Debate and persuasion Debatt an Iwwerzeegung
State a position, concede a point, object and sum up. The words of a debate, with the sentence patterns that carry them.
By the end of this lesson you can
- State your view and defend it with a claim and evidence.
- Concede a point and voice a doubt or a reservation.
- Object, deny a claim and turn an argument round.
- Sum up a discussion and say what follows from it.
26 words and phrases
- d'Debatt
- debate
- d'Opfaassung
- view, opinion
- d'Iwwerzeegung
- conviction, belief
- d'Behaaptung
- claim, assertion
- d'Argumentatioun
- argumentation, line of argument
- d'Géigenargument
- counterargument Neuter. Géigen- is the counter-.
- de Géigner
- opponent
- de Kompromëss
- compromise
- averstanen
- in agreement, agreed
- de Zweiwel
- doubt
- de Virbehalt
- reservation, misgiving
- de Beweis
- proof, evidence
- beweisen
- to prove
- de Fazit
- summary, conclusion
- zouginn
- to admit, to concede Separable: ech ginn zou, but dat muss ech zouginn.
- bestreiden
- to deny
- diskutéieren
- to discuss, to debate
- ënnerstëtzen
- to support
- vertrieden
- to represent (also: to defend a point of view)
- d'Ausnam
- exception
- de Géigendeel
- opposite, contrary
- ëmstridden
- disputed, controversial
- selwecht
- same
- schéin
- beautiful, nice
- d'Substanz
- substance
- gëfteg
- toxic, poisonous
Grammar
Stating a position and conceding a point
To give your view, set it in a fixed phrase: menger Meenung no (in my opinion, with no after the noun) or Ech sinn där selwechter Meenung wéi hien (I share his opinion).
To concede, use zouginn. It is separable: the particle goes to the end in a main clause (Ech ginn zou) and the verb stays whole after a modal (dat muss ech zouginn).
- Menger Meenung no soll een dat net maachen. — In my opinion one should not do that.
- Ech sinn där selwechter Meenung wéi hien. — I am of the same opinion as he is.
- Ech ginn zou, datt ech mech an deem Punkt geiert hat. — I admit that I was mistaken on that point.
- Du hues méi schéin Hoer ewéi ech, dat muss ech zouginn. — You have nicer hair than I do, I must admit.
Claims and evidence: datt and the verb at the end
After datt (that) the conjugated verb goes to the end of the clause. Claim, deny, prove and admit all take such a clause.
When the datt-clause comes first, the main clause that follows keeps its verb in second place: Datt … goufen, dat bestreit jo keen.
- D'Tester hu bewisen, datt d'Substanz net gëfteg ass. — The tests have proved that the substance is not poisonous.
- Datt an där Saach Feeler gemaach goufen, dat bestreit jo keen. — Nobody denies that mistakes were made in that matter.
- Ech bleiwe bei menger Behaaptung! — I stand by my claim!
Objecting and turning an argument round
De Géigendeel is the opposite, and am Géigendeel (on the contrary) answers a claim by turning it round. The prefix Géigen- gives the counter-: d'Géigenargument.
- Du hues elo grad de Géigendeel behaapt! — You have just claimed the opposite!
- Hien ass net aarm, am Géigendeel, e kann sech leeschten, wat e wëllt. — He is not poor, on the contrary, he can afford whatever he wants.
- Keent vun denge Géigenargumenter ka mech iwwerzeegen. — None of your counterarguments can convince me.
Practice
14 exercises: multiple choice, typing, matching pairs and word order.