Esel = donkey, ass, burro

@Helmi (U.S.)

Your comment does not answer my question exactly. I did not want to know whether you can use "donkey" as well as "ass" for the German word "Esel", bu rather how far it is ADVISABLE to use it instead of "donkey" and other words, reffering to the grey animal.

Sorry for the terrible orthography :-)

Of course "(to) refer" is merely written with a single "f"...

Esel werden nicht soo häufig erwähnt. In Erinnerung geblieben sind mir nur Fälle, wo eben mit der Doppeldeutigkeit gespielt wird, z.B. der Ort Bad Ass bei Pratchet (nach einem störrischen Grautier benannt). Kann gut sein, daß mir eine normale Verwendung nur nicht aufgefallen ist. Wenn du sichergehen willst, nimm doch einfach donkey.

If you want to avoid any misunderstanding then you can answer your own question. Otherwise the context would make it clear what you mean when you use the term "ass." :-))

These days "ass" is not used that much in BE for the donkey. It sounds quite old-fashioned. We either use "ass" to mean "arse" (as a deliberate Americanism) or to mean a stupid person ("you silly ass"). "Donkey" is a lot more common.

Helmi, I think what Nico means is: if you point at a donkey and say "Look at that ass!" in the US, will people fall on the ground laughing?

didn't Jesus ride into Jerusalem on an ass? I'm sure "they" didn't mean Mary Magdalen's. ;-)

Das stelle ich mir auch nahezu unmöglich vor, dude ;-).

@ # 7, In New York City you would probably catch a good laugh, not so much out on the ranch. :-))

Incidently I noticed that donkeys seem to be much more common in the last year in Germany.

Wo denn, mark2b? Als Reit- oder Arbeitstier, im Zoo? Ist mir noch nicht aufgefallen, aber was größeres als ein Schaf sehe ich eh selten.

Yes, in traditional hymns and stories you do hear that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on an ass, but if you were telling the story in modern language, you would probably describe it as a donkey. The same is true for the animals in the stable in the Christmas story -- ' 'twixt ox and ass' is an old-fashioned way of saying with cow(s) and donkey(s).

In describing the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the evangelists are all quoting or alluding to a verse from the Hebrew Bible, Zechariah 9:9, which predicted that a king would come to Zion humbly, riding on 'an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.' I don't know Hebrew, but I would guess that that parallel structure with 'and' was a figure of speech, a poetic way of describing one animal. Anyway, the point is that it's like the ceremonial entry of a king or conqueror, but turned upside down, not on a warhorse; so it's a poetic image of a king of peace.

Matthew (21:1ff.) takes the scriptural image so literally that he actually has Jesus sitting on two separate animals at once, one an ass and one a colt. (Possibly Matthew was a city boy, or thought Jesus had hidden circus talents? Or maybe it made more sense in Greek? Beats me.) John (12:12ff.) has one animal, which he calls an ass, but cites the scripture about an ass's colt; Mark (11:1ff.) and Luke (19:29ff.) simply call it a colt.

But anyway, in all those passages, 'ass' is the word from the King James Version; modern translations such as NRSV use the word 'donkey.'

So, yes, as CM2DD explained, the word 'ass' in the sense of Esel is mostly literary or archaic. Balaam and the ass, Buridan's ass, and so on are fixed phrases, so the word is not obsolete, only archaic.

The modern domesticated animal, whether you see it in a city or on a farm, is called a donkey, or if applicable, a mule. (Or in the Southwest, sometimes a burro.)

I believe that some wild species may still be called asses, though. Selima or easy or someone would probably know.

The word ass in the sense of Arsch is only mildly vulgar anyway, so I doubt adults would fall on the floor laughing if you used it wrongly for a donkey. But kindergartners might. (-:

Are you saying Helmi is a kindergartner? Hm, that might explain a few tings... ;-)