10 Essential IDIOMS That GERMANS Just Cannot Live Without. Every German Learner Needs These!
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- Опубліковано 18 кві 2024
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One of the best things about learning any language are the idioms. The phrases which make seemingly no sense when you hear them for the first time. German has an abundance of these phrases and there are some which in my opinion cannot be circumvented. They are a necessity for any Germany and anyone wanting to learn the language.
I hope you like them as much as I do.
About me:
I am a self confessed Brit who ended up living in Germany of all places. After completing University in the UK I moved to China where I taught English for two years. I’ve learned a thing or two about cultural integration, language learning and everything else that goes with upping sticks and moving to a foreign country. I make videos about Germany, cultural differences and tend to pose a lot of questions. Join me on my exploration of life abroad.
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00:48 - Hold the phone
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05:08 - Sorry I'm not following...
05:53 - About last night
06:19 - The bees what
06:51 - What a mess
07:32 - The odd one out
08:40 - To mop the floor
09:06 - Das ist eine Apotheke
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Morning all😊. Where any of these Idioms new for you? Which is your favourite? If you’re thinking about brushing up on you language skills check out Lingoda
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Use discount code BRITINGERMANY to get 20€ off your deposit😊a happy Sunday
Edit: Thank you everyone for pointing out some errors which I made.
1. "über Deinen Schatten springen" is correct. I left off the "en" in deineEN which is not correct
2. einen Kater haben - has nothing to do with cats. It originates from the word Katarrh or in English catarrh. This is a condition which affects the nose and throat and leads to a build up of mucus.
3. "Die Kirche im Dorf lassen" is best translated as - to not get carried away with.
4. "Das Gelbe vom Eier sein" is used almost exclusively in the negative form.
Thanks a lot
Yes, I've never heard "Das ist eine Apotheke". As German I knew all the other idioms. But this one is new. Maybe it is more a regional thing?
Oh dear, I'm sorry I keep correcting your English, but the first word in this post should be "were", not "where".
😚😚es muss heissen 'das Gelbe vom Ei' - war sicher ein Tippfehler....
@@DontPanick - German here (Baden) - 'das ist eine Apotheke' didn't know this is possible a regional expression..... used particularly when one is in a shop where it is extremely expensive....
@@DontPanick what we say where I live is "das sind Apothekenpreise"'. 😉 I am in NRW.
"Ich habe einen Kater" comes from the medical word and illness "catarrh". By sound shifting and unknowing the real spelling it became "Kater".
correct. Cats have nothing to do with it. "Katarrh" transmogrified into "Kater"
Thank you 😀
That's right, the "Kater" is closely related to the "Muskelkater" (muscle strain) wich occurs when you overdid your training or didn't warm up properly. So the "Kater" comes from comparison with the "Muskelcatarrh" wich is quite a similar feeling except it's in your head.
@@david199086 I think that's not entirely true. Kattarh is a term for a cold or influenza if I'm not mistaken, which has pretty similar symptoms to a hangover. Hence the transition of the term from there. The muscle strain, I think, came later and also has less of a connection to what a hangover feels like.
@@BeOtterMyFriend I use to be a heavy drinker periodically. It is very rare, that my hangovers has something seeming to a influenza or a cold.
I hadn't heard "Das ist eine Apotheke"
I had heard and use myself the term "Apothekenpreis"
for items in stores.
that's a funny variation, Interesting that I haven't heard that on myself🤷♂️. German can be pretty regional 😉
Same in Austria.
@@kunsthooligan_vegan moin moin. Always fascinating to hear your view👍🏻 thanks Ulf
@@britingermany
My partner has a Cologne / Bonn accent and my sister-in-law can do a Frankfurt accent and it far better when they speak Hochdeutsch as it is closer to the Bielefeld accent.
I prefer to say "die nehmen Apotheker-Preise" . If you are talking about a special shop, where "normal" products are comparatively expensive (e.g. Bio-Märkte).
"Die Beine in den Bauch stehen" is a really good example of the German "Wechselpräpositionen", where "in" goes with Dativ in case of a place and with Akkusativ in case of a direction. So "in den (Akkusativ) Bauch stehen" really means standing with the result that the legs move into the belly = become shorter. In English it would be "standing your legs into the belly".
Sorry, couldn't hold my horses, I'm a German teacher..... 😉
Haha no thanks a lot Katharina. Always welcome feedback 👍🏻
Yep... Wechselpräpositionen are a small catastrophy, because as far as I am aware, there are very few cases in other languages (european) which have such grammar, if at all. I teach German as a foreign language and Wechselpräpositionen are one of those you have to teach very early on to get the concept of Akkusativ and Dativ through before you even explain concepts of different objects... 90% of students have a really hard time, because in a lot of languages there is aparantely no real difference between a place and the moevement there combined with changing of nounforms (and the articles of course).
Russian has some "Wechselpräpositionen":
For example:
в + Präpositiv / Akkusativ
на + Präpositiv / Akkusativ
за + Nominativ / Akkusativ / Instrumental (!!)
yes, actually the infinitive form of the idiom is " *sich* die Beine in den Bauch stehen", it is a reflexive expression, literally to stand oneself the (own) legs into the belly. So you can not say "ich habe die Beine in den Bauch gestanden", you always say "ich habe *mir* die Beine in den Bauch gestanden". Of course stehen (to stand) usually isn't a reflexive verb, it is only "reflexicised" (if one might create this verb) in this very idiom.
