this post was submitted on 14 Nov 2023
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what's an alter
From what I looked up it means something like dude or mate. It's also used when expressing suprise? If native speaker has better insight I'd appreciate it.
It's pretty much just "dude", vor talking with friends. Other widely used versions include "Digga" and "Bruder"
Omg you just can’t go say the d word. /s
Ok digga dann eben nicht
The English "Yo" is a really good translation. You can use it to express surprise ("Alter! Wtf!" - "Yo! Wtf!") or to address someone ("Alter, was geht?" - "Yo, whats up?").
"Yo" really is the best translation I can think of.
Wissenschaft Hündin!
The literal meaning is a really informal "old one" but can also mean "age" in another context. It is used exactly like you described.
So Germans colloquially call each other "old man"? That's kinda hilarious
It is one way to do so, german youth also use several english terms or "Digga" which is a modified form of the word "Dicker" meaning fat. Although I am no linguist I would assume that Alter and Dicker were used in combination with Freund (friend) first since those are valid phrases that still are in use.
As much as English speakers call each other "male sibling" or "canine".
Technically correct, but no one makes that association in everyday language.