German Idioms to Use and "Go Native"

In these 2 FluentU posts there are a few repetitions. 
What happens when you re-read an idiom?
Do you overlook it, or do you recognize it as a significantly important idiom, and so work to internalize it first of all?

A.  20 Common German Idioms to Sound Like a Native

1. um den heißen Brei herumreden   (her-um-reden = to speak around)

Literally: to talk around the hot porridge
English equivalent: to beat around the bush

Da die Wahl bald ist, spricht der Politiker oft um den heißen Brei herum.
(Since the election is soon, the politician beats around the bush often.)

2. Da kannst du Gift drauf nehmen

Literally: You can take poison on that
English equivalent: You can bet your life on that

Eines Tages wird er berühmt sein. Da kannst du Gift drauf nehmen.
(One day he will be famous. You can bet your life on that.)

3. sich zum Affen machen

Literally: to make an ape (or monkey) of oneself
English equivalent: to make a fool of oneself

Hans wird die Arbeitsstelle nicht bekommen. Während des Interviews hat er sich zum Affen gemacht.
(Hans will not get the job. He made a fool of himself during the interview.)

4. zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen

Literally: kill two flies with one swat
English equivalent: to kill two birds with one stone

Da ich zwei Besorgungen im Standzentrum machen muss, kann ich zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen!
(Since I must run errands to run in the city center, I can kill two birds with one stone!)

5. eine Extrawurst verlangen

Literally: to ask for an extra sausage
English Equivalent: to ask for special treatment
Da er der Sohn des Chefs ist, verlangt er immer eine Extrawurst.
(Because he is the son of the boss, he always asks for special treatment.)

6. Himmel und Hölle in Bewegung setzen

Literally: put heaven and hell in motion
English equivalent: to move heaven and earth
Er wird Himmel und Hölle in Bewegung setzen um zwei Karten für das Konzert zu bekommen.
(He will move heaven and earth to get two tickets to the concert.)

7. Da steppt der Bär

Literally: The bear dances there
English Equivalent: It will be a good party
Ich gehe heute Abend zu Maria. Da steppt der Bär!
(I’m going to Maria’s tonight. It will be a good party!)
A close relative to the dancing bear is the burning air. It’s a similar phrase with an identical meaning:
Da brennt die Luft!

8. Tomaten auf den Augen haben

Literally: to have tomatoes on one’s eyes
English Equivalent: to be oblivious to what is going around you
Der Freund von Anna betrügt sie aber sie hat Tomaten auf den Augen.
(Anna’s boyfriend is cheating on her but she’s oblivious to what’s going on.)

9. den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen

Literally: to hit the nail on the head
English Equivalent: to hit the nail on the head

Du hast recht! Du hast den Nagel auf den Kopf getroffen.
(You are right! You’ve hit the nail on the head.)

10. Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof

Literally: I can only understand “train station.”
English equivalent: It’s all Greek to me.

Kannst du seinen Dialekt verstehen? Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof.
(Do you understand his dialect? It’s all Greek to me.)

11. weggehen wie warme Semmeln

Literally: to go like warm rolls
English equivalent: to go or sell like hot cakes

Die Kekse, die Stefan gebacken hat, gehen weg wie warme Semmeln.
(The cookies that Stefan baked are going like hot cakes.)

12. seinen Senf dazugeben   (dazu-geben = to give to"it")

Literally: to add their mustard
English equivalent: to put their two cents in

Peter spricht zu viel. Er muss immer seinen Senf dazugeben.
(Peter talks too much. He always has to put his two cents in.)

13. jdm. die Daumen drücken

Literally: to squeeze your thumbs for someone
English equivalent: to keep one’s fingers crossed for someone

Viel Glück! Ich drücke dir die Daumen!
(Good luck! I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you!)

14. etw. wie seine Westentasche kennen

Literally: to know something like one’s waistcoat pocket                  
English equivalent: to know it like the back of one’s hand.

In Berlin werde ich mich niemals verirren. Ich kenne es wie meine Westentasche.
(I will never get lost in Berlin. I know it like the back of my hand.)

15. Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben

Literally: Don’t praise the day before the evening.
English equivalent: Don’t count your chicks before they hatch.

Sag nicht, dass Argentinien die Weltmeisterschaft gewinnen wird. Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben!
(Don’t say that Argentina will win the World Cup. Don’t count your chicks before they hatch!)

