# il y a un foutu bout de misère ici (FR)



## valy822

Good morning, 
I don't know if this is the right forum for my question. But the other forum is French-English and I need French-German.
I would like to know how this French sentence can be translated in German.
Can somebody help me?
Thanks a lot,
Valy


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## Benjy

i think your best bet is too get a translation into english and then to ask the question in the german forum.

in fact.. i'll put it into english and stick it in the german forum 

il y a there is 
un bout = litterally an end can mean a peice of /bit of etc..
misère = misery
foutu = adjective acting as an intensifier.

i suppose one way of translating it would be there is a hell of a lot of misery here. or something along those lines. ideas in german anyone?


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## timpeac

Benjy said:
			
		

> i think your best bet is too get a translation into english and then to ask the question in the german forum.
> 
> in fact.. i'll put it into english and stick it in the german forum
> 
> il y a there is
> un bout = litterally an end can mean a peice of /bit of etc..
> misère = misery
> foutu = adjective acting as an intensifier.
> 
> i suppose one way of translating it would be there is a hell of a lot of misery here. or something along those lines. ideas in german anyone?


 
"Misère" is usually "poverty".


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## Benjy

is it? 
learn something new everyday


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## valy822

Yes, actually I do not think that misery means "poverty" or at least not in this case. Anyway thanks for your help. One more question..can I submit this thread in the German forum or not? Did you submit it? I do not want to create same threads, this is why I am asking..Thanks


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## Benjy

the thread is in the german forum  you followed a "director" left in the other languages forum to get here. there is only one thread. i try to be as tidy as possible


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## valy822

Oh I am sorry... I did not see that it was already in the German forum... :-(
Sorry...perhaps I am too tired...


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## Benjy

there is no need to appologise  its my "job" as such to chase around stuff like this.


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## valy822

thank you I appreciate it!


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## Benjy

*bump* any german speakers willing to take a crack at this?


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## Whodunit

Benjy, please give me your fully suggested English translation, because I don't get the thing with "foutu bout de misère".


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## Benjy

whodunit said:
			
		

> Benjy, please give me your fully suggested English translation, because I don't get the thing with "foutu bout de misère".



"there is a hell of a lot of misery here"

its a pretty crap translation to be honest. but its the best i can do. maybe i will start a thread in the french forum and come back here when some has suggested a better translation there.


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## gaer

Benjy said:
			
		

> *bump* any german speakers willing to take a crack at this?


Benjy,

I agree that it would be best to get the finest possible translation in English first. But some context would also help, wouldn't it?  

Perhaps you could throw it out for discussion in the French forum!

Gaer


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## valy822

It is always a sentence from "Endgame" by Samuel Beckett and expresses the fact that Hamm realise once more that the refuge he lives in, represents the worst of misery that can exist in the world. 

Hope that I wrote correctly.

Valy


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## ZaZa

Hi

I'm really not sure but how about "Es gibt hier verdammt viel Armut"
I admit you loose the idea of the French "bout", but I can't come up with anything better now.


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## gaer

valy822 said:
			
		

> It is always a sentence from "Endgame" by Samuel Beckett and expresses the fact that Hamm realise once more that the refuge he lives in, represents the worst of misery that can exist in the world.
> 
> Hope that I wrote correctly.
> 
> Valy


Valy, since I believe Beckett wrote his plays in French, tranlating "Waiting for Godot" into English himself, trying to translate only one sentence, into any language, may be nearly impossible. So far there has not been on response in the French forum to Benjy's post there, asking for help, and he asked 9 hours ago… 

Gaer


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## valy822

Are you trying to tell me that there have been no answers in the French forum
that can help me? 
Did I understand? 
If so, never mind, Gaer, thanks everybody all the same. 

Cheers, 

Valy


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## ninoupticha

I would say: "es gibt ein mieses Stück von Not hier" or something like that but im not a native german so...


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## mybeau

valy822 said:
			
		

> Good morning,
> I don't know if this is the right forum for my question. But the other forum is French-English and I need French-German.
> I would like to know how this French sentence can be translated in German.
> Can somebody help me?
> Thanks a lot,
> Valy


 
I can't explain this sentence in German, so I'll write this in English.
well .. my kind of English.

un *bout* is .. "a bit"
Benjy is right about his definition of *foutu* as an intensifier. It even completely change the meaning of "bout" to the reverse.
*misère* is not only poverty. It might be an emotional distress of any kind. 
In South of France this word is used very often, meaning about anything. 

