# What was cartman saying in German in the latest southpark episode? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 7, 2004, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-cartman-saying-in-german-in-the-latest-southpark-episode/238660 "2004-04-07T01:32:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-cartman-saying-in-german-in-the-latest-southpark-episode/238660/21 "2004-05-26T16:49:14Z")
> [@Ghanima](#): > > JFK’s a doughnut? No, no, no. **I’m** a doughnut. John F. Kennedy is a dead politician who once made a subtle flub in German grammar. The folks in Berlin didn’t think at the time that Kennedy was claiming to be a pastry. Many of them smirkingly said he was _married_ to a tasty looking pastry. If somebody told you he was a New Yorker, you probably wouldn’t think he was a magazine. JFKennedy also gave me my username, **AskNott.** Thanks, Jack! ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-cartman-saying-in-german-in-the-latest-southpark-episode/238660/22 "2004-05-26T18:37:02Z")
Grandpa Simpson: “I was on PT 109 when we found out JFK’s terrible secret” > [@bienville](#): > > Ich bin ein Berliner _-JFK_ Grandpa(Much younger): “He’s a Nazi, get him!” ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-cartman-saying-in-german-in-the-latest-southpark-episode/238660/23 "2004-05-26T18:50:56Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > John F. Kennedy is a dead politician who once made a subtle flub in German grammar. OK, help a non-German-speaker out here. What exactly is the subtle flub and what did it imply? For comparison, what should it have been? Answer that, **AskNott** and you’ll have done for your country. Err, or something like that. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-cartman-saying-in-german-in-the-latest-southpark-episode/238660/24 "2004-05-26T20:47:03Z")
> [@Ponder Stibbons](#): > > OK, help a non-German-speaker out here. What exactly is the subtle flub and what did it imply? He already explained it. A Berliner is a pastry, but it’s also someone from Berlin. When JFK said he was a Berliner people wanted to laugh at him and say that he said he was a donut, but if you said you were a New Yorker you wouldn’t expect people to laugh at you for calling yourself a Chrysler, would you? ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-cartman-saying-in-german-in-the-latest-southpark-episode/238660/25 "2004-05-26T21:45:41Z")
If you think JFK made a mistake, then PLEASE tell us what he _should_ have said. I speak German, but it’s not my native language, and it seems to me that what he said was actually just fine. The only flub I can think of is if he used the wrong version of “ein,” thus making a reference to a doughnut rather than a person (for the un-initiated, a “Berliner” is a person from berlin, but is also a type of doughnut). Der Die Das is a mystery of nearly mythic proportions to us Ami’s. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-cartman-saying-in-german-in-the-latest-southpark-episode/238660/26 "2004-05-26T21:57:43Z")
**Ghanima** — If I remember my high school German lessons properly, the “more correct” (i.e. conventional) phrasing would leave out the “ein” completely. “Ich bin Berliner.” (Or “Berlinerin” if you’re a chick.) ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-cartman-saying-in-german-in-the-latest-southpark-episode/238660/27 "2004-05-26T22:28:44Z")
Oh, that makes sense - Ich bin Amerikanirin. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WILLASS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/54ee81/32.png) [@WILLASS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WILLASS)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-cartman-saying-in-german-in-the-latest-southpark-episode/238660/28 "2004-05-26T23:20:18Z")
I thought now might be the time to break out this Southpark clip as evidence of how fucked up Cartman and his family is… ``` [enjoy!](http://www.fuckallyall.com/article1928.html) ``` ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-cartman-saying-in-german-in-the-latest-southpark-episode/238660/29 "2004-05-26T23:33:41Z")
> [@WILLASS](#): > > I thought now might be the time to break out this Southpark clip as evidence of how fucked up Cartman and his family is… > > ``` > [enjoy!](http://www.fuckallyall.com/article1928.html) > > ``` Holy shit dude… “H-Hold on Kyle” ---
**Author:** ![Mycroft\_Holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a5b964/32.png) [@Mycroft\_Holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mycroft_Holmes)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-cartman-saying-in-german-in-the-latest-southpark-episode/238660/30 "2004-05-26T23:51:26Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > **Ghanima** — If I remember my high school German lessons properly, the “more correct” (i.e. conventional) phrasing would leave out the “ein” completely. “Ich bin Berliner.” Native German speaker checking in again. That is exactly the subtle mistake JFK made. He should have said “Ich bin Berliner.”. By saying “Ich bin ein Berliner.” he was indeed pointing out his inner doughnutness. ---
**Author:** ![beergeek279](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@beergeek279](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beergeek279)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-cartman-saying-in-german-in-the-latest-southpark-episode/238660/31 "2004-05-26T23:58:26Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > What about the Chinpokomon episode: were they speaking real Japanese? Well, from what I’ve heard, Matt Stone is quite fluent in Japanese, so I would think that it was excellent Japanese. ---
**Author:** ![amandabeth67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@amandabeth67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amandabeth67)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-cartman-saying-in-german-in-the-latest-southpark-episode/238660/32 "2021-07-17T06:51:23Z")
So Matt Stone and Trey Parker are Jewish - they do these things to make a point, and nail it every time. There’s always morals and lessons to every episode. And they literally kill it. They are so intelligent and poignant. It’s so obvious and blatant if you were a South Park fan. The fact you think they are evil is weird. The only weird thing is that the German quotes in the pinkeye episode aren’t translating well. But, I’m 98% positive it’s because the words aren’t spelled correctly. German is a cousin language to English and translates extremely well. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-cartman-saying-in-german-in-the-latest-southpark-episode/238660/33 "2021-07-17T20:27:17Z")
NM it’s pointless [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-cartman-saying-in-german-in-the-latest-southpark-episode/238660.md?page=1)