16. jdm. ein Ohr abkauen

Literally: to chew someone’s ear off
English equivalent: to talk someone’s ear off

Dieses Kind kann nicht still sein. Es kaut mir ein Ohr ab.
(This child cannot be silent. He is talking my ear off.)

17. klar wie Kloßbrühe

Literally: clear as dumpling broth
English equivalent: crystal clear

Verstehst du mich? Ist es klar wie Kloßbrühe?
Do you understand me? Is it crystal clear?

18. dumm wie Bohnenstroh

Literally: as dumb as a bean straw
English equivalent: as thick as a brick

Er redet nur Quatsch. Er ist dumm wie Bohnenstroh.
(He talks only nonsense. He is as thick as a brick.)

19. die Kirche im Dorf lassen

Literally: to leave the church in the village
English equivalent: to not get carried away

Der Film war nur OK. Bitte lass die Kirche im Dorf.
(The film was only OK. Please don’t get carried away.)

20. Schwein haben

Literally: to have a pig
English equivalent: to have a stroke of luck

Obwohl er nicht für den Test gelernt hat, hat er den Test bestanden. Er hat Schwein gehabt!
(Although he didn’t study, he passed the test. He had a stroke of luck!)


This second group of idiom involve food (mostly), and illustrating them is more difficult.

B.  21 Delicious German Expressions to Give You Food for Thought

In Germany, the pig is pretty popular.
A symbol for various things, to get lucky is to “have pig” (Schwein haben),
but if your German skills are unter den Sau, “under the pig,” they’re not very good at all.
Hopefully, though, you won’t think your pig whistles (Ich glaube mein Schwein pfeift) because in that case you’ve just totally lost your mind.

Now, on to the best of the Wurst.

1. er glaubt er bekommt eine Extrawurst

Literally: He thinks he gets an extra sausage.

Does he think he’s special? Like he gets an extra sausage? We all know someone like this.

2. du armes Würstchen!

Literally: You poor little sausage.

You have a cold! Oh you poor little sausage. Let me make you some soup.
(Careful, as this one is also frequently used condescendingly, which I have to say seems extraordinarily appropriate.)

3. die beleidigte Wurst spielen

Literally: Acting the insulted sausage

Pay no mind to Sally over there. She’s just acting the insulted sausage: pouting, because she didn’t get her way.

4. sich die Wurst vom Brot nehmen lassen

Literally: To let someone take the sausage off your bread.

Stand up for yourself! Don’t let anyone take the sausage off your bread. You’re too good to be taken advantage of like that.

5. das ist mir Wurst

Literally: That is sausage to me.
I don’t care about that at all. Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a sausage.

6. sieht wie eine Presswurst aus

Literally: Looks like a stuffed sausage.
You might want to rethink the size of your clothing. You’re looking a bit like a stuffed sausage in that top. (Oh dear.)

7. es geht um die Wurst

Literally: It goes about the sausage.
Okay now, there are two minutes left in the game! It’s crunch time people! It’s all about the sausage!

8. Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei

Literally: Everything has an end, only the sausage has two (ends).

To end this sausage spree on an existential note: everything has an end—except for the sausage—only the sausage has two.


Okay. So sometimes (if you’re extra hungry, I guess) there are a few other food options in Germany besides the majestic Schweinefleisch. Alternative table-talk has predictably, like in English, flavored (haha, see what I did there?) all kinds of idiomatic expressions. Here are more food-related German expressions that aren’t about sausage.

9. um den heißen Brei herumreden

Literally: To talk around the hot soup/porridge.

He simply will not get to the point. He keeps talking around the hot porridge/ hot soup, or, as we say in English, beating around the bush. (“Beating around the bush” is a pretty strange English one, right?)

10. Jemandem Honig um den Mund schmieren

Literally: To smear honey around the mouth.

Before you ask Tim for that favor, make sure you give him lots of compliments—you know, smear honey around his mouth. (English equivalent: “to butter someone up.”)

11. Jemanden ausnehmen wie eine Weihnachtsgans

Literally: To gut someone like a Christmas goose.

If I get another passive aggressive email from Bob I swear I will tear him a new one. I will take him to the cleaners. I will gut him like a Christmas goose. (Whoa!)

12. Dreikäsehoch

Literally: Three-cheeses-high.