Oh misère !

Hope this helps.
Auf wiedersehen.
M


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## tchev

here is an alternate possibility, into english... hope it can help

there is a bloody piece of despair here


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## Whodunit

Hier gibt es Riesenelend.


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## Zerlina

valy822 said:
			
		

> Good morning,
> I don't know if this is the right forum for my question. But the other forum is French-English and I need French-German.
> I would like to know how this French sentence can be translated in German.
> Can somebody help me?
> Thanks a lot,
> Valy



Hi, I hope it's not too late for suggestions 

Es ist hier ein verdammtes Elend. 

(I translated "foutu" with "verdammt")
I hope I could help you 

Zerlina


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## gaer

Zerlina said:
			
		

> Hi, I hope it's not too late for suggestions
> 
> Es ist hier ein verdammtes Elend.
> 
> (I translated "foutu" with "verdammt")
> I hope I could help you
> 
> Zerlina


It's never too late for suggestions! My only question is about using a swear-word, although it is a very mild one, to translate the French. Is it necessary?

I'm still struggling with:

un bout
un foutu bout

From gleening messages, I've gotten the impression that "un bout" is a bit, not much, but that adding "foutu" is a huge intensifier.

I'm thinking, in English of the difference between:

a bit of (a little)
a good bit of (a great deal of, a lot of)

So I was thinking of: There is incredible misery here. And that's why I like Who's idea:


			
				Whodunit said:
			
		

> "Hier gibt es Riesenelend."


I like this because it expresses that the misery is huge, gigantic, overwhelming, without using a swear-word.

But as I understand it, your idea is excellent too. 

Gaer


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## Zerlina

gaer said:
			
		

> It's never too late for suggestions! My only question is about using a swear-word, although it is a very mild one, to translate the French. Is it necessary?
> 
> I'm still struggling with:
> 
> un bout
> un foutu bout
> 
> From gleening messages, I've gotten the impression that "un bout" is a bit, not much, but that adding "foutu" is a huge intensifier.
> 
> I'm thinking, in English of the difference between:
> 
> a bit of (a little)
> a good bit of (a great deal of, a lot of)
> 
> So I was thinking of: There is incredible misery here. And that's why I like Who's idea:
> 
> I like this because it expresses that the misery is huge, gigantic, overwhelming, without using a swear-word.
> 
> But as I understand it, your idea is excellent too.
> 
> Gaer



Hi Gaer,

how about the french expression - how do you feel using the "foutu"? Is it a strong swear-word? 
I think "un bout" can also mean an extremity (edge, end, tip) - so that the sentence would mean that the misery is really the "damn last straw" (foutu bout). 
In this case I wouldn't hesitate to use a swear word (verdammt)- in speeches it is not unusual to use that swear word to emphasize something (like the known song "verdammt lang her" - it's been a damn long time).

But if you understand "un bout" like you wrote above, I think you should rather use "ein riesiges Elend", because "Riesenelend" is only for speech. 

Bye 

Zerlina


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## Benjy

bout can mean the tip of something but not really un this case. i guess im biased towards the bit meaning because one: i suggested it and two: i shall never forget the doctor guy saying "t'as perdu un sacré bout de peau là" (you've lost a hell of a big patch/bit of skin) after i had walked into a road sign (don't ask).


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## Whodunit

Zerlina said:
			
		

> Hi, I hope it's not too late for suggestions
> 
> Es ist hier ein verdammtes Elend.
> 
> (I translated "foutu" with "verdammt")
> I hope I could help you
> 
> Zerlina



This may be Swiss German, but we—in Eastern Germany—prefer using "es gibt" in this context. And the local adverb "hier" should be at the end or beginning at the sentence. Anyway, your sentence sounds a bit odd to me.


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## gaer

Zerlina said:
			
		

> Hi Gaer,
> 
> how about the french expression - how do you feel using the "foutu"? Is it a strong swear-word?


I don't know. That's the whole point.