What I'm just becoming aware of...: If my legs wander into my stomach when I'm standing, i.e. become shorter, am I then automatically a liar? Because 'Lies have short legs!'! 😂
(And yes, I know the converse, that you don't get far with lies... 😉)
Still, it was worth it to me!
Was mir gerade bewußt wird ...: Wenn mein Beine durch Stehen in den Bauch wandern, also kürzer werden, bin ich dann automatisch ein Lügner? Weil "Lügen haben kurze Beine!"! 😂
(Und ja, ich kenne die Umkehrung, daß man mit Lügen nicht weit kommt ... 😉)
Dennoch, das war es mir wert!
Personal favourite of mine: "Jemandem ein Ohr abkauen", or literally "to chew someones ear off".
It's used to describe circumstances where one person talks to another and keeps going on an on about something without taking a hint that the other person really isn't actually interested in the topic or even listening.
Thank you. yes that is one which I hear now and then
I once used that and the other person didn't know it and for some reason thought I meant that literally. We were both confused. :D
In some parts of germany you also say: "eine Frikadelle an's Ohr reden" ~ "To talk a meatball onto someones ear" often used as a defense if someone doesn't stop talking as in: "Kannst du aufhören mir ne Frikadelle an's Ohr zu reden?"
@@britingermany Look up Hessie James by Badesalz for an example.
@@essmene YEAH BADESALZ FANCLUB Hier
"Du hast deine Hausaufgaben in 2 Minuten fertiggemacht ? Du willst mich wohl auf den Arm nehmen!"
You've finished your homework within 2 minutes ? You're trying to put me on the arm. You're taking me for a fool.
"Kraut und Rüben" are not two different plants but only the turnip and the leaves of the turnip, which is called Kraut in german. When you harvest the turnips manually you leave the leaves on the turnip and throw them on the trailer, where they lie higgledy-pickledy mixed together.
Oh really? Oops..higgledy piggledy is also a great one 🤣 where did you learn that? Or are you from the U.K.?
@@britingermany Google translate told me. I am german.
@@JakobFischer60 ahh yes Google is cleverer than us all
@@britingermany The saying may not come from turnip leaves, but as well use the meaning "cabbage". I think the latter is true.
Wobei man Kraut für alle Blätter der Rübengewächse sagt. Kraut wird aber auch benutzt für gehobelten Weisskohl wie in Sauerkraut oder Krautsalat. Gemeint ist es aber wohl so wie du beschreibst…
"Die Kirche im Dorf lassen" does, according to my experience after 55 years as german native speaker, mean not to migrate a discussion and transfer arguments or facts to topics or questions they simply don't fit.
So I would translate "Jetzt lass mal die Kirche im Dorf" as "don't exaggerate, stick to the topic, don't get carried away, don't overinterpret the arguments or the facts, back to the common thread and the proven facts of our discussion"
Thank you for sharing you experience and point of view. I appreciate it 😀
Exactly. "Hold your horses" is more pointed at the speaker and "Kirche im Dorf lassen" is pointed at the topic.
I would reflect this, as stick to current complexity, not adding another dimension of problems. Literally, don't start to consider the option to move the church to another place.
An alternative to "Auf dem Schlauch stehen" would be "Eine lange Leitung haben". It means that you need a huge bit longer to get it.
And when I'm just there, there is the idiom "Der Groschen ist gefallen." That is from the times, were Germany had D-Mark and Pfennige. A Groschen is a coin worth 10 Pfennig. That idiom means "Now I get it." And the reason, why the former idiom reminded me of that is, there is another idiom: "Der Groschen fiel pfennigweise." That also means, that you needed longer times to get it. The Groschen fell one Pfennig at a time.
Thank you. There a lot of history in those idioms. The D mark was already gone by the time got here but remember the discussions
@@britingermany
The idioms stuck around still after this.
I think Groschen may have been slang for 10 Pf, but the actual coin that was called a Groschen for real is (much?) older.
@@ChristianConrad
The term Groschen is really old. Yeah. But that "slang" is the thing, I learned. If it is slang or not, I don't know.
Before decimalisation, Groschen was 12 Pfennigs, comparable with the British shilling. After decimalisation, the 10 Pfennig coin would called Groschen and the 5 Pfennig "Sechser".
Die Kirche im Dorf lassen also means "don´t brag too much".
"Das ist eine Apotheke" is used to say that in this particular shop you´ll pay significantly inflated prices for the same products/brands compared to other shops.
Thank you 😀
Also the German equivalent to "Hold your horses" would be, "Immer langsam mit den jungen Pferden" (Keep it slow with young horses)
Where in Germany is the Apotheken one used? I've never heard it here in Bavaria.
Another Idiom that refers to bragging too much is „viel Aufhebens machen“.
It has it it’s origins in medieval tournaments. Knights would prepare themselves in tents while their weapons were on display outside to be admired by spectators. When the knights (the professional athletes of the time) stepped out of their tents they would do the „picking up“ (Aufhebens) of their weapons in front of a cheering crowd. This often involved a lot of flourishing and posing. This was then criticised as „zu viel Aufhebes“.
Maybe the "Apotheke" actually means a pharmacist's franchise, i.e. the government-issued privilege to run such a lucrative business? So that it would translate into "Sinekure/sinecure", or bonanza, licence to print money, or just free lunch?
