to murmur / to play marbles
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to murmur
To speak quietly, indistinctly, and often in a monotonous tone, so that it is hard for others to understand.
Er saß in der Ecke und murmelte etwas Unverständliches in seinen Bart.
He sat in the corner and murmured something unintelligible into his beard.
to play marbles
To play the game with small glass balls, marbles.
Als Kinder haben wir stundenlang auf dem Schulhof gemurmelt.
As children, we played marbles for hours in the schoolyard.
to murmur
To produce the quiet, steady sound of flowing water, such as a stream.
Wir hörten den Bach leise durch den Wald murmeln.
We heard the stream murmuring softly through the forest.
The word 'murmeln' (to murmur) is onomatopoeic. The sound of the word itself recalls the quiet, indistinct, or flowing sound it describes.
Das Murmeln der Stimmen im Nebenraum war kaum zu hören.
The murmur of voices in the next room was barely audible.
The context, especially the subject of the sentence, makes the meaning clear. People murmur words, water, for example a stream, murmurs as a sound, and children 'murmeln' (play marbles) as a game.
Der Patient murmelte etwas im Schlaf.
The patient murmured something in his sleep.
When a person murmurs, this is often combined with adverbs or prepositional phrases that emphasize the indistinctness. Common expressions are 'vor sich hin murmeln' (to murmur to oneself) or 'etwas in seinen Bart murmeln' (to murmur something into one's beard).
Er war mit der Entscheidung nicht einverstanden und murmelte etwas vor sich hin.
He did not agree with the decision and murmured something to himself.
to whisper
Both words describe speaking very quietly. When you whisper, you mainly use your breath, whereas murmuring often sounds indistinct and monotonous. Use „flüstern“ when the quiet way of speaking is the main point, and „murmeln“ when the words are also difficult to understand.
Weil er sehr müde war, murmelte der Mann seine Antwort so undeutlich, dass niemand sie verstand.
Because he was very tired, the man mumbled his answer so indistinctly that no one understood it.
Damit die anderen Gäste nichts hörten, flüsterte Anna ihrem Bruder eine kurze Nachricht zu.
So the other guests would not hear, Anna whispered a short message to her brother.
