Why did you start a second thread?
Siehe auch: niemand arbeitet so hart wie Matthias - no on...

The teacher's version sounds wrong to me. I'd have said "No-one works as hard as Matthias does".

'as hard as' is absolutely, definitely NOT wrong.

I'd say 'as hard like' IS wrong, but it might be informal/regional/AE or something - wait for others to comment. But your son's sentence is fine.

@dragon
I'm of the same opinion, it sounds wrong.
I started a second thread because I thought perhaps it might be more correct there. Is it forbidden to do so?

The difference between "as" and "like" is fairly hard to explain; they seem so different to me, yet you have just one word for it in German...
I made an attempt here recently: Siehe auch: His animal should be strong like a tiger - as...
Not sure if it's very scientific, but it might help.

The sentence would be correct without the first "as": No one works hard like Matthias (does), but as soon as there is an "as" in there, a second one has to follow in this context: ... as hard as ...

Literally, though, you'd be changing the meaning:

No one works hard like Matthias (does)
= Keiner arbeitet fleißig, wie Matthias.
No-one works as hard as Matthias (does)
= Keiner arbeitet so fleißig wie Matthias

true, but I was focussing on the grammatical correctness here, not necessarily on the meaning of the sentence.

It illustrates the difference quite well, doesn't it?

Yes, but in a way those two sentences are the same. If no one works hard and only Matthias does, then consequently no one does work as hard as Matthias. :-)

Aha, but maybe there are three other students working hard, but Matthias is working extra-hard. In that case, sentence 2 applies, but not sentence 1.

(Sorry if this is too much information, marilys!)

Yes, it reminds me of "Mengenlehre." :-)

CM2DD, dude, I do think there's a colloquial usage in which "nobody works hard like Matthias" (although stilted) could mean, indeed, "nobody works as hard as Matthias." Compare:

1. Nobody does it like you (do).
2. Nobody has talent like you (do).

In 1., yes, the strict meaning is "nobody does it the way you do," but the colloquial meaning - in context - can be "nobody does it as well as you do." And in 2., the meaning is unambiguously "nobody has as much talent as you do." Right?

That said, the teacher is way off the mark. It's "as hard as," no question, and the above colloquial usage wouldn't be taught to students just learning the language anyway. I just thought it deserved pointing out.

I agree with everyone else: if it happened exactly as reported, the teacher was wrong. It happens.

The teacher is wrong. "as hard as" is correct.
Print out this thread and have your son show it to his teacher.

Ah Churman teachah iss never vrong. Tell your teachah zat ze naytif speakahs haven't got learnt propah Inklish et school. If ze teacha sayce 1 plus 1 iss sree, ze teachah hass rite. Nevah argue viss a teachah. Venn he sayce zat "ass hart like Mathias" iss rite, zen ziss iss rite, basta!!!

marilys, your son was right and his teacher is wrong. I suggest showing him/her this thread if they still argue!

It could only be:

a) no one (else) works hard like Matthias or
b) no one works as hard as Matthias - like your son wrote

As soon as "as ....." is at the start, you absolutely have to have a second "as" and not a "like."

I concur. Not only was your son right, but the teacher was quite unequivocally wrong. "As hard like Matthias" is not even a possible alternative, it is just simply incorrect.

Just out of interest, what level of teacher is it? (Haupt- Realschule, Gymnasium? Oberstufe? LK?)

I would also advocate printing out this thread and showing it to the teacher... although it might not be entirely diplomatic to do so ;)

i know it's not the topic but is there any possibilty to contact specific users?
I am looking for eric(new york)!

Thanx

you have to register first, then you have the option of sending messages to other registered users who have a little "envelope" to the left of their nick, such as Richard above, or above their nick, such as myself.

Ah alright gonna try that. Thanks

marilys, will you let us know how this ended? Did you approach the teacher? I'm quite curious now.