Anyway, it reminds me of another idiom: "Ich habe schon Pferde kotzen sehen!", sometimes augmented by: "...und das gleich vor der Apotheke!", meaning "I've seen it all, nothing can shock me."
I noticed that people from the UK are exceptionally good in pronouncing German fluently. It seems like second nature and this guy's accent is really good. props!
Thanks a lot 😀I have been living here a while and try my hardest but still can't drop the English accent. I have done a few videos in German. Have a lovely Sunday
@@britingermany
The secret to dropping the English accent is to live in the right place! My office's very own Englishman has an accent, but it could fit in with the Friesians in northern Germany! Clearly this is a solution to the conundrum.
The Brits are descendants of the Anglo-Saxon tribe.
The languages have still some underlying connections after basically 2000 years
"ü"
I like the British accent (also the Dutch one) and am always happy to hear it. For me it's always sad when someone loses it entirely... 🤷♀️
I also like 'uber den eigenen Schatten springen' (to jump over ones own shadow) and I think the meaning of getting out of your comfort zone is not wrong. But it can also mean to face up to a reality that one finds hard to accept. Like the shadow that follows you can be a shadow of the past you sometimes need to jump over in order to move on, accept a fresh perspective. Which admittedly is like getting out of your comfort zone but on a very personal level.
yeah true that#s a good one
@@britingermany I always thought it was something along the lines of 'get over yourself' - that's how I'Ve understood it down in Bavaria at any rate. Good video!
@@rich9829 Ja, im Sinne von "sich selbst überwinden". Es gibt Dinge, in denen man nicht fähig ist, sich selbst zu überwinden, also kann man nicht "über seinen Schatten springen".
"Über seinen Schatten springen“ is not simply "leaving your comfort zone". It is used for challenging someone to do something that is actually hard for them though they know that it is the right thing to do. To choose a current example: If Harry would be asked to forgive William (or vice versa), he probably would say: "I know I should forgive him - but it is really hard for me "über meinen Schatten zu springen". 😬
I love the backside of Lucky Luke Bocks: The cowboy who shoots faster then his shadow.😃
I'd use: 'a leopard can't change his spots'
Oh yes that's a great one. haven't heard it in years 🐆
Thanks Sabine. We have something which is kind of the opposite which is to "be afraid of your own shadow"
For just leaving your comfort zone (or calling somebody lazy) i'd use "den (eigenen) Schweinehund überwinden".
For that matter, when applied to others, in my opinion "spring mal über deinen Schatten" also implies a certain amount of "get it over with".
A theory for the origin of"Die Kirche im Dorf lassen" is that during processions there where different altars build in the village. If the village was small the people would build altars outside of the village and making the village bigger than it is.
thank you 🙏
@@britingermany I learned that 'the church' f.e. romkath. was able to keep Pubs and 'un holy fun' out of the blessed area of a parish/village and that not all 'travellers' where allowed to get to the market so they traded on crossroads / campsites outside . When someone there started to demand moral things hey refered to: let the church in the village - we party ! (hobby historian - germany)
Eine weitere Theorie besagt, da in manchen gemeinden im Mittelalter Personengruppen wie z.b. Protestanten (in manchen Katholischen Gegenden) ihre Kirche nicht im Ort/Dorf bauen durften und somit ausgegrenzt wurden. Dieses ging soweit das Teilweise Herscher in ihren Teritorien sogar das verwenden von Metalnägel verboten haben z.B die Stabkirchen die nur durch Holzdübel halten sind ein Beispiel hierfür.
Yes it also means that you make something simple into something very complicated that is not really better, just more complicated. If you build the church not inside the community but somewhere outside of it and make it a nuisance to go there instead pf having it where the people live to make it as easy as possible.
I have yet another theory. From what I understand, "Kirche" doesn´t refer to church here, or at least not in a direct sense. It doesn´t refer to the building but to a procession, a long "train" of people that attended a church event like a wedding. A big, lavish wedding with a great number of guests all processing to church for that one event could end up being so long it would extend over the boundaries of the village. It was perceived as exaggerated to have such a vast gathering, so the saying came about with the meaning to "see to it the group of people attending your event isn´t disproportionately large for the size of the village", so rephrased it would be "don´t go overboard with what you´re doing/saying/claiming and dial it back to an appropriate scale." or simply "don´t exaggerate".
Very interesting! I don't use "...das Gelbe vom Ei" in a positive way - only "...das ist NICHT das Gelbe vom Ei". I don't remember anybody using this for positive things. Maybe it is a regional thing? I live in NRW. Thanks for comparing - I love to learn some English idioms that you don't learn at school 😉
Hi Tina thanks a lot. Have a great Monday 😀
I agree. Here in Upper Swabia I can't remember having heard or read this idiom in anything else but the negative wording. "Das ist aber nicht gerade das Gelbe vom Ei ..." (that's not exactly the yoke of the egg ...) indicating that something isn't exactly the best solution, the best example or the best way to do something. That doesn't mean that using it in the positive form wouldn't be understood. But it's quite unusual in my opinion.
never used in a positive way either
Actually, there is (or at least was) a Radio show around Easter in Lower Saxony (station is "FFN" I believe) which is called "Das Gelbe vom Ei". It's played for several days (hundreds of songs) and the songs are all wishes from the audience.
