h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Perhaps there should be another word - say, Freudenschade - to mean the unhappiness caused by the joy of others. I'm sure this is equally common.

I'm Austrian, that means I speak German. I never realized you don't have a word for Schadenfreude. Maybe english gentlemen should not have Schadenfreude?

I agree. Are there any Germanophones (German-speaking-people) out there that can tell us if there is a name for feeling sorrow at someone else's good fortune?

The Traveller
ISO-9001 Certified

My passport says I am German, but I can't think about a word as the one you were hinting at. Sorry!
Where is the rest of the German speaking community? Help.

I think "beneiden" (to envy) will do it.
Is that what you meant?

Here's the german speaking community, but I'm Austrian, does that count?

Good girl! Welcome daheim! . 'Missgunst' and 'Scheelsucht' came up in my mind.
Does this help anyhow? Hannah, please help explaining. I am too tired now....

Missgunst is a good one. It means thinking that the person, who's lucky, doesn't derserve it.
I've no idea what Scheelsucht means, I'll look it up. This isn't used very often, we are a nice new generation.

Tja, das Gegenteil von "Schadenfreude" dürfte dann doch wohl eine Art Mitgefühl mit dem armen Betroffenen sein, also Mitleid oder auch Mitgefühl, gelle?!

I think the oposit to "Schadenfreude" is a kind of feeling with the "unhappy person". There are two words which fit: "Mitleid" and "Mitgefühl".

Greetinx
Michax

Ja richtig, an Mitgefühl habe ich gar nicht gedacht. Aber das kommt doch eher selten vor, gell?


Being sympathetic is something I haven't thought about yet. But that doesn't happen too often, does it?

first of all, I think "Neid" or "Eifersucht" is the word we're looking for (feeling bad when good things happen to someone). "Gell?" is one of those..erhm..."lovely" Austrian words isn't it? In Berlin, we say "Wahr?" It basically means, "doesn't it?" and is practically always rhetorical. Is there a Guide entry about German slang/various dialects? Voll krass, Alter! Ick schwöre, so blau bin ick nie jewesen, verstehste?

We usually say "gell" or "oder".
Ich habe diese kleine Anmerkung über mein geliebtes Vaterland übersehen...
An entry about german slang would be great, I could write something about Austrian slang.

There's an 'alternative German dictionary' at http://www.notam.uio.nhcholm/altlang/ht/German.html
but it's mainly profanities rather than general slang. Other languges as well.