Little Clara is celebrating her fourth birthday today. She’s not but a wee little thing, barely three cheeses high! I don’t know what it is, but I just love this one. It literally refers to the height of three wheels of cheese stacked on top of each other.

13. Senf dazugeben

Literally: To add mustard.

Mary always offers her two cents on whatever we’re talking about—whether she’s asked for her opinion or not. She’s always adding her mustard to the conversation.

14. nicht mein Bier

Literally: Not my beer.

Someone’s spreading rumors? Well don’t look in my direction. That’s got nothing to do with me. That sort of thing is not my beer.

15. Tomaten auf den Augen

Literally: Tomatoes on the eyes.

Seriously! Are you blind!? Do you have tomatoes on your eyes!??

16. kleine Brötchen backen

Literally: Baking little rolls.

Our country is taking baby steps toward a brighter tomorrow. We’re baking little rolls.

17. Schokoladeseite zeigen

Literally: To show one’s chocolate side.

We want to present our best work to the client at the next meeting. We’ll show them our good side. Our chocolate side.

18. mit dem ist nicht gut Kirschen essen

Literally: Not good cherry eating.

Yeah…don’t bother inviting Tim tonight. He woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. With him is not good cherry eating. We might say in English that he’s not a man you want to mess with.

Now that I’ve got your stomach rumbling and the wheels in your brain turning, allow me wrap up this post with a couple of just plain wonderful German idioms that, I must admit, I use in translation in English from time to time—they’re just that good. (And yes, I sound pretty weird. I’m aware of that.)

19. Jemandem einen Korb geben

Literally: To give someone a basket.

When a boy is courting a girl (or, perhaps more realistically, he just asked her to join him for a Döner after they stumbled out of the techno club at 8 am) but she refuses his advances, she “gives him a basket.” The expression works thusly: “Did you hear what Dan said to Clara last night? Yeah, she wasn’t into it. She gave him a basket.”

Apparently, this wonderful idiom dates all the way back to the 14th century, when a lover hoping to get invited into a royal maiden’s chambers would literally have to be pulled up into her tower secretly in a basket. Should the noble maiden not really want the visitor to arrive, she might send down a very thin basket, or even a bottomless one—thus rendering the journey impossible. (This was before the age of simply not returning someone’s texts.)

Before properly researching this phrase I asked a German friend of mine what she thought it might mean. She replied, “ I dunno, maybe it’s like, ‘Yeah… I’d rather not, thanks, but…um…here’s a nice basket as a consolation prize?’ Everyone needs baskets.” I think I like that better.

20. du kannst mich mal!

Literally: You can me once!!

Okay, so technically this is more of an “elision” than an idiomatic expression. However, I enjoy the completely nonsensical English translation so much (You can me once!!) that I felt compelled to include it on this list. “You can me once” implies a few things—leaves a few words to the imagination—which I am not completely comfortable repeating here…but just imagine what you can do to someone who is most certainly upset with you. I’ll give you a hint: This is very similar to the English expression, “you can kiss my…” you get the point.

21. das Leben ist kein Ponyhof

Literally: Life is not a pony farm.

Ain’t that the truth! Life, my friends, is quite simply not a pony farm.

And, well, there you have it! Twenty-one German idioms for all sorts of situations to make you sound like a pro (if a slightly food-obsessed one).

Now go find a German language partner and practice! And while you’re at it, try explaining to them a few of the thousands of English idioms we take for granted every day. I suggest beginning with “to let the cat out of the bag,” “to be in a pickle” and “everything but the kitchen sink.”

23 Slang Words From FluentY

By mark Comments are closed

 

--Let me know if this post is helpful.  To be sure, it's edgy! I'm mighty tempted to edit that number to 20, but meanwhile, have kept all 23 from the original article. --rsb

23 German Slang Words Your Textbook Isn’t Teaching You

Think about all the English slang you use with friends on a daily basis.
How many of these slang words do you think show up in basic English textbooks?
Well, the German heard on the streets ain’t the stuffy language contained in your textbooks either.
Sure, learning the rules of word order, proper pronunciation and compound nouns will help you get a good grasp on German.

After you’ve been studying for a while, you’ll want to speak German in a cool, casual manner — like a native. 

When you feel that urge, it’s definitely time to ditch the books for a while and refocus your energy on authentic, modern-day German slang expressions.

The expressions listed here include words borrowed from other languages, silly derivative words, condensed phrases and even guttural sounds that simply don’t get textbook editor approval.

