Guess The Language - Germanic Edition

In our last blog post we delved into the fascinating world of Germanic languages by exploring their unique characteristics and interconnectedness. Take English for instance, with its infamous irregularities in spelling and pronunciation. Need an example? Consider the words tough, though, through, dough and enough where all end with "ough" yet they are pronounced entirely differently. It's a quirky puzzle that highlights the complexity of English.

We also journeyed into the realm of German which celebrated (or notorious) for its love of compound words. Take for example the tongue-twisting Kraftfahrzeughaftpflichtversicherung. Don't forget German's intricate noun declensions and grammatical genders. On the other hand, Dutch and Afrikaans are like German’s laid-back, fun-loving cousins offering a less formal and more accessible approach to language.

Moving northward we explored the Scandinavian "triple threat": Norwegian, Danish and Swedish with its cousin beloved Icelandic. While Swedes and Norwegians may humorously deny Danish as a related language, the undeniable similarities among these three reflect their shared roots. Despite their distinctiveness all these languages trace their origins to the Indo-European language family and have evolved over centuries into unique identities while retaining some common threads.

Now it’s time to put your knowledge of Germanic languages to the test with a fun quiz. Below are six (6) images, each featuring several phrases from one of these languages: Swedish, Afrikaans, Icelandic, Norwegian, Dutch and German. Your challenge is to match each phrase to the correct language.
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Hint: The photographs themselves might hold clues to help you identify the language.
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Check your answers at the end. Happy guessing.

Picture 1

​Picture 2

Picture 3

​Picture 4

​Picture 5

​Picture 6

Here are the answers:

Picture 1: Afrikaans

• Goeie more! – Good morning!
• Dankie! – Thank you!
• Hoe gaan dit? – How are you?
• Mooi so! – Well done!
• Tot siens! – Goodbye!

Picture 2: Icelandic

• Engar áhyggjur. – No worries.
• Alveg rétt. – Exactly right.
• Frábært! – Great!
• Ég er til. – I’m in.
• Takk fyrir mig. – Thank you (for having me).

Picture 3: Dutch

• Ik snap het. – I get it.
• Ik heb honger. – I’m hungry.
• Dat kan niet waar zijn! – That can’t be true!
• Het maakt niet uit. – It doesn’t matter.
• Wat jammer! – What a shame!

Picture 4: German

• Das ist mir egal. – I don’t care.
• Ich habe Hunger. – I’m hungry.
• Wirklich? – Really?
• Das macht Sinn. – That makes sense.
• So ist das Leben. – That’s life.

Picture 5: Norwegian

• Det ordner seg. – It will work out.
• Så spennende! – How exciting!
• Jeg gleder meg. – I’m looking forward to it.
• Ikke sant? – Right?
• Helt enig. – Totally agree.

Picture 6: Swedish

• Det låter bra. – That sounds good.
• Så klart! – Of course!
• Inga problem. – No problem.
• Jag förstår. – I understand.

How many did you get correct? Tell us in the comments.