dreimal mehr (three times more)

German translation: three times as much/many (300%)

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:dreimal mehr (three times more)
Selected answer:three times as much/many (300%)
Entered by: Ulrike MacKay

06:38 Nov 27, 2014
German language (monolingual) [PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / Allgemeine Verständnisfrage
German term or phrase: dreimal mehr (three times more)
Etwas, was ich mich immer wieder frage:

Handelt es sich bei z.B. "dreimal mehr" / "three times more"

=> einfach um eine (für meine Begriffe irreführende und somit möglicherweise oft/ gemeinhin falsch angewandte) Formulierung für "das Dreifache" => 300% von x

oder

=> bedeutet es, in Zahlen ausgedrückt, tatsächlich "x + 3x = 4x" => 400% von x, so wie ich es auffassen würde?

Habe bereits versucht, die Antwort darauf online zu finden, aber leider ohne Erfolg...

Wer weiß Bescheid?
Danke!
Ulrike MacKay
Germany
Local time: 22:42
three times as many (300%)
Explanation:
"Three times more" is unfortunately used a lot nowadays, though it wasn't thirty or forty years ago, to mean "three times as many". It was possibly imported from German. I avoid using it myself, but I am fighting a losing battle.
Selected response from:

Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:42
Grading comment
Thank you, Jack, and everybody who confirmed. Cilian, I tried to explain my general question about this expression above - if I have a "more" of anything, this means I must have a basic reference value "x". So when I have "three times MORE (of x)", this should - strictly speaking - translate into "x + 3x = 4x", meaning 400% of x, not only 300%. However, I've suspected that "three times more" is commonly (wrongly) used to just mean "three times as much/many" (= 300% of x) - just like Jack and everybody else confirmed. So again, thank you everybody! (Would have liked to divide the points, by the way!) :-)
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +5das Dreifache
ibz
4 +4three times as many (300%)
Jack Doughty


  

Answers


14 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
three times as many (300%)


Explanation:
"Three times more" is unfortunately used a lot nowadays, though it wasn't thirty or forty years ago, to mean "three times as many". It was possibly imported from German. I avoid using it myself, but I am fighting a losing battle.

Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:42
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thank you, Jack, and everybody who confirmed. Cilian, I tried to explain my general question about this expression above - if I have a "more" of anything, this means I must have a basic reference value "x". So when I have "three times MORE (of x)", this should - strictly speaking - translate into "x + 3x = 4x", meaning 400% of x, not only 300%. However, I've suspected that "three times more" is commonly (wrongly) used to just mean "three times as much/many" (= 300% of x) - just like Jack and everybody else confirmed. So again, thank you everybody! (Would have liked to divide the points, by the way!) :-)
Notes to answerer
Asker: ... I'm by your side in this fight, Jack! ;-) Like you, I always prefer to use "das x-fache/ x-mal so viel", which leaves no room for interpretation, but have never been sure about "how much of x" the expression "x times more" would really translate into... In my opinion, it is rather mistakable and therefore I think it is often used in the wrong way... Strictly speaking "three times more" should be "x + 3x", but I doubt this is considered by many... :-(


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  BrigitteHilgner
20 mins
  -> Danke schön.

agree  Coqueiro
38 mins
  -> Danke schön.

agree  Usch Pilz
1 hr
  -> Danke schön.

agree  Cilian O'Tuama: dreimal soviel(e)? wo genau ist die Frage? Schwierig ohne Kontext.
7 days
  -> Danke schön.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

14 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
das Dreifache


Explanation:
So verstehe ich das ...

ibz
Local time: 22:42
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  BrigitteHilgner
20 mins

agree  Geneviève von Levetzow
33 mins

agree  Coqueiro
38 mins

agree  Usch Pilz
1 hr

agree  Karin Hinsch
4 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



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