This slang is one step beyond the more tame slang expressions deemed appropriate for beginning language learners. What makes it so darn special? It’s the kind of slang that can be confusing when you’re just starting out since it often lacks the proper grammar, structure and pronunciation.

In combination with a solid basis in German, this slang can transform you from a nervous, tense foreigner into a fast-talking citizen of the world.

Common German Slang Your Textbook Isn’t Teaching You

No matter what stage of German language learning you’re at, it’ll be worth your time to look at these common German slang words. You’re bound to encounter them while traveling Germany, speaking with language exchange partners or navigating German etiquette and customs.

Ciao

Germans respect their southern neighbors so much that many have adopted their greeting in German.
Italians are actually the largest group of non-Germans in Germany after Turks, and there was even a relatively small group of Italian Gastarbeiter (guest workers) brought into the country in the 1950′s. Germans have loved going to Italy since the days of Goethe, so it’s only natural that such a cool, useful word got picked up by savvy Germans.

Servus!

A common greeting in the south, this one literally means “I am your servant” in Latin. You can use it to say either “hello” or “goodbye.” Just don’t be surprised when you hear someone utter a phrase akin to “Servus! Scheiße, noch ‘ne Bayer.” (Greetings! Oh no, another Bavarian…)

Grüß Gott!

Greet God! If you go to Catholic southern Germany, you’ll hear this expression all the time during formal occasions from supermarket cashiers, bus drivers and so on. Be careful about saying it yourself — you really shouldn’t say it in casual conversation unless the context is exactly right.
If you say it in any other part of Germany (aside from the south) you’ll get a very weird look. Surprisingly, when I asked Bavarians about it, they told me that it doesn’t even really have a religious connotation and were a little confused why I would think that it did.

Na?

One common way of greeting people is to say “Naaaa?” Which means “Well???” It’s not a question you have to answer.

Tschüß!

A friend who was visiting me from the States pointed out that when we say “Tschüß!” we raise the tone of our voices a full octave. I’m not the right person to explain what an octave is, but the word Tschüß can give your vocal range a bit of exercise every day. It means “goodbye,” whether it’s on the phone or in person, and it is said extremely often. Variants that I’ve heard include Tschü, tschü-tschü, tschüßchen, and tschüßi (the i is a common, cutesy diminutive used for all sorts of things).

Moin

In Hanseatic northern Germany (Bremen, Lübeck and Hamburg), the regional accent shortens the word Morgen into just moin, which means “morning” -- but can be said any time of day!  In the region of Friesenland, which is located in the German Federal State of Schleswig-Holstein on the Danish border, people will even go far as to say it twice — “moin moin!” I’ve heard it claimed by a tour guide on the resort island of Sylt that the double version is derived from the Frisian language and means “good winds,” but that really sounds like an urban legend to me. Another source claims that the double version comes from a Dutch word meaning “beautiful,” which makes more sense because the dialect Plattdeutsch, spoken in Niedersachsen, has many Dutch influences.

Mach’s Gut

One cool way to say goodbye is to say “Mach’s Gut.” In the East German accent I hear occasionally here in Berlin, that turns into “Mach’s Jut.” Either way, it translates literally to mean “make it good,” but it means something more akin to “have a good one.” [Here's a new-to-me suggestion I really like --rsb:  A clever response to this is to say “Mach’s besser.” (make it better)]

Bis nächstes Mal

This one means “until next time!” and is another common way to say goodbye without having to resort to the textbook staple: ”Auf Wiedersehen!”

Na ja….

This short and sweet phrase rings with indecision.

Magst du Florian?

Na ja… ‘Mögen’ wäre vielleicht ein bisschen viel… Ich habe nicht wirklich etwas gegen ihn, aber… (Do you like Florian? Well…”like” is a bit much… I don’t really have anything against him, but…)

Nö / Nee

Rather than actually saying “nein,” (no) in conversation you’ll hear nö said much more often.  
[Hearing this word is like fingernails on a chalkboard to an Austrian though, where they say “jo” and “na” instead of “ja” and “nö,” respectively.]

Jaaa-haaaa! Neeeiiii-heiiiin!

