# Wir putzen das Auto. (German translation)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wir-putzen-das-auto-german-translation/523329
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 1, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wir-putzen-das-auto-german-translation/523329 "2010-01-01T21:17:20Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2010, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wir-putzen-das-auto-german-translation/523329/21 "2010-01-09T05:02:54Z")
:wally:wally:wally:wally:wally:wally:wally:wally:wally
I swear, that woulda brought down the house in 2003!
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wir-putzen-das-auto-german-translation/523329/22 "2010-01-09T21:23:49Z")
> [@Fish\_Cheer](#):
>
> Which is pretty old-fashioned, but not necessarily untrue. [German Wikipedia](http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gehrock) has a picture of a man in that kind of Rock.
The book, that arrived last night, says ‘der Rock’ (¨-e) is ‘skirt’.
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### Author:  [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2010, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wir-putzen-das-auto-german-translation/523329/23 "2010-01-09T22:23:44Z")
That is correct. That’s the most common modern meaning.
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### Author:  [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2010, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wir-putzen-das-auto-german-translation/523329/24 "2010-01-09T22:32:14Z")
I had that book, too!
Ich ube Geige! (can’t remember how to do umlauts on the 'puter). We used to crack jokes about Peter being “im Boot” mit Monika…
And remember the Der Spiegel films? Ah, German class. 🙂
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### Author:  [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2010, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wir-putzen-das-auto-german-translation/523329/25 "2010-01-09T22:36:57Z")
> [@Fiveroptic](#):
>
> Okay, if Peter is going to the sea, then wo ist Monika?
Im Boot.
Du siehst lustig aus, du mit deine Sonnenbrille.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wir-putzen-das-auto-german-translation/523329/26 "2010-01-09T22:39:45Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#):
>
> Ich ube Geige! (can’t remember how to do umlauts). We used to crack jokes about Peter being “im Boot” mit Monika…
ü is Option+u, u. (Option+u puts an umlaut over any vowel.)
On a PC it’s ALT+252.
Or you can just type oe.
I think everyone made the Peter/Monica joke. ‘Wo ist Monika?’ ‘Im Boot mit Peter!’ 😛
.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2010, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wir-putzen-das-auto-german-translation/523329/27 "2010-01-09T22:42:55Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#):
>
> Du siehst lustig aus, du mit deine Sonnenbrille.
‘deiner’. 😉
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wir-putzen-das-auto-german-translation/523329/28 "2010-01-09T22:45:58Z")
Oh – Just to bring this back to the OP, now that I have the book, the glossary lists ‘to clean’ for ‘putzen’.
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### Author:  [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)
#### Post date: [January 10, 2010, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wir-putzen-das-auto-german-translation/523329/29 "2010-01-10T00:25:41Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> That just sounds dirty! 😛
This is German’s foremost publisher of German orthography:
> **[Duden | Sprache sagt alles.](https://www.duden.de/)**
>
> Duden ist die Marke der deutschen Sprache ➤ Wörterbücher, Sachbücher, Ratgeber, Lernhilfen und viele digitale Produkte (Software und Apps) ➤ Duden ist mehr als ein Wörterbuch!
Here “Duden” is used as a proper noun, not slang terminology for “young men”.
(As in “All the young duden, carry the 'luden”) 🙂
Q
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### Author:  [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)
#### Post date: [January 10, 2010, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wir-putzen-das-auto-german-translation/523329/30 "2010-01-10T08:45:24Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#):
>
> This is German’s foremost publisher of German orthography:
> [http://www.duden.de/](http://www.duden.de/)
Named after [this dude](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konrad_Duden).
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