Ich weiß nicht, was er gerade treibt, aber er treibt es nicht mit ihr.

Sentence Discussions German
#1
English Translation

I don’t know what he’s doing now, but he’s not doing it with her.

The English translation for this sentence appears to have been changed to make it seem less vulgar.

The original translation on Tatoeba is “I don’t know what he’s doing now, but it’s not her” (i.e. the meaning being “he’s not having sex with her”).

Does this translation still work with the English having been changed to “but he’s not doing it with her”, or does es mit jemandem treiben always mean to have sex?

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Ich weiß nicht, was er gerade treibt, nichts mit ihr zumindest.
#2

Yes. Especially when “treiben” is used.

See also #4 at treiben - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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#3

Ah yes, and #9 on the German Wiktionary page for treiben.

They even provide a … errm … “helpful” picture about the ancient Greeks to clarify the meaning :rofl:.

Oh, I see now that on the Germany Wiktionary es mit jemandem treiben has its own entry.

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#4

Oh wow. I had checked the page, but I didn’t scroll down far enough the first time :joy:

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