For my peeps in Europe, Germany and surroundings specifically: I need a favour.

[theweaselking]

My good friend jerril is a mad Rammstein fangirl, and wants this magazine quite badly. Thing is, they won't sell it to her, or ship it to her, because she's not in Germany or one of the nearby German-speaking countries.

Anyone in that end of the world able to pick up a copy and mail it to me in Canada, and I'll pay you back?

Comments

[jerril]

Rammstein.de emailed me to advertise the magazine and any willpower I had was immediately gone. I squeeled.
But I don't have an iPad and the magazine is cautious of foreign import duties. :(

I considered calling them and saying "Take my money, please!" but I don't actually know how to say that in German. And I wouldn't be able to hold up the rest of the conversation, either. Doesn't matter. Glossy magazine has piiiiictuuuures.

[euphoric-goth.livejournal.com]

"Wollen zie mein geld zu haben, bitte?" works, I think. Mind you, it's been over a decade since I last had any german.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

I would have gone with the more direct "Bitte, nimm mein Geld".

But yeah.

[rbarclay.livejournal.com]

That's too informal for a business transaction, it implies a "du", which's reserved for friends. "Bitte nehmen sie mein Geld" would be correct.

[jerril]

I'll note this for later. I'm sure I'll have more occasions to use it :)

I know just enough German to buy things from a German store, and to keep my memorized lyrics in sync with what I'm listening to... Oh. And to say "I can't speak German, do you speak English?" but I can't spell it.

[rbarclay.livejournal.com]

I know just enough German to buy things from a German store,

Which's pretty much all you need! Provided you say "sie" when a "you" would come naturally (always err on the too-polite side of things, Germans like that).

And to say "I can't speak German, do you speak English?" but I can't spell it.

"Ich spreche kein Deutsch, sprechen sie Englisch?" ;-)
Or, for brown-nose points, "ich kann kaum Deutsch, sprechen sie vielleicht Englisch?" ("I speak nearly no German, would you happen to speak English?")

[jerril]

Which's pretty much all you need! Provided you say "sie" when a "you" would come naturally (always err on the too-polite side of things, Germans like that).

Same rules as French in that regard, which makes it easier for me to remember. English loosing it's second-person-plural is a disgrace :)

"Ich spreche kein Deutsch, sprechen sie Englisch?"

Aha, yes, that looks like how it sounds in my head. I was taught to say it with a reasonably correct accent (instead of my Canadian English, which afflicts everything else), but I honestly don't know which region... and now I can't even remember who taught me or why. Huh.
I can't roll my Rs to save my life, so that cuts down the possibilities.

[rbarclay.livejournal.com]

Mmm, French. Let's see if I can still remember all my 10 words:
Lavour, Trottoir, Pissoir, Fauteuil, Clochard, Filou.

Merde, still only 7 ;-)

(Also: Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitänskajütenputzeranwärter)

[secretagentmoof]

"y'all" is a perfectly good second person plural.

[rbarclay.livejournal.com]

Nearly! It should be "sie" - Z and S do not sound alike in german. Otherwise, correct (apart from "Geld", which needs to be capitalized), but sounding very strange.

"Bitte nehmen sie mein Geld" would be better.

[euphoric-goth.livejournal.com]

Hooray! Combined with the go-to above (which I admit I've been using for as long as I've been neglecting German), I can now confidently stride into German shops.

If I ever go to Germany, at least.

[lafinjack.livejournal.com]

[kohaku1977.livejournal.com]

I could try and see whether I can get a copy for you. :)

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Appreciated!

[kohaku1977.livejournal.com]

Will go looking for it. Shouldn't be hard though.

You can get the Süddeutsche pretty much everywhere around here. :)

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Get me a price for that issue, I'll get you a mailling address in Canada, payment will ensue.

[kohaku1977.livejournal.com]

Great. It's something like 2 Euros, so I will check how much postage will be and get back to you.

[rbarclay.livejournal.com]

If it doesn't work out, ping me and I'll order it for the King Of Weasels. As a resident Austrian, I'm within their delivery territory.

[jerril]

I also heart you!

[kohaku1977.livejournal.com]

Found it. But thank you for your offer, very kind. :)

[jerril]

I heart you!

[kohaku1977.livejournal.com]

Found it for you! I only need an address now! I would preferably send it in an envelop with a hardback, so it won't bent on its way to you.

[jerril]

Contact info sent via LiveJournal message thing. I'm not sure about what to suggest for the hardback. Failing that, a few layers of cardboard might do it?

[kohaku1977.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the address! Somehow your settings prevent me from replying by message, so here's what I typed in. :)

You're absolutely welcome. I hope you don't mind that I will only be able to drop by the post office on Monday. But then the mag will go on its merry way via priority shipping. Which is really not expensive.

I placed the mag in a plastic bag for protection and it will go between two sheets of cardboard, just in case. So please don't wonder about my innovative packaging. I couldn't find a proper slip case due to the format of the mag. :)

I'm really glad I can do this for you. And don't worry about paying me back. If you feel like it, you can send me something back. :)

[moiread]

I love the internet.

[jerril]

On the one hand: Now I have to have something I never knew I desperately wanted.
On the other hand: Internet is helping me get it.

Overall, pretty happy about this arrangement.