| Wiktionary:Information desk Jun 1st 2012, 05:04 einander#German: | ← Older revision | Revision as of 05:04, 1 June 2012 | | Line 1,035: | Line 1,035: | | | ::::::: I'm not sure what you mean by "''the version that produced [[einander]]''"; do you have additional etymological information? The word can be used in plural dative contexts, and could be replaced with the expanded version as a plural dative phrase. As a better example that's clearly dative (my above example using {{term|lang=de|ansprechen}} is face-palmingly accusative), {{google|type=books|"gab einander die Hand"}} and {{google|type=books|"gab einer den anderen die Hand"}} both generate valid examples of usage, albeit not many, with the latter grammatically the plural dative for "''den anderen''". -- [[User:Eirikr|Eiríkr Útlendi]] │ <small style="position: relative; top: -3px;">''[[User talk:Eirikr|Tala við mig]]''</small> 15:47, 31 May 2012 (UTC) | | ::::::: I'm not sure what you mean by "''the version that produced [[einander]]''"; do you have additional etymological information? The word can be used in plural dative contexts, and could be replaced with the expanded version as a plural dative phrase. As a better example that's clearly dative (my above example using {{term|lang=de|ansprechen}} is face-palmingly accusative), {{google|type=books|"gab einander die Hand"}} and {{google|type=books|"gab einer den anderen die Hand"}} both generate valid examples of usage, albeit not many, with the latter grammatically the plural dative for "''den anderen''". -- [[User:Eirikr|Eiríkr Útlendi]] │ <small style="position: relative; top: -3px;">''[[User talk:Eirikr|Tala við mig]]''</small> 15:47, 31 May 2012 (UTC) | | | | | | | − | :::::::::By "''the version that produced [[einander]]''", I mean the singular '''den anderen''', not the plural '''den anderen''', because only the singular '''den anderen''' forms part of [[einander]]. The plural version of '''den anderen''' is not the ander of [[einander]]. | + | ::::::::By "''the version that produced [[einander]]''", I mean the singular '''den anderen''', not the plural '''den anderen''', because only the singular '''den anderen''' forms part of [[einander]]. The plural version of '''den anderen''' is not the ander of [[einander]]. | | | ::::::::I only used English [[one another]] because it was easiest. [[einander]] works just as well, as would Russian [[друг друга]], Hungarian [[egymás]], Italian [[l'un l'altro]], Macedonian [[еден на друг]], Portuguese [[um ao outro]], or Romanian [[unul pe altul]]. In each case, there are two terms, and both are singular only, although the phrases can be used in plural-like contexts. | | ::::::::I only used English [[one another]] because it was easiest. [[einander]] works just as well, as would Russian [[друг друга]], Hungarian [[egymás]], Italian [[l'un l'altro]], Macedonian [[еден на друг]], Portuguese [[um ao outro]], or Romanian [[unul pe altul]]. In each case, there are two terms, and both are singular only, although the phrases can be used in plural-like contexts. | | | ::::::::The word CANNOT be used in plural dative contexts if, by that, you mean something like "mit einander sprechen" where [[einander]] would have one or both terms (eine, andere) in the plural. Both terms are always in the singular, whether dative or accusative. There is no single word that means "some to others" (some being the plural of one, and others the plural of another), nor of "one to others". If you really want to make one of the terms plural, then you can't use "one another" (or einander), you have to use more words and say something like "they were speaking each to all the others", or "they were speaking each to some of the others". | | ::::::::The word CANNOT be used in plural dative contexts if, by that, you mean something like "mit einander sprechen" where [[einander]] would have one or both terms (eine, andere) in the plural. Both terms are always in the singular, whether dative or accusative. There is no single word that means "some to others" (some being the plural of one, and others the plural of another), nor of "one to others". If you really want to make one of the terms plural, then you can't use "one another" (or einander), you have to use more words and say something like "they were speaking each to all the others", or "they were speaking each to some of the others". | | |
