# Ich will endlich zu Dir!



## jamesjaime

_Ich will endlich zu Dir ..._

Does this mean "I want to see you again?"

I don't understand the grammar at all. Where is the second verb, to see? Why is *zu* used?


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## elroy

It means “I want to finally come to you / come to your place!”.

“Zu dir” = to you, to your place, “to where you are” 

This is a situation in which it’s acceptable to drop an infinitive because the meaning is understood (“kommen,” “gehen,” or some other verb of motion; the specific manner of movement is immaterial).


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## jamesjaime

Danke!


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## JClaudeK

jamesjaime said:


> Why is *zu* used?


"*zu* jdm. (gehen)" is the only possible preposition here, cf.:


elroy said:


> “Zu dir” = to you, to your place






jamesjaime said:


> Does this mean "I want to see you again?"
> I don't understand the grammar at all. Where is the second verb, to see?


Translated literally, this would be: "Ich will dich wiedersehen."


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## Kajjo

jamesjaime said:


> _Ich will endlich zu Dir ..._


In many situations this means, depending on context: 

_I cannot wait anymore to be with you / to come to you..._


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## elroy

Kajjo said:


> _I cannot wait anymore can no longer wait to be with you / to come to you..._


 But usually, we just say "I can't wait to be with you."


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## Kajjo

elroy said:


> "I can't wait to be with you."


I always took "I cannot wait" and "I can't wait" as completely identical beside the contraction? You gave the same answer than I did -- which you corrected?!


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## elroy

What I corrected was “anymore.”


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## Kajjo

elroy said:


> What I corrected was “anymore.”


Hm, OK, so "endlich" is not translated at all?


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## elroy

Yes, it’s assumed.

Note, however, that my correction was syntactic (“anymore” > “no longer”).  I then added that although “no longer” is correct, it’s not idiomatic in this context.


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## Kajjo

elroy said:


> Yes, it’s assumed.


Hm, OK.

_(1) Ich kann es nicht erwarten, wieder bei dir zu sein.
(2) Ich kann es nicht erwarten, endlich wieder bei dir zu sein._

How would you emphasise the English sentence accordingly?


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## elroy

_I can’t wait to be with you again. 
I can’t wait to finally be with you again. _


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## Kajjo

elroy said:


> _I can’t wait to finally be with you again. _


Thank you. I always interpreted "finally" differently, though. More like "schlussendlich/schließlich". Do you see a significant difference between "eventually" and "finally"?

The German "endlich" focuses on the long period of waiting before, not on the final outcome or sort of "end" to it.


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## elroy

Kajjo said:


> The German "endlich" focuses on the long period of waiting before, not on the final outcome or sort of "end" to it.


 Same with “finally” in this sentence.


Kajjo said:


> "schlussendlich/schließlich"


 This is usually “in the end.”

“Endlich” is usually “finally.”


Kajjo said:


> Do you see a significant difference between "eventually" and "finally"?


 Yes!  These are totally distinct and never interchangeable.

“Eventually” is usually “irgendwann” or “früher oder später.”  “Finally” is usually “endlich” or “zum Schluss.”


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## Kajjo

elroy said:


> “Eventually” is usually “irgendwann” or “früher oder später.”


Really? Then I always used it wrongly. Collins gives "in the end" as explanation, though. Leo gives only translations identical to "finally".

Linguee predominantly gives "schließlich".


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## elroy

Can you give examples of how you would use it?


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## Kajjo

elroy said:


> Can you give examples of how you would use it?


_Eventually, he had to admit that...
But eventually, we all agreed that...
_
In most cases I use it like "schließlich".


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## elroy

You could use “irgendwann” there, right? 

_Irgendwann musste er zugeben...
Aber irgendwann haben wir uns darauf geeinigt..._

In any case, your uses of “eventually” are correct.


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## Kajjo

elroy said:


> You could use “irgendwann” there, right?
> 
> _Irgendwann musste er zugeben...
> Aber irgendwann haben wir uns darauf geeinigt..._


Hm, no, the meaning is not what I intended. I would use "schließlich" oder "letztendlich" in German.

"Irgendwann" sounds more like "At some point..."?


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## elroy

Maybe I need flavoring particles? 

_Sehr lange hat er versucht, sich zu überreden, dass er glücklich verheiratet sei, aber irgendwann musste er dann doch zugeben, dass die Ehe einfach nicht funktioniert und er sich wohl scheiden lassen sollte. 
_
That’s what I meant... 

