Wie Schade! - Lesson 2.1

In lesson 2.1 - Die Touristeninformation Nik says: "Och nee. Wie schade!" and this is translated into English as: "Oh no, what a shame!" First of all, to me, it doesn´t sound logical to say "What a shame" in this case. When my husband heard the conversation he said that "Wie schade!" means "What a pity" and this seems more logical to me. I looked in a dictionary online under *__dict.leo.org __*and the exact translation for "Wie schade" is "What a bummer!" while, if you ask to be given in French it is: "Quel dommage!" which is "What a pity!". The word "shame" is given instead with an "n" added in - "scha__*n*__de". So, what is the meaning finally of the expression "Wie Schade!" Paulina

Hi Paulina, "die Schande" means "disgrace", for example: "Es ist eine Schande wieviel Müll entsteht" - "It is a disgrace how much rubbish gets produced". "schade" means "shame" or "pity". Often it is not possible to translate word for word, as different words in different languages have a different connotation. In the case of lesson 2.1 I think the closes translation is "What a shame", but "What a pity" is just as fine. It depends whether you are more likely to use "pity" or "shame" in your daily life and what feels more natural for you to say in a situation like this. "Wie schade" simply expresses that Nik is sad that the museum is closed. I hope that helps.