The German word meinetwegen is used in several different contexts. Its first meaning can be translated as "on my account" or "for me" in English.
Ich weiß, ihr seid nicht meinetwegen gekommen.
I know you haven't come because of me.
Caption 3, Verstehen Sie Spaß? - Sascha Grammel
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Hat Themba wirklich nur meinetwegen ein Eigentor gemacht?
Did Themba really score a goal against his own team just because of me?
Caption 33, Die Pfefferkörner - Eigentor - Part 6
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It can also mean "for example" or "assuming that":
Und wenn du dich jetzt meinetwegen dort auf die Seite drehst...
And if you now turn onto your side, for example...
Caption 63, Die Schmerzspezialisten - Diese Schlafposition solltest du unbedingt vermeiden!
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Additionally, meinetwegen can also suggest indifference, translated as "for all I care" or even the very rude "whatever" below.
Machen Sie doch meinetwegen, was Sie wollen!
But do what you want, for all I care!
Caption 61, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Der Rattenfänger von Hameln
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„Meinetwegen“, brummte Frederick.
"Whatever," grumbled Frederick.
Caption 42, Piggeldy und Frederick - Unendlichkeit
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Von mir aus is a colloquial expression, and can be translated as "for all I care," "as far as I'm concerned," or even simply "I don't mind."
In welcher Form auch immer... bis morgen früh von mir aus.
In whichever form… till early morning, as far as I'm concerned.
Caption 45, Fastnacht - Karneval - Quartier Latin
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Von mir aus bleibe ich ewig
I don't mind remaining forever
Caption 7, Max Giesinger - Nicht so schnell
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Was meinst du? -Von mir aus.
What do you think? -I don't mind.
-Vielleicht hat hier jemand was gesehen.
-Maybe someone here saw something.
Caption 43, Die Pfefferkörner - Eigentor - Part 2
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Further Learning
Take a look for additional examples on Yabla German and try working on your own sentences with meinetwegen and responses with von mir aus.
Let's take a look this week at some German idioms as outlined in the Yabla video series Eva erklärt Sprichwörter.
Wenn du so dreinschaust, ist nicht gut Kirschen essen mit dir.
When you look like that, it's not good to eat cherries with you.
Caption 41, Marga Engel schlägt zurück - Betrug - Part 1
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The above saying has little to do with the pleasant pastime of eating cherries, but as Eva explains:
Wenn mit jemandem nicht gut Kirschen essen ist, dann meinen wir damit eine unfreundliche Person.
If it's not good to eat cherries with someone, then we mean by that an unfriendly person.
Captions 10-11, Eva erklärt - Sprichwörter - Part 2
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From eating cherries, we move up to the nose:
Früher habe ich Fußball gemocht, aber seit dem gestrigen Halbfinale hab ich die Nase voll!
I used to like soccer, but since yesterday's semi-finals, I have the nose full!
Captions 22-23, Konjugation - Das Verb „mögen“
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The person above is not literally suffering from nasal congestion, but rather:
Wenn man die Nase voll hat, dann bedeutet das, dass man auf eine bestimmte Situation keine Lust mehr hat, verärgert ist oder einer Sache überdrüssig wird.
If you have your nose full, then it means that you have no more patience for a certain situation, are annoyed, or have become weary of a matter.
Captions 34-36, Eva erklärt - Sprichwörter - Part 2
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And lastly we go from nasal situations to an apparent lack of pigs:
„Das“, sagte Frederick, „tja... das weiß kein Schwein.“
"That," said Frederick, "well... no pig knows that."
Captions 39-40, Piggeldy und Frederick - Das Fernweh
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„So lange Vorderfüße hat doch kein Schwein und damit basta!“
"But no pig has such long front feet, and that's the end of it!"
Caption 38, Piggeldy und Frederick - Unendlichkeit
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Vom Schwein spricht man übrigens auch, wenn man Desinteresse ausdrücken möchte. Dann sagt man: „Das interessiert doch kein Schwein.“
By the way, you also speak about pigs when you want to express disinterest. Then you say: "But no pig is interested in that."
Captions 55-56, Eva erklärt - Sprichwörter - Part 2
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The simplest straightforward translation of the idiom kein Schwein is thus "no-one."
Further Learning
Kein Schwein should be misunderstanding German idioms: Go to Yabla German and watch the Eva erklärt - Sprichwörter series and find other examples of these expressions in different contexts. Later in the month we will be bringing you some more examples of idioms from this Yabla series!
You're not likely to mix up the meaning of wurden with würden (or konnten with könnten) when reading or having a conversation in German, as the context makes it pretty obvious what is meant. But I've noticed occasionally when writing in German that it's important to have a clear sense of the difference between the two.
The words wurden and konnten are the Präteritum / Indikativ (preterite / realis) moods of the verbs werden and können, respectively. The words würden and könnten are the Präteritum / Konjunktiv II (preterite / subjunctive) moods of the verbs werden and können, respectively.
But all grammatical complications aside, an easy way to remember the difference is that these verb forms do not use the umlaut letter when talking about the actual past, and both words do use the umlaut letter when talking about the conditional present or future.
Sie flohen aus dem Königreich und wurden nie wieder gesehen.
They fled from the kingdom and were never seen again.
Caption 85, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Das tapfere Schneiderlein
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Wir würden gerne auf 'ne kleine Clubtour geh'n.
We would like to go on a small clubs tour.
Caption 17, Deutsche Bands - Die „No Angels“
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Die hungrigen Kinder konnten es kaum erwarten, davon zu essen.
The hungry children could barely wait to eat from it.
Caption 61, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Hänsel und Gretel
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„Wir könnten unendlich so weiterlaufen“, antwortete Frederick.
"We could continue walking endlessly like this," answered Frederick.
Caption 10, Piggeldy und Frederick - Unendlichkeit
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Got it? An easy way to remember with wurden/würden and konnten/könnten is: if an umlaut letter is present, you are talking about the possible present or future!
Further Learning
Visit Yabla German and watch the two Yabla videos conjugating the verbs werden and können and practice writing some of your own sentences using the different tenses of the verbs.