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Why Bette in the first quatrain of the nursery rhyme “Muede bin ichâ€
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The last line of the quatrain of the famous German nursery rhyme "Muede bin ich" is "Ueber meinem Bette sein." Why is the plural being used there? Or is it a different form of das Bett?
nouns standard-german
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The last line of the quatrain of the famous German nursery rhyme "Muede bin ich" is "Ueber meinem Bette sein." Why is the plural being used there? Or is it a different form of das Bett?
nouns standard-german
asked 4 hours ago
Thom
61
New contributor
Thom is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
The last line of the quatrain of the famous German nursery rhyme "Muede bin ich" is "Ueber meinem Bette sein." Why is the plural being used there? Or is it a different form of das Bett?
nouns standard-german
asked 4 hours ago
Thom
61
New contributor
Thom is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
The last line of the quatrain of the famous German nursery rhyme "Muede bin ich" is "Ueber meinem Bette sein." Why is the plural being used there? Or is it a different form of das Bett?
nouns standard-german
nouns standard-german
asked 4 hours ago
Thom
61
New contributor
Thom is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 4 hours ago
Thom
61
New contributor
Thom is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 4 hours ago
Thom
61
New contributor
Thom is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 4 hours ago
Thom
61
asked 4 hours ago
Thom
61
61
New contributor
Thom is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Thom is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
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Check out our Code of Conduct.
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2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
up vote
5
down vote
The final "e" in "Bette" indicates the dative case and is not a plural form. It normally isn't used in contemporary German anymore, however there are some fixed expressions like "zu Hause" where it is still encountered nowadays.
So
Über meinem Bette.
is singular and equivalent to
Über meinem Bett.
and the plural is
Über meinen Betten.
answered 4 hours ago
fragezeichen
1,247113
Do you have any contemporary evidence the "außer Hause" is really a "fixed expression"? Except for 98-year-old Butlers still serving their masters I feel as if 30-year secretaries often deny access to their superiors with "Sry, der Herr Influencer ist in einem meeting außer Haus."
– LangLangC
3 hours ago
3
@LangLangC "Außer Hause" is definitely used in (older) literature, but you are right, "außer Haus" is much more common today. I guess "zu Hause" would be a better example.
– fragezeichen
3 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
Summary:
In
über meinem Bette sein
the word Bette is not plural. It's an antiquated dative singular often found in poetry.
Wikipedia quotation:
(from the wikipedia article about Dative case, emphasis mine)
In general, the dative (German: Dativ) is used to mark the indirect object of a German sentence. For example:
- Ich schickte dem Mann(e) das Buch. (literally: I sent "to the man" the book.) – Masculine
- Ich gab der Frau den Stift zurück. (literally: I gave "to the woman" the pencil back.) – Feminine
- Ich überreiche dem Kind(e) ein Geschenk. (literally: I hand "to the child" a present.) – Neuter
In English, the first sentence can be rendered as "I sent the book to the man" and as "I sent the man the book", where the indirect object is identified in English by standing in front of the direct object. The normal word order in German is to put the dative in front of the accusative (as in the example above). However, since the German dative is marked in form, it can also be put after the accusative: Ich schickte das Buch dem Mann(e). The (e) after Mann and Kind signifies a now largely archaic -e ending for certain nouns in the dative. It survives today almost exclusively in set phrases such as zu Hause (to the house, lit. going home), im Zuge (in the course of), and am Tage (in the afternoon), as well as in occasional usage in formal prose, poetry, and song lyrics.
Note: am Tage doesn't mean in the afternoon, but on the day (am Tage des Jüngsten Gerichts = on the Day of Judgement) or during daytime. The translation of zu Hause is also questionable.
answered 4 hours ago
Frank from Frankfurt
3414
add a comment |Â
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
5
down vote
The final "e" in "Bette" indicates the dative case and is not a plural form. It normally isn't used in contemporary German anymore, however there are some fixed expressions like "zu Hause" where it is still encountered nowadays.
So
Über meinem Bette.
is singular and equivalent to
Über meinem Bett.
and the plural is
Über meinen Betten.
answered 4 hours ago
fragezeichen
1,247113
Do you have any contemporary evidence the "außer Hause" is really a "fixed expression"? Except for 98-year-old Butlers still serving their masters I feel as if 30-year secretaries often deny access to their superiors with "Sry, der Herr Influencer ist in einem meeting außer Haus."
– LangLangC
3 hours ago
3
@LangLangC "Außer Hause" is definitely used in (older) literature, but you are right, "außer Haus" is much more common today. I guess "zu Hause" would be a better example.
– fragezeichen
3 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
5
down vote
The final "e" in "Bette" indicates the dative case and is not a plural form. It normally isn't used in contemporary German anymore, however there are some fixed expressions like "zu Hause" where it is still encountered nowadays.
