wollen wir Freunde sein?
The English phrase "wanna be friends" can be translated into German as wollen wir Freunde sein?
This phrase is a question used to ask someone if they would like to start a friendship.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Bavaria, one can say Woll'n mia Freind werdn? In Switzerland, one can say Wotsch Fründ/Fründin si?
Did you know?
- In German culture, asking wollen wir Freunde sein? is much more common among children than adults. Adults usually let friendships develop naturally without a formal proposal.
- The German verb sein for 'to be' is a linguistic 'chimera'. It actually combines different ancient roots, one of which originally meant 'to exist' and another that acted as a possessive pronoun.
Examples in context
- Du bist lustig, wollen wir Freunde sein?You are funny, wanna be friends?
Example conversation
Two classmates are talking after school.
- JuliaDu bist echt nett, Felix. Wollen wir Freunde sein?You are really nice, Felix. Do you want to be friends?
- FelixJa, sehr gerne, Julia!Yes, I would love to, Julia!
- JuliaSuper, hast du Lust auf ein Eis?Great, do you feel like having an ice cream?
- FelixKlar, gehen wir zusammen!Sure, let's go together!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sein, wir, wollen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
