XPost: alt.usage.english, soc.culture.german
From: naddy@mips.inka.de

On 2024-04-07, Antonio Marques  wrote:

>>>>>> Es ist ein Schutz, wie eine Haut, bei Birken, Linden, Eichen.
>>>>>> Doch wenn man was bestimmtes isst, mag man's daran nicht leiden.
>>
> I didn't know about 'mag...leiden'.

"Leiden mögen", to use the citation form, is an idiomatic expression.
I don't think I actively use it.  But yes, it means "to like".  I
think today the same thing is mostly expressed with "leiden können"
or simple "mögen".

It's possible that "mögen" in the sense of 'to like' originated as
an ellipsis of "leiden mögen".  "Mögen" and more obviously the 1./3.
present singular "mag" is cognate with English "may" and a modal
verb.  Modal uses still exist, but the evolution into 'to like' is
remarkable.  The past subjunctive "möchte" is in the process of
splitting off into a separate verb as evidenced by a spurious
infinitive "möchten", which parallels the split of "may"/"might"
in English, which are historically present and past of one verb,
but increasingly treated as separate verbs.

(Contrary to English, German modal verbs have non-finite forms.)

--
Christian "naddy" Weisgerber                          naddy@mips.inka.de

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
 * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)