In any case, regardless of the most idiomatic way to render “eventually” in German, it’s clear you know what it means in English and I think the issue here is that you were wondering whether “finally” could also be used with the same meaning, right?

“Finally” can be used, but it would have a different meaning/connotation.  It would mean “endlich.”

eventually: It took some time, perhaps longer than it should have, but it did happen. 

finally: To at least one person’s delight/relief, it actually happened, after way too much time! 

“Eventually” focuses on the fact that it did in fact happen; “finally” focuses on the positive effect of it happening.


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## Kajjo

elroy said:


> it’s clear you know what it means in English and I think the issue here is that you were wondering whether “finally” could also be used with the same meaning, right?


Right, OK, glad to here that.

So, in most cases "finally = endlich", "eventually = schließlich".


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## elroy

Well, now it’s your turn to explain “schließlich” to me.  I usually use it in the sense of “after all,” as in “Wenn du Fragen hast, melde dich ruhig, schließlich ist es ja mein Job, dir zu helfen.”  It sounds like it can also mean “eventually”?  Is that what you would use in my failed marriage example?  Does my solution with “irgendwann...dann doch” work?


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## Kajjo

elroy said:


> “Wenn du Fragen hast, melde dich ruhig, schließlich ist es ja mein Job, dir zu helfen.”


This usage as "after all" is fine and idiomatic, but only one of the possible meanings. I think you could replace "schließlich" with "denn" in this case, it provides kind of a reason.



elroy said:


> Sehr lange hat er versucht, sich zu überreden, dass er glücklich verheiratet sei, aber irgendwann musste er dann doch zugeben, dass die Ehe einfach nicht funktioniert und er sich wohl scheiden lassen sollte.


Der Satz funktioniert und ist uneingeschränkt idiomatisch. Tauscht man "irgendwann" gegen "schließlich" aus, so bleibt der Satz perfekt idiomatisch und auch "dann doch" passt weiterhin perfekt. Allerdings weichen die beiden Sätze in Bedeutungsnuancen voneinander ab.

_Irgendwann hat er es dann doch zugegeben. <at some point>
Schließlich hat er es dann doch zugegeben.  <eventually>
_
In this case, it focuses on the final outcome, not on a cause. It cannot be replaced with "denn" here.


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## JClaudeK

elroy said:


> Well, now it’s your turn to explain “schließlich” to me.


Warum denn in die Ferne schweifen .... ?


> schließlich
> 1) endlich, am Schluss, zuletzt, nach einiger Verzögerung
> 2) im Grunde, letzten Endes, wenn man es recht betrachtet


1) eventually
2) after all


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## Schlabberlatz

JClaudeK said:


> Warum denn in die Ferne schweifen .... ?


… wenn das Gute liegt so nah  :


> *schließlich* adv
> 
> 1. finally, eventually, in the end; (endlich) at last;
> schließlich und endlich when all is said and done
> 
> 
> 2. (immerhin) after all;
> schließlich bist du schon 18 you’re 18 after all;
> I mean, you are 18 umg
> schließlich - Wörterbuch Deutsch-Englisch - WordReference.com


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## JClaudeK

Schlabberlatz said:


> … wenn das Gute liegt so nah  :


Da hast Du ein bisschen gemogelt: Als erstes sieht man dort


> 1) *schließlich* _Adv_ (nach langer Zeit) finally _adv_
> Kurt sagte schließlich doch noch zu.
> 2) *schließlich* _Adv_ (immerhin) ultimately* _adv
> Es ist schließlich nicht meine Schuld._


* von "ultimately" war bis jetzt noch nicht die Rede ....

Ich frage mich/ würde gern wissen, ob  _ultimately_ sich in _Es ist schließlich nicht meine Schuld. _als Übersetzung eignet.


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## Schlabberlatz

JClaudeK said:


> Da hast Du ein bisschen gemogelt


Ja, und ›immerhin‹ als Synonym für ›schließlich‹ scheint mir nicht besonders gut zu passen. Aber weiter unten steht ja alles ("finally, eventually…; after all").


JClaudeK said:


> Ich frage mich/ würde gern wissen, ob _ultimately_ sich in _Es ist schließlich nicht meine Schuld. _als Übersetzung eignet.


Das würde mich auch interessieren.


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## Kajjo

JClaudeK said:


> Ich frage mich/ würde gern wissen, ob _ultimately_ sich in _Es ist schließlich nicht meine Schuld. _als Übersetzung eignet.


No, I don't think so.


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