Where to be born in 2013 vs. 1988

[Eddie Teach]

Seriously, the Ukraine is the worst place to be born? 

Yes.


Canada, Sweden and Norway are only great places to be born if you assume global warming's gonna raise their temperatures by 30-40 degrees in the next decade.

[crazy canuck]

Seriously, the Ukraine is the worst place to be born? 

Yes.


Canada, Sweden and Norway are only great places to be born if you assume global warming's gonna raise their temperatures by 30-40 degrees in the next decade.

More evidence of the failure of your high school educational system.

[Camerus]

Seriously, the Ukraine is the worst place to be born? 

Yes.

I knew a Ukrainian-Canadian girl in university who got all shitty on me once when I used the definite article and called it "the Ukraine." 

[Ideologue]

Maybe she should have come from a real country and not a geographic region.

[Eddie Teach]

More evidence of the failure of your high school educational system.

Just multiply those numbers by 5/9, sheesh.

[DGuller]

Maybe she should have come from a real country and not a geographic region.

Ukraine has a proud, multi-decade history. 

[Syt]

In German, Ukraine is one of the countries that goes with the definitive article: die Ukraine (feminine). (Queue Simpsons joke: Die Ukraine, die!) There's a few countries like that in German: Die Türkei, der Kosovo, der Sudan, die USA, der Tschad, der Niger, der Kongo, der Irak, der Iran, , der Libanon, der Jemen . . . most go without it though.

[Razgovory]

Is "Die", feminine and "Der", masculine?

[Syt]

Yes. Although "die" also indicates plural ("die Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika"). "Der" seems to be used mostly for ex-colonies, where the name first designated a region and only later an independent country.

"Die" seems to be very rare. Maybe Zanza can think of more examples of countries using that article, besides Ukraine and Turkey.

[Ideologue]

Maybe she should have come from a real country and not a geographic region.

Ukraine has a proud, multi-decade history.

[Ideologue]

In German, Ukraine is one of the countries that goes with the definitive article: die Ukraine (feminine). (Queue Simpsons joke: Die Ukraine, die!) There's a few countries like that in German: Die Türkei, der Kosovo, der Sudan, die USA, der Tschad, der Niger, der Kongo, der Irak, der Iran, , der Libanon, der Jemen . . . most go without it though.

It's "the U.S." in English too.  The other ones are fucking posers.

[garbon]

Speaking of those born in the '80s.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/01/24/microsofts-child-of-the-90s-advert_n_2540199.html

[Razgovory]

I admit, I miss it.

[garbon]

I felt nostalgic watching that. I think I did all of those things except bowl cut and wallet chain.

[Zanza]

Yes. Although "die" also indicates plural ("die Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika"). "Der" seems to be used mostly for ex-colonies, where the name first designated a region and only later an independent country.

"Die" seems to be very rare. Maybe Zanza can think of more examples of countries using that article, besides Ukraine and Turkey.

Netherlands, Switzerland, Slovakia, Mongolia