hässliche Ratte
The English phrase 'ugly rat' is translated into German as hässliche Ratte.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase hässliche Ratte uses the feminine adjective ending '-e' because Ratte is a feminine noun. The plural form of the phrase is hässliche Ratten.
Did you know?
- In German culture, calling someone a Ratte is a severe insult that suggests the person is a traitor or a snitch, rather than just being 'ugly' or 'dirty'.
- If you use the adjective hässlich to describe a person's character rather than their looks, it implies they are 'vile' or 'reprehensible' rather than just unattractive.
- The shift to the consonantism ratta in Old High German is an unexplained linguistic mystery, though some believe it was borrowed from Old Saxon.
Examples in context
- Die hässliche Ratte läuft weg.The ugly rat runs away.
- Dort läuft eine hässliche Ratte.An ugly rat is running there.
- Ich habe eine hässliche Ratte im Garten gesehen.I saw an ugly rat in the garden.
- Das ist eine wirklich hässliche Ratte.That is a really ugly rat.
Example conversation
Maximilian and Hannah are looking at a picture in a book.
- MaximilianSchau mal, Hannah, eine hässliche Ratte!Look, Hannah, an ugly rat!
- HannahOh nein, die sieht schrecklich aus.Oh no, it looks terrible.
- MaximilianSie ist wirklich eine hässliche Ratte.It really is an ugly rat.
- HannahLass uns das Buch lieber schließen.Let's rather close the book.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Ratte, CC BY-SA 4.0.