So at least there the idiom is actually used in a positive way! 🤣
@@taniaramirez1376 I live in lower saxony and besides that Radio show I can't remember hearing it in a positiv way
"Schuster, bleib bei deinen Leisten" ("cobbler stick to your last") meaning "stick in your social order", as well as "stick to
what you do best" in a more modern use. I like the change from a supressing idiom to a slightly empowering one, "Stick to yourself" .
Nice one👍🏻
The more correct form is "Schuster, bleib bei deinem Leisten". "Der Leisten" (singular) is a simplified wooden model of a foot, used by the cobbler to form shoes around. "Die Leisten" is plural of "die Leiste", which is a strip of wood, but not used by cobblers.
Außer der Sache mit der Apotheke wird alles auch in Österreich benutzt, auch Kraut und Rüben ist noch sehr gebräuchlich. Zu dem ersten Beispiel mit dem Belassen der Kirche im Dorf ist mir noch etwas Zweites eingefallen, nämlich "mit der Kirche ums Kreuz gehen", dh etwas viel umständlicher tun als eigentlich notwendig. Einfacher wäre es zweifelsohne mit dem Kreuz um die Kirche zu gehen.
vielen dank 😀
Mit der Kirche ums Kreuz gehen... Dafür sagt man hier im Norden auch gerne. Mach da keine Wissenschaft draus.
Interesting video, as always. Personally I have never heard the Apotheke-idiom in Northern Germany.
That is interesting. As I suspected it seems to be rather regional
@@britingermany The other idioms are quite common here, too, though.
Me neither but I have heard , Dafür geht man nicht in die Apotheke einkaufen.
hab schon Pferde vor der Apotheke kotzen sehen ✌️
@@Patrick-on2ty I only ever heard that one without the Apotheke-part either. Just: Ich hab schon Pferde kotzen sehen.
"Schublade" translates as drawer (not draw) or literally: "Push-loader".
But as an idiom it is used a a categorizing metaphor: "Jemanden in eine Schublade stecken" = 'To put someone in a drawer (category)'
yeah I guess that doesn't translate I was thinking in English. Thanks 🙏
To pigeonhole somebody
" Hast du schon Pferde vor einer Apotheke kotzen sehen ?" = Das ist unmöglich .
" Verstehe nur Bahnhof ." = Hab überhaupt nichts verstanden .
" Den Nagel auf den Kopf getroffen ." = Exakt
great examples 😀
Ich habe schon Pferde vor einer Apotheke kotzen sehen, People are to stupid to help themselves despite having the tools available.
@@vHindenburg : Horses can't throw up at all. They have a muscle in their gastrointestinal tract that is responsible for ensuring that food, once ingested, can only move in the direction of the intestines. This is not always practical, as vomiting often alleviates the suffering caused by improper or excessive food intake.Then you now understand this German sentence or statement/question!
@@nordwestbeiwest1899 I am a native German speaker and know horses cannot barf, the point is in the idiom they barf despite being in instant access to remedies.
@@vHindenburg das ist leider die falsche Aussage von jenem was es eigentlich heißen soll ! Da es unmöglich ist das Pferde kotzen können kann es auch eine Arznei daran nichts ändern !
I'd say "Die Beine in den Bauch stehen" should be translated as "standing the legs *into* the belly", rather than *in* the belly, that's one of the circumstances where german grammatical cases become important because they are used to differenciate between a location and a direction.
Thank you 😀
I should have read the comments first.... You explained it much clearer than I did.😁
Hallo, ein paar Anmerkungen noch von mir. Die Kirche im Dorf lassen = Jetzt bleib mal aufm Teppich. Nu mach mal halblang. Hey, geht’s noch? 😆
Am meisten liebe ich die vielfältigen Möglichkeiten, jemandem zu sagen, dass er nicht ganz richtig im Kopf ist! 🙃😉🤣
Kleine Korrektur: Über deinen/seinen Schatten springen.
Also das mit der Apotheke hab ich noch nie gehört ..... Ich sag in diesem Zusammenhang eher: „Also die nehmen’s ja auch von den Lebenden.“ LG!
Guten Abend. Danke für die Korrektur (Du bist erst der Zweiter 😉). have a lovely evening
“Håll dig på mattan” ( = „Halte dich auf dem Teppich“) exists in Swedish too, with the meaning ~ “Stay in your lane”, control yourself, don't make a ruckus.
Many people say in order to master the German language you should learn the German card game "Skat" (e.g. die Hosen runter lassen, noch etwas in der Hinterhand haben, Farbe bekennen) as well as read the book "Faust" by Goethe (das ist also des Pudels Kern, ein Buch mit 7 Siegeln). As you can see there are plenty of very important idioms and words rooting back to those.
oh wow skat means something very different in English 😱🤣. Do you think Goethe is still relevant in everyday German or more for literary academic pleasure?
@@britingermany Faust and Luther's Bible left a shitload of idioms in the German language, often quite unbeknownst to the person using them. So: yeah, you should read at least Faust I.
@@britingermany Faust as the book probably not. I think I read it at school a long time ago but don't remember much. But the general idea is known widely as are some of the phrases/idioms(?) it gave us (as written before). Maybe not with the young people anymore. And most (including me) don't know (for sure) the original usage of those idioms in the book.
It's not only Skat. I live in Austria where Skat is not a thing. There are other similar games played here. But these idioms are known here as well.
