links und rechts
/lɪŋks ʊnt ʁɛçt͡s/word by word
The English phrase "left and right" is translated into German as links und rechts.
The phrase links und rechts is used to refer to the two opposite directions or sides relative to a person's body.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of links, meaning left and rechts, meaning right.
How does it change in a sentence?
links is used to indicate the direction of the left side, while rechts is used to indicate the direction of the right side.
How do you pronounce it?
/lɪŋks ʊnt ʁɛçts/
Did you know?
- In some German dialects, the word links is associated with being 'unlucky' or 'clumsy', reflecting an ancient cultural bias against the left hand.
- Because rechts comes from a root meaning 'straight' or 'correct', a German speaker might find the connection between 'right' and 'orderly' more intuitive than an English speaker does.
- The phrase links und rechts is often used idiomatically to mean 'everywhere' or 'all over the place', such as describing things scattered links und rechts in a room.
Examples in context
- Er sah nach links und rechts.He looked left and right.This sentence shows how to describe someone looking left and right.Tatoeba #8737264 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #4351264 by CH
- Schau nach links und rechts, bevor du über die Straße gehst!Look to the left and right before crossing the street.This sentence provides an instruction to look left and right before crossing a street.Tatoeba #614154 by virgil, translation #278379 by CM
- Jim sah nach links und rechts, bevor er über die Straße ging.Jim looked left and right before he crossed the road.This sentence illustrates the action of looking left and right before crossing a road.Tatoeba #612590 by virgil, translation #3123891 by CN
- Die Schule befindet sich auf der linken Seite der Straße.The school is located on the left side of the street.
- Du musst links abbiegen, um zum Bahnhof zu gelangen.You have to turn left to get to the train station.
- Halt dich rechts, um zur Post zu kommen.Keep to the right to get to the post office.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felix and Sarah are looking for a house in a neighborhood.
- FelixIst das Haus hier links und rechts vom Park?Is the house here to the left and right of the park?
- SarahNein, es liegt direkt hinter dem Park.No, it is directly behind the park.
- FelixIch sehe nur Bäume links und rechts.I only see trees to the left and right.
- SarahWir müssen noch ein Stück weitergehen, Felix.We have to walk a bit further, Felix.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (links, und, rechts) and can differ in connected speech.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
