The two most common meanings of the verb ausmachen are "to turn something off" and "to bring something to a conclusion with someone, to arrange something, or to agree on something." These are the first two definitions listed in the academic Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (DWDS) from the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Interestingly, both of these usages are listed as slang.
The commercial dictionary publisher Duden lists the two definitions as numbers one and three, respectively, but only lists the "turning off" definition as slang.
It does make you wonder: Should the most widely used version of a word still be considered slang?
TURN IT OFF!
Jetzt mach doch bitte mal den Fernseher aus!
Now please turn off the television!
Caption 12, Lerchenberg: Du bist, was du isst
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Ey DJ! DJ, mach die Musik aus!
Hey DJ! DJ, turn the music off!
Caption 70, Laserkraft 3D: Nein, Mann
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Was bedeutet es, wenn wir das Licht ausmachen?
What does it mean when we turn out the light?
Caption 56, Kinder lernen: Wie aus Wind Strom gemacht wird
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Aber ein Hund, ne? -Machen Sie die Kamera jetzt aus.
But a dog, right? -Turn the camera off now.
Caption 30, Kurzfilm-Festival: Nicht nur der Himmel ist blau
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A less informal way to ask somebody to turn a device off would be to use the verb ausschalten.
MAKE ARRANGEMENTS
Die Mitarbeiter stellen uns den Kontakt zu den jeweiligen Ansprechpartnern her, so dass wir alle nötigen Infos vorab schon einmal erfragen und die Drehtermine ausmachen können.
The staff puts us in touch with the respective contact person so that we can request all the necessary information in advance and set up the dates for the shoot.
Captions 10-12, Rund um den Airport: Hinter den Kulissen
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Und da haben wir auch, direkt auch, einen Songwriting-Termin ausgemacht.
And then we also arranged a songwriting session right away.
Caption 31, LOTTE & Max Giesinger: Interview
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Ihr könnt doch hier nicht einfach alles ausräumen. So war das nicht ausgemacht.
You can't just clear out everything. This is not what was agreed upon.
Captions 14-15, Lilly unter den Linden: Umzug in die DDR
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A more formal way to agree to something or arrange something would be to use the verb vereinbaren.
Yet a third meaning of ausmachen combines the verb with a dative pronoun (mir, dir, euch, Ihnen, uns). It's often translated as "would you mind," or "if it doesn't disturb you" etc.
Würde es dir was ausmachen, wenn du allein kommst?
Would you mind coming alone?
Caption 71, Meine fremde Freundin: Was alle denken
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Further Learning
Go to the DWDS and Duden definitions linked above and learn a couple of the less-used meanings of ausmachen. Then go to find some more examples on Yabla German to see ausmachen used in a real-world context.
If you are familiar with über ("above," "over," "across") and hinaus ("out," "afield"), the fact that über hinaus (also darüber hinaus) is often translated as "beyond" may not surprise you. Like in English, it can be used to talk about physical distance, or be used in a similar context to außerdem, which means "additionally" or "moreover."
Es ging über die Wiese hinaus in die große, weite Welt.
It went across the meadow, out into the big, wide world.
Caption 49, Märchen - Sagenhaft: Das hässliche Entlein
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Ist die Drohne auch mit einer Kamera ausgestattet, muss ihr Besitzer darüber hinaus noch mehr beachten.
If the drone is also equipped with a camera, its owner must additionally pay even more attention.
Captions 36-37, Rhein-Main-TV: Strengere Regeln - Lohnt sich eine Drohne überhaupt noch?
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...und vielleicht noch darüber hinaus mit verschiedenen Medien zu arbeiten.
...and maybe even beyond that, working with different kinds of media.
Caption 50, Sprachschulen: Sprachcaffe Frankfurt
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Although it may look similar, über hinweg cannot be used interchangeably with über hinaus. It is often translated with "over" or "through" and can be used to talk about time passing. Take a look:
Für Menschen sind Tiere oft treue Begleiter und helfen über so manche einsame Stunde hinweg.
Animals are often loyal companions for people, and help them through many a lonely hour.
Captions 1-2, Für Tierfreunde: Wohin mit Tieren wenn Besitzer sterben
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Wir haben mit den vierten Klassen über ein ganzes Jahr hinweg zu unterschiedlichen Themen gearbeitet...
Over the course of an entire year, we have worked on various themes with the fourth grade class...
Captions 11-12, Erstes Frankfurter „Schuljahr der Nachhaltigkeit“: Abschlussfeier
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As you can see, both of the examples above refer to time, and not to distance or extent. But in this next example, über hinaus very clearly means "over" and "away":
Eines Tages wird es so weit sein, und bis dahin träume ich mich über die Mauer hinweg zu dir.
One day it will be the case, and until then I will dream myself over the wall to you.
Caption 29, Lilly unter den Linden: Umzug in die DDR
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Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and make sure you understand how these phrases are used in a sentence. For each sentence you see, consider which other word could be used and what this says about the meaning of über hinaus or über hinweg in that particular context.
In an earlier Yabla lesson, we started discussing idioms and slang expressions for "crazy." We'll be taking a look today at some more expressions that seriously question somebody's psychological well-being. But a word of warning if you are in Germany: these expressions are insulting and may make the person you are directing them at very angry. If that person has witnesses, it's possible that they could personally file criminal charges against you, take you to court, and have you convicted for insulting them. In Germany, Beleidigung is a felony crime punishable by up to two years' imprisonment and a fine. If the person who was insulted is a police officer or other public official, either the person or their supervisor can file charges against you. In that case it's called die Beamtenbeleidigung. So much for freedom of speech! Let's take a look at a few expressions that could get you in trouble in the wrong circumstances.
Sag mal, bist du völlig verrückt geworden?
Tell me, have you completely gone crazy?
Caption 47, Großstadtrevier: Leben kommt, Leben geht
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The adjective verrückt is slang and used very commonly. It comes from a 16th century usage which meant "brought to the wrong place."
Die spinnen ja wohl. Das ist ja wahnsinnig.
They're crazy. This is insane.
Caption 38, Großstadtrevier: Nicht mit mir
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The verb spinnen was described in the previous Yabla lesson. The adjective wahnsinnig may also be translated as "crazy." It's also used in a casual sense to add emphasis, such as Das ist wahnsinnig teuer ("That is very expensive" or "That is crazy expensive"). It comes from the Old and Middle German word wan, which meant "lacking" or "empty."
Diese irre Öko-Oma wollte neulich einen echten Klimaplan verabschieden.
This crazy eco-grandma recently wanted to pass a real climate plan.
Caption 25, heute-show: Das kann die Welt beim Klimaschutz von Deutschland lernen
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The expression irre comes from an obsolete noun that meant "the wrong way" or "the wrong direction."
Seid ihr bescheuert oder was?
Are you crazy or what?
Caption 4, Lilly unter den Linden: Umzug in die DDR
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The answer to that is, "No, we're just trying to learn German!" The adjective bescheuert is derived from the verb scheuern, which means "to thoroughly scrub out" with a brush or similar cleaning tool. The less than polite suggestion is that someone's brain has been scrubbed out of their skull!
Further Learning
Make up some new sentences using the expressions discussed above and have your teacher or a fellow student check your work. Please be sure that the sentences you construct are not aimed at your fellow students or your teacher—it always pays to be polite! Go to the videos mentioned above on Yabla German to better understand the contexts in which these expressions have been used.
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