@@Baccatube79 sovieles im Deutschen stammt noch aus dem Mittelalter, auch das jiddisch nicht zu vergessen
Dreck am Stecken. Ohrfeigengesicht. Kohldampf haben. Ranzenpfeifen. Die Segel streichen. Die Hosen runter lassen.etc.
8:23 Who ever wants to understand the meaning of "Die Beine in den Bauch stehen" get a trainticket for a long ride with many stops and "short" waiting times at the trainstation till your followup train arrives. Do this once and you will exactly know what we mean with this little phrase.
I love how you explore and learn! You are the best example for somebody who hasn't been born in Germany to understand, how to integrate.
I have migrated from Germany to Australia and have been faced with all the issues. you talk about.
I have been here for 34 years, and I suppose I am part of it, but I can't get rid of my accent, which could be a good topic for a future show of yours.
You are welcome anywhere on earth, because you show respect for culture and curiosity, that is all that matters.
Thanks y lot Ralph. I appreciate the support. and regarding the accent I think after a while you grow to accept it.
Ich wuerde aber gerne dazugehoren ohne Fragen, aber Das wird Wohl nie passieren, denn jeder hat Einen aczent. Wenn Ich wirklich versuchen wuerde und erfolgreich waehre, Australisch zu sprechen , wuerde man Mich Fragen Aus welchem Bundesland Ich komme.Also eigentlich scheissegal. Jeder spricht wie ihm der Mund gewachsen ist.
"Sich die Beine in den Bauch stehen" is a reflexive expression (the "sich" mustn't go missing)!
Yes you're right I think I cut it out by mistake 😌
It basically translates to "To stand your legs into your stomach"
@@britingermany: Think making a little model man out of clay (or play-dough, etc) with matchsticks for legs. If you leave it standing around for long enough, it will sink down over the sticks; or, viewed the other way around, they'll go up into its belly. (If you don't want to wait around for weeks or months, simulate the effect by pressing on its head.) That's what the saying means, standing around for so long that your torso sinks down onto/around your legs.
@@britingermany Would the expression "forever and a day" equate, do you think?
@@conniebruckner8190 I suppose it is a similar meaning as in waiting a long time...also like waiting till the cows come home, but the imagery/connotations are very different
One of my fav. Austrian idioms is "Hau di über'd Heisa" (Hau dich über die Häuser) = throw yourself over the houses, meaning "get the f*** outta here" :D
Oh my! I would have mistaken that for killing yourself. I wonder where that came from🤔
In so much of a hurry you don't even take the time to go around any buildings that happen to be in the way, so you just go over the top of them instead? :-)
1:54 „die Daumen drücken“ is not exactly the same as „crossing fingers“ it doesn’t have the negative use of „negating a promise“ it just means to wish yourself or someone luck.
Daumen drÜcken… not drUcken, which would mean “print your thumb”. The difference between and is phonemically distinctive in Standard German.
Yes indeed. Thanks for the correction 👍🏻
In Dutch we also have the same expression 'einen Kater haben' 'een kater hebben'
I just always though 'kater' was a homonym that meant either a bob cat or a hangover and that the words didn't necessarily have anything to do with one another.
Like the object 'ball' and the social event 'ball'. ['Bal' in Dutch also has those two meanings.]
Or like a 'bank' that keeps your money or 'bank' at the side of a river [In Dutch 'bank' could mean the place that keeps your money, or a bench]
Bank and bench (both "Bank" in German) do have a connection. In the Middle Ages money deals (e.g. credits) were done on a wood bench (or table). In case the business went wrong the bench was broken as visual sign - hence "bank rupt".
Hello Laura nice to hear the Dutch perspective. Many people are commenting that Kate comes from Kataarh which is a condition where the sinuses are blocked so it would kind of make sense that oner the years the spelling and meaning got adapted..
@@henningbartels6245
Something new I learned today. Thank you!
@@britingermany
Thanks, I had never heard of Kataarh before.
I does sound/look similar enough to easily imagine it turned into Kater over time.
From the NHS website:
"Catarrh is a build-up of mucus in your nose and sinuses and phlegm in your throat. It usually clears up by itself but see a GP if it lasts longer than a few weeks. [...] Catarrh is your body's natural reaction to things like infection. The lining in your nose, sinuses and throat becomes swollen and creates more mucus than normal."
The symptoms after drinking a lot of alcohol can be similar (including the side effect of headaches), hence the German/Dutch words (Katarrh, morphed over time into the simpler and more well-known homophonous spelling "Kater") became synonymous with feeling the after-effects of being drunk the night (or mere hours) before.
Dear sir I've just started learning German!! This was fantastic! Thank you so much! You've made my day!
Awww thanks that is great to hear 🙏. I wish you the best of luck with it😀
During my childhood decades ago I sometimes heard the expression "Hier sieht's ja aus wie bei Hempels hinterm Sofa!", meaning that a place is a mess. Now I don't hear it anymore. Does anyone else remember/know it?
I certainly have never heard that
Well, I still use it. But I am 62.....
Yup, also familiar with it (but also 58). In that same vein, but less politically correct: „Hier sieht es ja aus wie in Russisch-Polen.“
"Das ist eine Apotheke" can also be used differently, like "Das kannst Du auch gleich in der Apotheke kaufen" (You could buy this straight from the pharmacy) if somerhing is overpriced. It reffers to a time, when earliest motorists like Bertha Benz had to buy their fuel (a benzine named Ligroin) at the pharmacy because it was used for cleaning and for wound treatment. It was sold in small bottles mostly less then one liter and it was wildly expensive. That is where the idiom originated.