So
Über meinem Bette.
is singular and equivalent to
Über meinem Bett.
and the plural is
Über meinen Betten.
answered 4 hours ago
fragezeichen
1,247113
Do you have any contemporary evidence the "außer Hause" is really a "fixed expression"? Except for 98-year-old Butlers still serving their masters I feel as if 30-year secretaries often deny access to their superiors with "Sry, der Herr Influencer ist in einem meeting außer Haus."
– LangLangC
3 hours ago
3
@LangLangC "Außer Hause" is definitely used in (older) literature, but you are right, "außer Haus" is much more common today. I guess "zu Hause" would be a better example.
– fragezeichen
3 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
5
down vote
up vote
5
down vote
The final "e" in "Bette" indicates the dative case and is not a plural form. It normally isn't used in contemporary German anymore, however there are some fixed expressions like "zu Hause" where it is still encountered nowadays.
So
Über meinem Bette.
is singular and equivalent to
Über meinem Bett.
and the plural is
Über meinen Betten.
answered 4 hours ago
fragezeichen
1,247113
The final "e" in "Bette" indicates the dative case and is not a plural form. It normally isn't used in contemporary German anymore, however there are some fixed expressions like "zu Hause" where it is still encountered nowadays.
So
Über meinem Bette.
is singular and equivalent to
Über meinem Bett.
and the plural is
Über meinen Betten.
answered 4 hours ago
fragezeichen
1,247113
edited 3 hours ago
answered 4 hours ago
fragezeichen
1,247113
answered 4 hours ago
fragezeichen
1,247113
answered 4 hours ago
fragezeichen
1,247113
1,247113
Do you have any contemporary evidence the "außer Hause" is really a "fixed expression"? Except for 98-year-old Butlers still serving their masters I feel as if 30-year secretaries often deny access to their superiors with "Sry, der Herr Influencer ist in einem meeting außer Haus."
– LangLangC
3 hours ago
3
@LangLangC "Außer Hause" is definitely used in (older) literature, but you are right, "außer Haus" is much more common today. I guess "zu Hause" would be a better example.
– fragezeichen
3 hours ago
add a comment |Â
Do you have any contemporary evidence the "außer Hause" is really a "fixed expression"? Except for 98-year-old Butlers still serving their masters I feel as if 30-year secretaries often deny access to their superiors with "Sry, der Herr Influencer ist in einem meeting außer Haus."
– LangLangC
3 hours ago
3
@LangLangC "Außer Hause" is definitely used in (older) literature, but you are right, "außer Haus" is much more common today. I guess "zu Hause" would be a better example.
– fragezeichen
3 hours ago
Do you have any contemporary evidence the "außer Hause" is really a "fixed expression"? Except for 98-year-old Butlers still serving their masters I feel as if 30-year secretaries often deny access to their superiors with "Sry, der Herr Influencer ist in einem meeting außer Haus."
– LangLangC
3 hours ago
Do you have any contemporary evidence the "außer Hause" is really a "fixed expression"? Except for 98-year-old Butlers still serving their masters I feel as if 30-year secretaries often deny access to their superiors with "Sry, der Herr Influencer ist in einem meeting außer Haus."
– LangLangC
3 hours ago
3
3
@LangLangC "Außer Hause" is definitely used in (older) literature, but you are right, "außer Haus" is much more common today. I guess "zu Hause" would be a better example.
– fragezeichen
3 hours ago
@LangLangC "Außer Hause" is definitely used in (older) literature, but you are right, "außer Haus" is much more common today. I guess "zu Hause" would be a better example.
– fragezeichen
3 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
Summary:
In
über meinem Bette sein
the word Bette is not plural. It's an antiquated dative singular often found in poetry.
Wikipedia quotation:
(from the wikipedia article about Dative case, emphasis mine)
In general, the dative (German: Dativ) is used to mark the indirect object of a German sentence. For example:
- Ich schickte dem Mann(e) das Buch. (literally: I sent "to the man" the book.) – Masculine
- Ich gab der Frau den Stift zurück. (literally: I gave "to the woman" the pencil back.) – Feminine
- Ich überreiche dem Kind(e) ein Geschenk. (literally: I hand "to the child" a present.) – Neuter
In English, the first sentence can be rendered as "I sent the book to the man" and as "I sent the man the book", where the indirect object is identified in English by standing in front of the direct object. The normal word order in German is to put the dative in front of the accusative (as in the example above). However, since the German dative is marked in form, it can also be put after the accusative: Ich schickte das Buch dem Mann(e). The (e) after Mann and Kind signifies a now largely archaic -e ending for certain nouns in the dative. It survives today almost exclusively in set phrases such as zu Hause (to the house, lit. going home), im Zuge (in the course of), and am Tage (in the afternoon), as well as in occasional usage in formal prose, poetry, and song lyrics.
