# How would you say this in German? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 10, 2013, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-say-this-in-german/646769 "2013-01-10T17:30:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-say-this-in-german/646769/1 "2013-01-10T17:30:58Z")
Schadenfreude is a loan word from German that means pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others. I’m wondering if there’s an equally German way to say “pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others that resemble those you have experienced in the past”. In other words, the feeling of “Now you know what _I_ went through! :)” Ideally in some way that can be mushed together into a single compound word, much like Schadenfreude is formed from the words for harm and joy. Assuming Germans don’t already have a word for this, I’m fine with us inventing a new word that captures the idea, but I’d like it to be made of German roots, because that makes it so much more fun to say. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-say-this-in-german/646769/2 "2013-01-10T17:49:10Z")
There is no such word. I can’t think of one that doesn’t sound completely contrived. It would certainly be very complicated, because there is no word that means “misfortune that one went through oneself”. Nice idea, though, I’m sure with some creativity you could come up with one. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-say-this-in-german/646769/3 "2013-01-10T19:02:03Z")
> [@](#): > > Nice idea, though, I’m sure with some creativity you could come up with one. I’m thinking something like: Erinnerungschadenfreude (remembered harm joy) or Vertrautschadenfreude (familiar harm joy) However my knowledge of German comes entirely from Google Translate, so I have no idea if these are at all grammatically correct or if they’re suggestive of the right idea. (In particular, it needs to be the Schaden that’s familiar/remembered/whatever, not the Schadenfreude). ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-say-this-in-german/646769/4 "2013-01-10T19:07:19Z")
> [@tim314](#): > > How would you say _this_ in German? Dies. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![TnTangent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e4f/32.png) [@TnTangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TnTangent)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-say-this-in-german/646769/5 "2013-01-10T22:19:12Z")
I would suggest: Schadenmitleidfreude Mitleid (Mitt-light, sort of) is sympathy, so the compound word could be construed as “[my] joy that you now have reason to sympathize with this sort of misfortune.” Mitleid is literally an expression of shared sorrow, so while the new word isn’t perfect, it’s the best I can think of. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-say-this-in-german/646769/6 "2013-01-12T16:41:50Z")
Mitleid and Schadenfreude would typically be considered polar opposites of one another, though. Not that I can really think of anything better… Perhaps ‘Geteiltschadenfreude’, joy (Freude) based on harm (Schaden) that is now shared (geteilt).