Wow thanks a lot I had no idea👍🏻
An idiom that I often hear here in northern Germany is "Was der Bauer nicht kennt, das frisst er nicht" (What the farmer doesn't know, he doesn't eat). This means that someone is suspicious of something strange, prefers to keep his distance and remain true to his habits. This can refer to food as well as to foreign customs and cultures. It is also partly applied to simple-minded people who are not very open to foreign cultures and are sceptical of everything new.
ah yes that is a great one! hehe I might have to start using that one more often 😉
That one also exists in Bavaria, so I'm gonna lean myself out of the window (Ich lehne mich aus dem Fenster -- I'm gonna go out on a limb) a bit and guess it's used in all of Germany. There are Bauern all over Germany after all.
@@equolizer I know that idiom from Low German: "Wat de Buer nich kennt, dat frett he nich." But yes, there are "Bauern" everywhere.
I'd be quite surprised if that phrase wouldn't be known all over Germany. Also: "Der dümmste Bauer erntet immer die größten Kartoffeln." (literally: the dumbest farmer harvests the biggest potatoes always)
@@MichaelBurggraf-gm8vl Heard both Bauernidiomen in rural Westphalia. The "dickste Kartoffeln" idiom also has its science-babble version: "Negative correlation between the intelligence quotient in residents of rural rural communities with the average volume of solanum root plant fruits produced by said residents".
I've got s few more suggestions, such as "den Löffel abgeben" = handing in the spoon for dying, "nicht alle Tassen Schrank haben" ( not having all the cups in the cupboard ) for being off your head, "das Blaue vom Himmel versprechen" ( promising the blue of the sky ) which means making great and unfulfillable promises, "weder Fleisch noch Fisch sein" ( works the same in Spanish ) - being neither meat nor fish for being so much in between two options that you aren't definable or trustworthy, " einen vom Pferd erzählen" telling somebody of his horse meaning basically making up ( unbelievable ) fake stories. These are just a few.
Thanks Hanno. There are so many 😀
Hanno, I really liked "Den Loeffel abgeben." In English you might hear, Buy the farm, Cashed in his chips, Kick the bucket, Take a dirt nap, etc, etc.
@@douglasleavy5147 well you just have to listen to Monty Python's dead parrot sketch and you get a load of idioms for "den Löffel abgeben"
@@theowaigel8588 a classic! That had not occurred to me! I must go rewatch that!
I really like "Stehen auf dem Schlauch" (Standing on the hose). I use it so often because it's so literal.
I teach volunteer emergency medical technicians for disaster relief and event security. They have a relatively short training time but bear great responsibility. Obviously, one core element of the training is CPR. And while CPR is really easy for people providing first aid (just recognize someone is unconscious and not breathing normally, start pushing down on their center of chest twice a second, hard and fast, and obviously call an ambulance to receive further instructions; if an AED is present, use it, these defibrillators talk to you and give you very easy instructions), CPR is very hard for our volunteer medics, because they just have so many things to juggle. Other than giving chest compressions and using a defibrillator, they also have to call in appropriate reinforcements and manage their arrival, be ready to use their suctioning pump to clear vomit out of the airway whenever necessary, use a (rather hard to seal) ventilation bag connected to an oxygen bottle to give ventilations, and later secure the airway and reduce the risk of vomit aspiration by inserting a laryngeal airway tube, which requires juggling a variety of tools and has balloons that have to be inflated JUST RIGHT to provide good seal without damaging the patient. They're also expected to be able to prepare (although not administer) emergency medications like adrenaline and amiodarone, as well as an IV (preparation only, they're not allowed to insert it). All the while, they must remain calm and collected. They have one or two days of training for their CPR skills before their CPR. You can't imagine the amount of hoses you can literally stand on. Why is oxygen not reaching the patient? Are you standing on the oxygen line? Why couldn't you reach the suction pump faster? Were you kneeling on the suction catheter? Why isn't the iv running properly? Well, are you standing on the hose? So many opportunities to stand on hoses in real life. It's a great picture to draw to clear up stress in these situations: If you feel like things simply aren't working properly and you don't know why, if you have a feeling of being mentally disconnected from the procedures or too stressed to think straight, if you feel stupid for not understanding why things aren't going according to plan during your CPR exam... Well, maybe you're simply standing on the hose. Take a literal step back and reassess the situation and suddenly you won't feel stupid anymore.
... No idea why I wanted to say this, but I really like that idiom.
always nice to watch your vids its a strange mix between fun and relaxation
greetings from bavaria
Thanks a lot and Greeting to the south😀
Kater haben the everyday slang version of katarrh - not feeling very well, but ill. Came in use through fraternities / Burschenschaften using it with an 😉.
Über den Tisch ziehen same like jemanden über das Ohr hauen.
Also similar: "Jemandem einen Bären aufbinden" , "Jemanden verschaukeln" or "Jemanden veräppeln". All meaning to lie to and/or trick someone.