Note: am Tage doesn't mean in the afternoon, but on the day (am Tage des Jüngsten Gerichts = on the Day of Judgement) or during daytime. The translation of zu Hause is also questionable.
answered 4 hours ago
Frank from Frankfurt
3414
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
Summary:
In
über meinem Bette sein
the word Bette is not plural. It's an antiquated dative singular often found in poetry.
Wikipedia quotation:
(from the wikipedia article about Dative case, emphasis mine)
In general, the dative (German: Dativ) is used to mark the indirect object of a German sentence. For example:
- Ich schickte dem Mann(e) das Buch. (literally: I sent "to the man" the book.) – Masculine
- Ich gab der Frau den Stift zurück. (literally: I gave "to the woman" the pencil back.) – Feminine
- Ich überreiche dem Kind(e) ein Geschenk. (literally: I hand "to the child" a present.) – Neuter
In English, the first sentence can be rendered as "I sent the book to the man" and as "I sent the man the book", where the indirect object is identified in English by standing in front of the direct object. The normal word order in German is to put the dative in front of the accusative (as in the example above). However, since the German dative is marked in form, it can also be put after the accusative: Ich schickte das Buch dem Mann(e). The (e) after Mann and Kind signifies a now largely archaic -e ending for certain nouns in the dative. It survives today almost exclusively in set phrases such as zu Hause (to the house, lit. going home), im Zuge (in the course of), and am Tage (in the afternoon), as well as in occasional usage in formal prose, poetry, and song lyrics.
Note: am Tage doesn't mean in the afternoon, but on the day (am Tage des Jüngsten Gerichts = on the Day of Judgement) or during daytime. The translation of zu Hause is also questionable.
answered 4 hours ago
Frank from Frankfurt
3414
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
Summary:
In
über meinem Bette sein
the word Bette is not plural. It's an antiquated dative singular often found in poetry.
Wikipedia quotation:
(from the wikipedia article about Dative case, emphasis mine)
In general, the dative (German: Dativ) is used to mark the indirect object of a German sentence. For example:
- Ich schickte dem Mann(e) das Buch. (literally: I sent "to the man" the book.) – Masculine
- Ich gab der Frau den Stift zurück. (literally: I gave "to the woman" the pencil back.) – Feminine
- Ich überreiche dem Kind(e) ein Geschenk. (literally: I hand "to the child" a present.) – Neuter
In English, the first sentence can be rendered as "I sent the book to the man" and as "I sent the man the book", where the indirect object is identified in English by standing in front of the direct object. The normal word order in German is to put the dative in front of the accusative (as in the example above). However, since the German dative is marked in form, it can also be put after the accusative: Ich schickte das Buch dem Mann(e). The (e) after Mann and Kind signifies a now largely archaic -e ending for certain nouns in the dative. It survives today almost exclusively in set phrases such as zu Hause (to the house, lit. going home), im Zuge (in the course of), and am Tage (in the afternoon), as well as in occasional usage in formal prose, poetry, and song lyrics.
Note: am Tage doesn't mean in the afternoon, but on the day (am Tage des Jüngsten Gerichts = on the Day of Judgement) or during daytime. The translation of zu Hause is also questionable.
answered 4 hours ago
Frank from Frankfurt
3414
Summary:
In
über meinem Bette sein
the word Bette is not plural. It's an antiquated dative singular often found in poetry.
Wikipedia quotation:
(from the wikipedia article about Dative case, emphasis mine)
In general, the dative (German: Dativ) is used to mark the indirect object of a German sentence. For example:
- Ich schickte dem Mann(e) das Buch. (literally: I sent "to the man" the book.) – Masculine
- Ich gab der Frau den Stift zurück. (literally: I gave "to the woman" the pencil back.) – Feminine
- Ich überreiche dem Kind(e) ein Geschenk. (literally: I hand "to the child" a present.) – Neuter
In English, the first sentence can be rendered as "I sent the book to the man" and as "I sent the man the book", where the indirect object is identified in English by standing in front of the direct object. The normal word order in German is to put the dative in front of the accusative (as in the example above). However, since the German dative is marked in form, it can also be put after the accusative: Ich schickte das Buch dem Mann(e). The (e) after Mann and Kind signifies a now largely archaic -e ending for certain nouns in the dative. It survives today almost exclusively in set phrases such as zu Hause (to the house, lit. going home), im Zuge (in the course of), and am Tage (in the afternoon), as well as in occasional usage in formal prose, poetry, and song lyrics.
Note: am Tage doesn't mean in the afternoon, but on the day (am Tage des Jüngsten Gerichts = on the Day of Judgement) or during daytime. The translation of zu Hause is also questionable.
answered 4 hours ago
Frank from Frankfurt
3414
edited 1 hour ago
answered 4 hours ago
Frank from Frankfurt
3414
answered 4 hours ago
Frank from Frankfurt
3414
answered 4 hours ago
Frank from Frankfurt
3414
3414
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