to reach a train which is about to depart. The literal translation of “make the train” (“den Zug machen”) would be referring to making a move, e.g. in a boardgame. The other instances you name are very common, though, and there are many more - such as _macht nichts_ (“It doesn’t make anything”), meaning that something doesn’t matter or doesn’t bother you. I wouldn’t want to exclude, however, that there is a colloquial usage I’m not aware of where “making the train” in the sense above is used. Yeah, it was meant as “Wir machen den Zug noch” In my early English speaking days the term “machen” caused some some confusion, since you can use “mach/machen” for put, lay, do, make, etc. in German, but not in English. For “Mach die Tuer zu.” you would’t say “Make the door close” you just say “Close the door” ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301/15 "2015-03-20T13:00:57Z")
> [@Schnitte](#): > > There is, of course, a translation for “put” in each of these instances, but it’s not always the same. So yes, there is no full equivalent for “put” in German. Couldn’t _tun_ be used (admittedly somewhat informally) in all of the OP’s examples? ---
**Author:** ![Doughbag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301/16 "2015-03-20T13:47:59Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Couldn’t _tun_ be used (admittedly somewhat informally) in all of the OP’s examples? Not really. _Tun_ is more like _do_ ---
**Author:** ![Apollon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47774/32.png) [@Apollon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollon)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301/17 "2015-03-20T14:21:58Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Couldn’t _tun_ be used (admittedly somewhat informally) in all of the OP’s examples? Yes, it can, if you have no qualms about being taken for a plebeian. While not grammatically correct, you can get away with saying “Tu’ das Glas auf den Tisch”, or, perhaps more commonly, “Tu’ das weg hier”. Umgangssprache is a lot more forgiving than Hochsprache, especially in places like Berlin. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301/18 "2015-03-20T14:38:01Z")
> [@Apollon](#): > > Yes, it can, if you have no qualms about being taken for a plebeian. While not grammatically correct, you can get away with saying “Tu’ das Glas auf den Tisch” I’m not seeing the grammatical error here; could you explain? ---
**Author:** ![Doughbag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301/19 "2015-03-20T15:01:20Z")
> [@Apollon](#): > > Yes, it can, if you have no qualms about being taken for a plebeian. While not grammatically correct, you can get away with saying “Tu’ das Glas auf den Tisch”, or, perhaps more commonly, “Tu’ das weg hier”. Umgangssprache is a lot more forgiving than Hochsprache, especially in places like Berlin. Sure you can say - I _do_ the glass on the table - I _do_ the papers on the table. - I _do_ the cream cheese on the bagel. - I _do_ the coat in the closet. However, I’m not sure that it means the same as _put_ when you use _do_, it might work to some degree in German. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301/20 "2015-03-20T15:04:40Z")
_Tu(n)_ in some of these contexts doesn’t seem to be wrong per se, but it is certainly cavemanesque. OTOH, I think that there are more legitimate uses for the English word _put_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-speakers-is-there-a-word-for-put/715301.md?page=2)