A lot of typical German idioms have their origin in boxing, for instance
"in den Ring steigen" (enter the boxing ring -- face a fight/conflict),
"das Handtuch werfen" (throw in the towel -- give up / give in / back down),
"hart im Nehmen sein" (being tough in taking hits -- being resilient),
"angezählt sein" (being counted -- being weak after taking some heavy blow from an opponent (also metaphorically))
"unter die Gürtellinie gehen / unter der Gürtellinie sein" (go / be below the belt line -- behaving unfair and despicable)
"über alle 12 Runden gehen" (go for all 12 rounds -- fight to the very bitter end),
"K.O. gehen" (be knocked out -- literally and figuratively)
"mit harten Bandagen kämpfen" (fight with hard bandages -- attack recklessly and ruthlessly)
Interesting! I never really associated Germany with boxing much
Ist mir auch grad wie Schuppen von den Augen gefallen, und ich in Muttersprachler :D
I want to express my appreciation from the US. Your range of subjects from popular culture to alternative culture shows an open mind like rarely encountered. I do have a slight problem with a UA-cam addiction, but I feel like your site offers me a genuine value in knowledge gained and a stronger spirit. I look forward to a long association with your site.
Thanks so much Jeff! That means a lot 😀👍🏻but keep that addiction in check 😉
"Über seinen Schatten springen" wird aber auch benutzt um zu sagen, dass man zu viel von jemandem verlangt. Dann meint man, dass derjenige das ja nicht können kann, da er ja nicht über seinen Schatten springen könne.
The "Kater" in "einen Kater haben" oder auch in "Muskelkater" comes from the word "Katarrh", which is a state of malady.
And "Die Beine in den Bauch stehen": When I was at the bus stop the other day, I overheard a school kid (~7yo) tell his friend "Wir stehen uns hier schon so lange die Beine in den Bauch, sie kommen mir fast schon zu den Schultern wieder raus!"
Thanks. ahh yes now that you mention Muskelkater that makes even more sense
Ich kaufe doch nicht die Katze im Sack. Dann hätte ich nicht mehr alle Tassen im Schrank ☺️
Nice. Hello Yan happy Monday 😀
I'd have to be crazy to buy a pig in a poke.
Love your explanations. 🙂
Thank you. Glad you like them!
@@britingermany I do. Although I could always add some details or variations. The thing is that the understandings of all those idioms differ from region to region and from person to person. A friend smiled at me the other day when I used the expression: "Aber lassen wir mal die Kirche im Dorf." He said, I'm old-fashioned. Am I?
@@HardyMUC haha maybe…I’m not around the Z-er’s much. I’m sure they have a whole array of alternative sayings
wirklich sehr gut erklärt!
Danke schön
You might have fun reading "Wie Berenike auf die Vernissage kam" by a certain Klaus Bartels. He explains quite pleasantly the history behind German words and phrases.
Thanks you. I'll look into that 😀
"Das ist eine Apotheke" is a place where you leave an unnecessary lot of money. "Geh nicht zum Schraubensepp, das ist eine Apotheke. Im Baumarkt bekommst Du dasselbe für die Hälfte." - So you're not referring to the items but to the vendor.
Exactly
*Talk One's Head Off* was a booklet of idioms comparing English versions with their nearest German counterparts I got almost 40yrs ago. it helped enormously back then. maybe there are more comprehensive collections out there today
6:50 'kraut und rueben' could be translated as _it's all haywire_
8:37 'jemanden ueber den tisch ziehen' - think _to sell someone a pup_
Cool thanks for the tip 👍🏻
"Das ist eine Apotheke!" habe ich in der Form noch nicht gehört. Dürfte regional geprägt sein. "Das sind Apothekerpreise!" kenne ich schon.
Bei „über deinen Schatten springen“ ist das „deinen“ falsch dekliniert. Das mit der Apotheke kenne ich in Schleswig-Holstein nicht. Aber das will ich mal nicht „auf die Goldwaage legen“. „Man hat schon Pferde kotzen sehen (sogar mittags um zwölf vor der Apotheke)“ ist mir dagegen sehr vertraut. Ach ja, und die Kirche ist keine Kirsche, aber „da wollen wir mal fünfe gerade sein lassen“, ich bin ja nicht „pingeliger als der Papst“!
Wenn es in der Wohnung aussieht wie Kraut und Rüben, sieht es aus „wie bei Hempels unterm Sofa“.
danke. Ja das habe ich leider Übersehen mit dem Schatten. danke für deine Beispiele. Sehr interessant 😀
The "Kater" was originally "Katzenjammer" - the cat's wailing. Imho a very figurative expression for describing the feeling of a hangover...
It presumably became a "Kater" in the 19th century in Leipzig students' circles, and there is also a story about a beer from the town of Stade called "Kater", which "grates the man who drunk too much of it in the head at the morning" (a very rough translation from a saying in 1575).
Thank you. That males a lot of sense👍🏻
And "Kater" was originaly "Katharrh" (sounds a little bit the same) - a cold and when you have a cold you have the same symphroms.
Idioms with animals: Die Pferde sind (mir,dir,ihm,ihr) durchgegangen. Da liegt der Hase im Pfeffer. Da beißt keine Maus den Faden ab. (to lose control, that s the core of the problem, there s no other way to do it). Der Duden Nr. 11 (Zitate und Redewendungen) is a treasure trove for all this. Thanks to you I rediscover the gems of the German language.
9:30 I know it as "Apothekenpreise", because so many items that can be sold in drugstores, are pretty expensive in chemist's stores.
