The 4½ = ●●●●◖ = [four +] ½fifth is not unique to Danish. In Czech, we say „čtvrt na osm“ (quarter to eight), „půl osmé“ (half of eighth) and „tři čtvrtě na osm“ (¾ to eight) to mean 19:15, 19:30 and 19:45, respectively, so I kinda get it.
Similarly, in German, 🕢=„halb acht“.
And ninety, halvfems, short for halvfemsindstyve or halv-fem-sinds-tyve, means “fifth half times twenty”, or “four scores plus half of the fifth score” [4½ * 20].
I think the Britons used scores as well for some time.
I think the German solution works better for the German language. 'neunzigundzwei' sounds worse than 'zweiundneunzig' or at least less flowy. But I'm obv biased by being German lol and this is just one example.
Almost 30 and I still have issues pronouncing certain 2 digit numbers. Like 67. I sometimes need to think for a sec to pronounce it correctly. Spoke German all my life. The other way around would be much simpler for me but I also feel it's weird.
That aside: wtf is going on with the Danes?
Edit: Just reread my own comment with my own example I came up with 10 seconds ago and struggle to pronounce it correctly in my mind.
I'm Norwegian and grew up in one of the yellow belts. I use the two ways of saying numbers interchangably. There are only small parts of Norway people might get mildly confused if I said two and ninety instead of ninetytwo.
If German was to start counting the other way wouldn't it be neunzigzwei and not neunzigundzwei?
There's an interesting nuance for Romanian. While talking formally, "Noua zeci si doi" (9 10s and 2) is perfectly fine, in informal speech most people just say "Noua-s doi" (9 'n 2).
And then all Germans France and Denmark will complain when people in the US use 09/28/23 which is the same order used for Sept 9th 2023 instead of 28/09/23 which backwards from the most logical of putting the most significant number first and the least significant number last 23/28/09.
The 4½ = ●●●●◖ = [four +] ½fifth is not unique to Danish. In Czech, we say „čtvrt na osm“ (quarter to eight), „půl osmé“ (half of eighth) and „tři čtvrtě na osm“ (¾ to eight) to mean
19:15,19:30and19:45, respectively, so I kinda get it.Similarly, in German, 🕢=„halb acht“.
Dude their 4 is fire.
German "halb acht" only refers to time tho.
Ours too. Just giving another example of this counting principle to show it's not confined to Danish numbers.
seks lol
German has the same problem but they can differentiate sechs/Sex by using halbduzend/Geschlechtsverkehr.
And ninety, halvfems, short for halvfemsindstyve or halv-fem-sinds-tyve, means “fifth half times twenty”, or “four scores plus half of the fifth score” [4½ * 20].
I think the Britons used scores as well for some time.
Yeah, this isn't an excuse.
Germany and France are already stupid, but Denmark combines them and makes it even worse.
I think the German solution works better for the German language. 'neunzigundzwei' sounds worse than 'zweiundneunzig' or at least less flowy. But I'm obv biased by being German lol and this is just one example.
I think that's just because you're used to it.
I am German too and it would feel weird, but our way of saying it is really weird, when considered.
Especially if you add a hundred.
137
One-hundred seven and thirty
It's just uselessly jumping around.
You know, I was willing to defend you Germans here assuming you just said the numbers right to left, but no. Now I'm not going to.
Almost 30 and I still have issues pronouncing certain 2 digit numbers. Like 67. I sometimes need to think for a sec to pronounce it correctly. Spoke German all my life. The other way around would be much simpler for me but I also feel it's weird.
That aside: wtf is going on with the Danes?
Edit: Just reread my own comment with my own example I came up with 10 seconds ago and struggle to pronounce it correctly in my mind.
I'm Norwegian and grew up in one of the yellow belts. I use the two ways of saying numbers interchangably. There are only small parts of Norway people might get mildly confused if I said two and ninety instead of ninetytwo.
If German was to start counting the other way wouldn't it be neunzigzwei and not neunzigundzwei?
Yeah, I think we’re just biased. If it would have been always the other way around, we probably would think it’s the flowy way to say it xD
Yeah probably :D
Why not 'neunzigzwei'? Just omit the 'und'.
After all it's 'ninety-two' in English.
Germany is fine, but France is just dumb and no clue how Denmark got there
Yeah.. This is not the right way Danes say it.
It's not tooghalvfemsindstyvende
It's more like toårhalfæms. Nobody says sindstyvende, only people who don't know the language...
2² x 23
Prime factoring is the way
There's an interesting nuance for Romanian. While talking formally, "Noua zeci si doi" (9 10s and 2) is perfectly fine, in informal speech most people just say "Noua-s doi" (9 'n 2).
And then all Germans France and Denmark will complain when people in the US use 09/28/23 which is the same order used for Sept 9th 2023 instead of 28/09/23 which backwards from the most logical of putting the most significant number first and the least significant number last 23/28/09.
23/28/09 pure chaos
I prefer to sort my dates descending.
28/23/09 = 28 Sept 2023
11/09/01 = >!Jan 9 2011!<
But it makes no sense to us because we also say it the way we put it ("28 Septembre 2023", Aka 28/09/2023)...
I was pretty convinced this was a joke until I got to the comments.
Nope it's so damn annoying in the Netherlands having to say 45 as five fourty.