Translation problems between romance and germanic languages

This page is aimed for listing common problems dealing with translating between romance and germanice languages. The same problem may for example occur for Spanish-English, Spanish-Dutch, Spanish-German, Frenc-English, French-Dutch, French-German. So finding a strategy can help in our example for at least 6 pairs. The problems may not occur for all Romance languages but for most or several of them. The same rule apply for Germanic languages.

Feminin and masculin possessive

In Germanic languages : the possessive is different for a male and female. But in Romance it is the same.

Germanic

• Dutch: haar vs zijn
• English: her vs his
• German: ihr vs zein
• Afrikaans hy vs sy

Romance

• French: son, sa, ses
• Spanish: su, sus

To be vs to have

For several cases, to be in Germanic corresponds to to have in Romance.

Age

Germanic

• Dutch : ik ben 20
• English : I am 20
• Germanic: Ich bin 20

Romance

• French: j'ai vingt ans
• Spanish: tengo 20 años

Note also that years old is often not used.

Hunger, thirst

Germanic

Dutch is more like other Romance languages

• Dutch: ik heb honger, ik heb dorst

• English: I am hungry, I am thirsty

Romance

• French: j'ai faim, j'ai soif
• Spanish: tengo hambre, tengo sed

Verbs with separating prefixes

In some Germanic languages (Afrikaans, Dutch, German but not English ), there are verbs with separating prefixes. But not in Romance languages.

Verb at the end of the embedded clause

In some Germanic languages (Dutch, German but not English) the verb is at the end of the embedded clause (SOV) but not in Romance languages (SVO).

Sentences starting with an adverb

In some Germanic languages (Dutch, German), the verb is always at the second place in the main clause even if there is an adverb at the begining of the sentence (adverb verb subject object) and in Romance languages the verb goes after the verb (adverb subject verb object).