Learn Hardcore German: Manchmal übersetzen die Untertitel etwas Lustiges falsch, was mich trotzdem zum Lachen bringt. - Sometimes the subtitles translate something funny incorrectly, which still makes me laugh.

Manchmal übersetzen die Untertitel etwas Lustiges falsch, was mich trotzdem zum Lachen bringt.

Sometimes the subtitles translate something funny incorrectly, which still makes me laugh.

Breakdown of Manchmal übersetzen die Untertitel etwas Lustiges falsch, was mich trotzdem zum Lachen bringt.

to make someone laugh

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Questions & Answers about Manchmal übersetzen die Untertitel etwas Lustiges falsch, was mich trotzdem zum Lachen bringt.

Why does the sentence start with Manchmal and then put übersetzen in second position?

In German main clauses, the finite verb must be in second position (the V2 rule). Only one chunk of information can come before the verb.

Structure here:

Manchmal = first position (a time/frequency adverbial)
übersetzen = verb in second position
die Untertitel etwas Lustiges falsch = the rest of the clause

You could also say:

Die Untertitel übersetzen manchmal etwas Lustiges falsch.
Die Untertitel übersetzen etwas Lustiges manchmal falsch.

All are correct, as long as the verb (übersetzen) stays in second position in a main clause.

Why is it die Untertitel and not something like der Untertitel?

Untertitel is a masculine noun in the singular:

Singular: der Untertitel (one subtitle / one subtitle track)
Plural: die Untertitel (subtitles)

In the sentence, we are talking about subtitles in general, so it’s plural:

die Untertitel = the subtitles (nominative plural, subject of the sentence)

Remember: die is used for all plural nouns in the nominative (and accusative), no matter what their singular gender is.

What exactly is going on with etwas Lustiges? Why not just etwas lustig?

Etwas Lustiges literally means “something funny”.

Grammar details:

etwas = something (an indefinite pronoun)
lustig = funny (an adjective)
Lustiges = the adjective lustig turned into a noun (nominalized)

After etwas, nichts, viel, wenig, etc., German often uses:

etwas Lustiges, nichts Interessantes, viel Neues, etc.

Why -es?

It behaves like a neuter singular noun, so you get the neuter ending -es:
- etwas Lustiges = something funny (accusative neuter singular)

Capitalization:

When an adjective is used as a noun (like Lustiges, Gutes, Neues), it’s capitalized in German.

You could say etwas lustig, but that would usually be taken as “translate something a bit funny/strangely” (using lustig as an adverb-like adjective), which is not the intended meaning here.
Etwas Lustiges = some funny thing / something funny (as a noun).

Why is falsch at the end of the first clause? Could it be falsch übersetzen instead?

The first clause is:

Manchmal übersetzen die Untertitel etwas Lustiges falsch.

Word order options:

… etwas Lustiges falsch übersetzen.
… etwas Lustiges falsch.

Both are possible, but:

In spoken German, adverbs like falsch, gern, oft etc. very often come near the end, after the object:
- … etwas Lustiges falsch.
If you expand the verb phrase, you often see falsch close to the verb:
- … etwas Lustiges falsch übersetzen.

Here, using falsch just before the comma is perfectly normal.
You could say:

Manchmal übersetzen die Untertitel etwas Lustiges falsch.
Manchmal übersetzen die Untertitel etwas Lustiges falsch ins Deutsche.

But *Manchmal falsch übersetzen die Untertitel … sounds very marked and unnatural; the verb must still be in second position, and adverbs like falsch don’t usually go in that preverbal slot.

Why is there a comma before was?

German requires a comma before every subordinate clause, including relative clauses.

…, was mich trotzdem zum Lachen bringt.

Here, was mich trotzdem zum Lachen bringt is a relative clause, so you must put a comma before was.

In English, it’s like the comma before which in:

…, which still makes me laugh.

Why does the sentence use was instead of das or die Sache, and what does was refer to?

In the second part:

…, was mich trotzdem zum Lachen bringt.

Was is a relative pronoun here. It can refer to:

The indefinite pronoun phrase etwas Lustiges, or
The whole idea that the subtitles translate something funny incorrectly.

Important rule: after etwas, nichts, alles, viel, wenig, and after superlatives, German often uses was as the relative pronoun:

etwas, was …
nichts, was …
alles, was …
das Beste, was …

So:

etwas Lustiges, was mich trotzdem zum Lachen bringt

is a very natural pattern.

In many contexts, etwas Lustiges, das mich … bringt is also grammatically possible, but was is especially common and idiomatic after etwas.

Why is the verb bringt at the end of the clause was mich trotzdem zum Lachen bringt?

Was mich trotzdem zum Lachen bringt is a subordinate clause (relative clause).

In subordinate clauses introduced by:

dass, weil, wenn, obwohl, was, der/die/das (as relative pronouns), etc.

the finite verb normally goes to the end of the clause.

