Can you native speakers help with the appropriate nuance? I need a polite to say ‘WFT’ to a tradesperson, without causing offense or damaging a relationship.
Where we live there is a shortage of tradespeople so one has to tread on eggshells.
I have three projects in the works, one with a signed contract acknowledged by the company, one where I have signed the contract but not received an acknowledgement, and one where I am waiting for a clarification of the offer. In each case weeks or months will go by before the company gets around to the next step. Or even to responding with “Sorry, busy, will get back to you later.”
I need to get the work done, but can’t afford to piss off the providers as there are no alternatives in the area.
So what is a polite way to say 'Hey, where the F are you people and why are you not responding to my mail? Do you stll want the job?"
My OH is excruciatingly polite, and this is his take: It essentially says that you have been waiting in a nice way.
Hallo, Ich habe leider länger nichts von Ihnen gehört. Können Sie mir bitte sagen, bis wann Ich mit einer Reaktion rechnen kann. Besten Dank im voraus, und ein schönes Wochenende.
Hope this helps.
Oral you just say “Arschloch” with a smile. The bigger the smile the less heavy the asshole is. It is not that hard here as it is in English speaking countries.
Rückmeldung ist eine formelle oder informelle Reaktion auf eine Leistung oder Handlung.
Reaktion (ohne Umlaut) ist ein allgemeiner Begriff, der jede Form der Antwort oder Rückmeldung beschreibt.
This from Bau.com. I think neither is more polite than the other. And after all, Meloncollie is dealing with workers. Anyway, best to be formal and polite, because, as she said, in CH any misstep is likely to result in no windows.
Always am, but it is not like the English version in Switzerland. Whenever someone says something that is obviously true I smile and say “Arschloch”, just a way to tell him you are right and I have no more arguments. Ready to duck for the fist anyhow…
I doubt that’s going to get you far with a CH handwerker…putting pressure may not be the smart thing to do.
Edit: Furriners have to be 120% polite, as we all have experienced.
Intensity: It is a moderate to strong expletive, comparable to “Verdammt noch mal!” in Standard German or “damn it” in English. Situations: The word is used when angry, frustrated, or when something goes wrong (for example, missing a train or dropping something). Variants: Over time, many regional variations have evolved from this expression, such as Gopferteckel, Gopfridstutz, or Gopfertannewald. You can find a discussion about this in the Reddit r/askswitzerland thread. Would you like to know how to use other typical Swiss swear words or where a specific dialect phrase comes from? Basel German Dictionary gopferdammi – Basel German Dictionary “God damn me” (expletive). gopferdammi, gopferdeggel, gopferdelli, gopferdooriaa, gopferglemmi, verdammi, verdeggel, verdelli, ve… Reddit What does “goph-verdamn-me” mean? : r/askswitzerland – Reddit It is “gopferdammi” / “gopfertami”. Common abbreviations are “dammi” / “tami” or “gopf”. Literally “God damn me” in German… Show all
Anyway, best to be formal and polite, because, as she said, in CH any misstep is likely to result in no windows.