> I think "un bout" can also mean an extremity (edge, end, tip) - so that the sentence would mean that the misery is really the "damn last straw" (foutu bout).
> In this case I wouldn't hesitate to use a swear word (verdammt)- in speeches it is not unusual to use that swear word to emphasize something (like the known song "verdammt lang her" - it's been a damn long time).


The problem is French. For intstance, this would be totally natural and quite possible in a play:

"There is a hell of a lot of misery here."

The problem is that I still don't know if that is the best solution for a translation of the French sentence. It's not a German or English problem. It's a French problem for me. 


> But if you understand "un bout" like you wrote above, I think you should rather use "ein riesiges Elend", because "Riesenelend" is only for speech.


I'm not sure what you mean by "only for speech". Remember, this is a line from a play. So it's spoken, on stage. Could you clarify what you mean?

Gaer


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## Zerlina

gaer said:
			
		

> I don't know. That's the whole point.
> 
> The problem is French. For intstance, this would be totally natural and quite possible in a play:
> 
> The problem is that I still don't know if that is the best solution for a translation of the French sentence. It's not a German or English problem. It's a French problem for me.



I'm not french native neither - so maybe you should ask for the exact meaning of the expression in the english-french forum (there are a lot of french native - speakers there who can answer your question).



			
				gaer said:
			
		

> I'm not sure what you mean by "only for speech". Remember, this is a line from a play. So it's spoken, on stage. Could you clarify what you mean?
> 
> Gaer



If the sentence is from a play it doesn't mean the same thing as "used for speech". There is a difference between "oral conception" ("mündliche Konzeption") and "literary conception" ("schriftliche Konzeption"). It means you can use oral conception in a written text (p.ex letter to a friend) and also literary conception in speech (p.ex. lecture). 
So have a look at the play: is the conception oral or literary? (means: are the people in the play talking like "real" people (informal) or is it more literary? (formal)) 

So when I'm saying "used for speech" i mean the the oral,  non-formal conception. 
So if you'd be my pupil  and you would write "Riesenelend" in a essay I would tell you it's wrong. But you can use "Riesenelend" if you talk to smb in a non-formal situation.


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## Benjy

> I'm not french native neither - so maybe you should ask for the exact meaning of the expression in the english-french forum (there are a lot of french native - speakers there who can answer your question).



it has been done  you may may not have noticed the french natives giving their opinion earlier on in the thread. but just to reiterate:

bout = bit (in this sentence)
foutu = WEAK (emphasis on weak) swearword. equiv hell/damn in english. not neutral. acts as an intensifier coupled with bout.

that is about all the info that can be given on the words in english. i don't speak any german so i can't help you there.


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## gaer

Benjy said:
			
		

> it has been done  you may may not have noticed the french natives giving their opinion earlier on in the thread. but just to reiterate:
> 
> bout = bit (in this sentence)
> foutu = WEAK (emphasis on weak) swearword. equiv hell/damn in english. not neutral. acts as an intensifier coupled with bout.
> 
> that is about all the info that can be given on the words in english. i don't speak any german so i can't help you there.


Ben, this is the same info I got from my friend in France, so I think we can "take this one to the bank".  

Gaer


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## gaer

Zerlina said:
			
		

> I'm not french native neither - so maybe you should ask for the exact meaning of the expression in the english-french forum (there are a lot of french native - speakers there who can answer your question).


As we all know, the question has been answered. There was a time lag!


> If the sentence is from a play it doesn't mean the same thing as "used for speech". There is a difference between "oral conception" ("mündliche Konzeption") and "literary conception" ("schriftliche Konzeption"). It means you can use oral conception in a written text (p.ex letter to a friend) and also literary conception in speech (p.ex. lecture).


I understand that.


> So have a look at the play: is the conception oral or literary? (means: are the people in the play talking like "real" people (informal) or is it more literary? (formal))


How would you suggest I do this? The play is in French!  


> So when I'm saying "used for speech" i mean the the oral, non-formal conception.
> So if you'd be my pupil  and you would write "Riesenelend" in a essay I would tell you it's wrong. But you can use "Riesenelend" if you talk to smb in a non-formal situation.


It appears that this would be the best translation in English, which Ben suggested:

"There is a hell of a lot of misery here."

I'll let you "natives" decide exactly what you think the best German translation would be. 

Gaer


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