Word order:

was = subject
mich = object (accusative)
trotzdem = adverb
zum Lachen = prepositional phrase
bringt = finite verb at the end

So:

…, was mich trotzdem zum Lachen bringt.

This verb‑final order is one of the clearest markers that you’re in a subordinate clause in German.

Why is it mich and not mir in was mich trotzdem zum Lachen bringt?

Mich is the accusative form of ich.
Mir is the dative form.

The verb phrase here is:

jemanden zum Lachen bringen = to make someone laugh

This verb pattern takes a direct object in the accusative:

jemanden = someone (accusative)
mich = me (accusative)

Examples:

Das bringt mich zum Lachen. – That makes me laugh.
Er bringt uns zum Lachen. – He makes us laugh.

If it used mir, it would sound like a different structure (for example with a dative of benefit), and it would be unidiomatic with zum Lachen bringen.
So mich is required here.

What does trotzdem mean exactly here, and where can it go in the sentence?

Trotzdem means something like “nevertheless / in spite of that / still”.

In context:

The subtitles translate something funny incorrectly,
Nevertheless (even though they’re wrong), it makes me laugh.

So:

was mich trotzdem zum Lachen bringt
= which still / nevertheless makes me laugh.

Position:

Adverbs like trotzdem are quite flexible in German subordinate clauses:

… was mich trotzdem zum Lachen bringt.
… was mich zum Lachen bringt, trotzdem – possible in spoken language but stylistically odd here.
In a main clause you might say:
- Trotzdem bringt es mich zum Lachen.
- Es bringt mich trotzdem zum Lachen.

In the given sentence, mich trotzdem zum Lachen bringt is the most natural, neutral word order.

What is the structure and meaning of zum Lachen? Why zum and why is Lachen capitalized?

Zum Lachen comes from zu dem Lachen:

zu = to
dem = dative form of der/das
zu + dem → zum

Lachen here is not a verb; it is a noun derived from the verb lachen:

das Lachen = laughter

So:

jemanden zum Lachen bringen
literally: to bring someone to the laughter
natural English: to make someone laugh

Capitalization:

All nouns are capitalized in German.
Verbs can be turned into nouns (nominalized), for example:
- das Lachen, das Essen, das Lesen.

That’s why Lachen is capitalized.

Could you say … was mich trotzdem lachen lässt instead of … was mich trotzdem zum Lachen bringt? Is there a difference?

Yes, you could say:

Manchmal übersetzen die Untertitel etwas Lustiges falsch, was mich trotzdem lachen lässt.

This is grammatically fine and means essentially the same: “which still lets/makes me laugh.”

Nuance:

jemanden zum Lachen bringen = very common idiom, neutral and very natural.
jemanden lachen lassen = also correct, but a bit less idiomatic in this exact pattern; it can feel slightly more literal or stylistically different.

Both forms are understandable and acceptable, but mich zum Lachen bringt is the more standard idiomatic expression.

Why is Lachen capitalized while lustiges in etwas Lustiges is also capitalized? Are these the same kind of thing?

Both are examples of nominalization, but from different sources:

Lachen
- Comes from the verb lachen.
- As a noun: das Lachen (laughter).
- All nouns are capitalized in German.
Lustiges in etwas Lustiges
- Comes from the adjective lustig.
- The adjective is used as a noun (something funny → a funny thing).
- Nominalized adjectives are also capitalized:
  - etwas Neues, nichts Wichtiges, alles Gute.

So both are capitalized because they are functioning as nouns, though one comes from a verb and the other from an adjective.

Can Manchmal be moved to another position, like Die Untertitel übersetzen manchmal …? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, Manchmal (sometimes) is flexible in position in the main clause, as long as the finite verb stays second.

Possible versions:

Manchmal übersetzen die Untertitel etwas Lustiges falsch, …
Die Untertitel übersetzen manchmal etwas Lustiges falsch, …
Die Untertitel übersetzen etwas Lustiges manchmal falsch, …

All are grammatically correct and mean the same in content: This happens sometimes, without specifying when.

Differences are very subtle and mostly about rhythm and emphasis:

Putting Manchmal at the very start (1) makes “sometimes” feel like the framing context.
Putting manchmal after the verb (2) is also very common and neutral.
Version (3) sounds slightly more like you’re focusing on the action of translating something funny and then adding that this happens sometimes.

For everyday purposes, there is no real change in meaning; all three are fine.

Why is it Manchmal übersetzen die Untertitel … and not Manchmal die Untertitel übersetzen …?

Because of the verb‑second rule in German main clauses:

Exactly one element (subject, adverb, object, etc.) can go before the finite verb.
The finite verb must then be in second position.

In the sentence:

Manchmal = element 1
übersetzen = finite verb in position 2
die Untertitel … = everything that follows

If you said:

*Manchmal die Untertitel übersetzen …

you would have two elements before the verb (Manchmal and die Untertitel), which breaks the V2 rule, so it’s ungrammatical as a main clause.