Calling all Germans - Need an explanation... - Page 1

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the "von", "vom", and "von der" in the middle of German dog names? When do you put which where and does it really matter much? I am sure there is a rhyme and/or reason to it and everyone I ask can't give me an answer...?

I'm not German but I've heard of this. The "von" means "of" or "from". The "der" is one of the German articles for "the". In German nouns have one of three genders, and the word "the" is modified to match the gender of the noun, so it could be der, das, or die. "Vom" is just a contraction of "von der". Yvette

I'm not German but I've heard of this. The "von" means "of" or "from". The "der" is one of the German articles for "the". In German nouns have one of three genders, and the word "the" is modified to match the gender of the noun, so it could be der, das, or die. "Vom" is just a contraction of "von der". Yvette

"vom" is not a contraction of "von der". "von der" stands as is in sentences and kennel names. "vom", on the other hand, is a contraction of "von dem". I always have to wonder why, when someone asks a specific question, such as "Calling all Germans" wanting a very specific and correct answer they get answers from people who #1 are not German, and #2 repeat third-hand info that is incorrect.

I believe that Yvette was attempting to HELP, not reinvent the German language. I'm a little confused why you got so hot and bothered by a pretty simple and seemingly innocent question..... I mean last time I checked I dont think national security hung on whether to use von or vom and perhaps instead of becoming hostile and defensive you could maybe consider it a compliment that people want to be "correct" and are simply asking for help in doing so. Lisa

Seems Yvette answered the question more completely also. Guess altostland couldn't quite wait to get to the reprimand before answering.

Maybe this will help clear thing's up von - of von der - of the vom - from vom der - from the

Remember the old saying "The road to hell is paved with good intentions?" I wasn't bothered by the innocent question - just the erroneous answer to the question. The poster asked for a GERMAN to help. Her first comment was "I'm not German...I have heard". Which tells me she was answering a question that was not asked of her. I see this same thing SO MANY times... people answering posts without the answer to the question. Can't tell you how many times I have seen someone post a question like "Has anyone dealt with this (specific)kennel..." they'll get up to thirty replies, and not ONE of them has ever dealt with that kennel/breeder in question - so they shouldn't even be ANSWERING the post if they do not have first-hand information. Often these people will say something derogatory about the breeder the poster is asking about (when they have no first-hand info), or else recommend another breeder. All I am saying is answer only the posts you have first-hand knowledge of. NOW, if Yvette was a non-German with an extraordinary grip of the German language, and could answer with first-hand knowledge, it would be different. If the poster had asked "does anybody know what the difference is".. it would be different. But relying on third-hand knowledge is wrong and often dangerously so.

I'm not German either but I am fluent in the language. I was married to a German for 9 years and I also lived over there for 3 years. I think that qualifies me to answer the question.

Ok, EXAMPLE: so I have a dog named "German" and he's of the kennel "Shepherd".... Do I name him: German von Shepherd German von der Shepherd German vom Shepherd or German vom der Shepherd ????? and if it's clear, then why are there so many variations in the dog names in this database?