It sounds a little childish, but if you’re being skeptical a German might emphasize that they’re not exaggerating by stretching out the word “ja” and putting an “h” in the middle of it. It’s something that kids will say to each other if they’re having an argument, and it always sounds a little childish.
You can extend the vowel in any word for emphasis by adding an “h,” actually.            
Bist du wirklich sicher, dass du die Hauslichter ausgeschaltet hast?            
Jaaaa-haaaa! Bin doch nicht duuu-huuum!
(Are you really sure that you turned off the lights in the house? Yeeeee–hessss!!! I’m not stuuuu–piddddd!)

Geil

Geil is a difficult word for German learners to use because it means “horny,” “good-looking” and “cool” at the same time. If you say “leider geil,” (unfortunately geil), it refers to the song by that name by a band named Deichkind.  
 [It's about things that are awesome but also have negative side affects, so it won't be included in this blog.  --rsb]

Friedrich Liechtenstein, a famous German actor and singer, made the viral video Super Geil. This was so popular that he was asked to make a sequel by the German supermarket chain EDEKA, which I think is actually even funnier than the original. 
[This is the song our Brown U German Club friends had such a blast coreographing at their Oktoberfest last year.--rsb]

Want to learn German with fun videos?
Try German immersion online with FluentU!

Hä?

Germans have a lot of hand expressions to indicate that they think someone is stupid or crazy. One of them is waving their hand in front of your eyes, as if they’re checking if you’re still alive by seeing if your eyes are responding to light.
Another is one vigorous thrust with the index finger into the forehead. These expressions are often accompanied by the sound “Häää?” which means “WTF.”

Auf Jeden Fall

You hear this one a lot – it means “in every case” or “in no case,” and it’s just a common way of saying “for sure!”

You can also say “auf keinen Fall” to mean definitely not.

 

theoretisch schon — im Prinzip — im Endeffekt

These three phrases respectively translate to: theoretically, yes — in principal — the end result being.
One of the reasons why Germany has earned its reputation as the land of “poets and thinkers” (Dichter und Denker) is because of their willingness to use this kind of formal-sounding academic language in everyday speech.

Das Leben ist kein Ponyhof

This is a very common expression in German that means “life isn’t a place for riding ponies.” It means that you shouldn’t expect things to go easily for you. Typical German.

Nur ein Schwein trinkt allein

One of the things that Germany is known for is its apparent lack of restraint — no speed limits on the highways, no laws against drinking in public and very low drinking ages. However, in spite of all that, the Germans don’t have many problems with alcohol and often marvel at the difficulties of what they call the “Anglo-Saxon relationship to alcohol.” This expression, “only a pig drinks alone,” is an example of why Germany does not have a problematic relationship with alcohol.

Krass

Krass! means the same thing as the English word “crass,” but it in German its meaning has been broadened and the word can be used to describe almost anything, usually — but not necessarily — in a positive way. “Krasse Musik!” “Krasses Essen!”

Der Rubel muss rollen

Probably an expression that comes from the east of Germany since it’s referring to the Soviet currency. The expression “the rubel has to roll” means that money needs to be in fluctuation, whether it’s you getting paid from your job or another income source.
Machst du eigentlich Nachtschichten fürs ganze Wochenende?                        
Der Rubel muss rollen!
(Are you really going to work night shifts for the whole weekend? The rubel has to roll!)

auf den Sankt Nimmerleinstag

Even heard of Saint Nimmerlein’s day? Saint Nimmerlein is a fictional saint, and you can say that something will happen on his holiday if it seems like it’s never going to happen.
Nimmer is an uncommon word meaning “never” and lein is a diminutive that makes the noun that it’s added to seem small or cute. One example of when to employ this phrase would be while discussing the opening of Berlin’s new BER airport, which has now been delayed by several years since it was initially planned to open.

Polnischer Abgang

Sometimes, when you want to go home on the last subway train, your friends will tell you “noo!!! Don’t go!!! Stay here!!!” and then you’ll wind up saying “ugh, fine” and spending the entire night being tired and unhappy because you’ll have to stay out another four hours before the first train in the morning. One way to push past this situation is to make a “Polish exit,” meaning to leave without saying goodbye. Which brings me to my next word:

Assi

Assi is a contraction of the word Asozial, meaning “asocial.” This is a word used to describe someone who is rude or annoying and doesn’t take into account the effects of their actions on other people.
Servus, ihr krassen Assis!

Remember, this is only a small (and fairly personal) sample of interesting German expressions. I’m sure that you’ll be able to add plenty more to this list as you continue on your way to learning perfect German.