Very entertaining video - appreciation!!! Native Swedish speaker here - I remember that I was astonished by the German way to "press Thumbs" within their palms. We in Sweden have continued the habit of the Vestal Virgins in Rome who made their verdict clear by turning their thumbs upwards or downwards. So we wish people luck by turning a thumb up in appreciation of their effort and in the belief and hope someone will succeed, and we say "hold Thumbs" - jag håller tummarna (and you need not add the preposition up (upp).
Thank you 😀. I am currently watching a Netflix documentary about Spotify...it's originally filmed in Swedish...counldn't understand a word but it's nice to see something from that part of the world I don't know much about it..other than the music of course Sweden is the master of music 😉
Häh? Vad pratar du om?!?
“Att hålla tummarna” means to hold your thumb within your other fingers (against your palm), just like in German; it has nothing to do with “(att göra) tummen upp”.
@@ChristianConrad Ojsan - har jag aldrig märkt! Tack för klargörandet!
@@britingermany Isn't Spotify invented by a Swedish guy? And what about subtitles?
Thumbs up or down is well known in Germany too (parts of the south have been roman provinces hence the Limes - Germany's version of Hadrian's wall). It means approval or disapproval. When you press your thumb for someone doing something you wish for him to be successful with his effort. A different way of saying good luck/success.
really cleared some fog, many thanks!
Thanks Christian. Here’s to more clarity and less fog 😉
fingers crossed... red, white, and blue!!
It is suspected that the word Kater for hangover is kind of a cacography of the term Katarrh (catarrh in English). Nowadays the term Katarrh does refer to a mucositis specifically but back in the day it referred to a cold or discomfort in general.
Thanks a lot...funny how foreigners (including me) always think of the Tom Cat
@@britingermany Honestly, a lot of Germans do think that as well. :)
I suppose that is probably the origin of Muskelkater as well.
@@britingermany Same with the German "Ich glaub ich Spinne" where Spinne is translated to spider. But it comes from the most boring work somebody can do "spin a yarn" Einen Faden spinnen (sitting hours on the spinning wheel doing always the same movements until you feel you getting mentally ill. 🙂
A catarrh : also catarrhal inflammation or catarrhus; from ancient Greek καταρρεῖν katarrhein)
The terms for "hangover" / " Kater " in german arose from a corruption of the word (after excessive alcohol consumption) and sore muscles (after intensive muscle exertion) .
Thanks Axel
I would translate "sich die Beine in den Bauch stehen" with the idiom "standing there like a penny waiting for change", since the German expression means "standing there waiting for an excessively long time"
Ein Auge auf jemanden/etwas werfen - to throw an eye on someone/ something - either to fancy someone/thing or to look after someone/thing or to look something over
The Kater once was a "Katarrh"... the words just sound to much alike.
yes someone else mentioned that too...sounds plausible 🙏
There is also the idiom "Mit der Kirche ums Dorf fahren" which means taking a huge detour.
Germany + Thumbs Up
Über dein*en* Schatten springen! Don't forget the -en ending!
Schlauch is written this way.
"Kraut und Rüben" also has the local version of "Wie bei Hempels unterm Sofa" (Like under Hempels Couch)
"Die Beine in den Bauch stehen" also has another version known as "Wurzeln schlagen" (growing roots)
Thank you🙏
@@britingermany Also: "ich will hier keine Wurzeln schlagen" > I don't want to grow roots here > let's hurry up, I don't want to stay here too long.
Sehr gute Sammlung. Ich bin eine 50 jährige Deutsche aber "Das ist eine Apotheke" habe ich noch nie gehört;-)
Danke schön...anscheinend du bist da nicht allein mit "das ist eine Apotheke"
"Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof" oder "Das ist ein böhmisches Dorf für mich" is similar to "Auf dem Schlauch stehen" - but also a little different
These idioms and others do indeed play a key role in daily German life. Like you, I love the shadow- jumping one. The thumb-pressing one has never felt right to me,so to this day I continue to say and do "Cross my fingers" 😀 I am sure you know that in Germany we talk of "having the green thumb" rather than having green fingers (?). 😉
yes that's true funny how they place more importance on the thumb.🤣 although we both use Thumbs up 😉
@@britingermany well try doing your daily tasks without using your thump... you will see how important it is.
@@blackforest_fairy opposable thumbs...that#s what sets us apart 😉
@@britingermany We both stick various fingers up, too, But that's usually rude in both countries 😉
@@anglogerman2287 🤣🤣
You have to get yourself "English for Runaways" (Englisch für Fortgeschrittene). It would be the propper reading on this topic.
In it there are idioms translated one to one with some cartoon. I love it. Love your vids!
Cool thanks for the tip 😀 I'll check it out
Runaway and fortgeschritten. Now thats some weird translation. Is it the actual title of the book?
@@borstenpinsel Yes it is. The fun thing is (I think) the one to one translation, wich doesn´t make mauch sense in english of course (fort = away, geschritten (von schreiten, gehen) = run)The book is from the 80ies
@@borstenpinsel Yeah, it is a comedic book all about translating stuff in an incorrect way.
I got it then and I loved it! I can still remember its translation of „Christi Himmelfahrt“ by „Jesus makes a trip to heaven“…. 😅
In the north-east we call a hangover "Kater haben" as well, but more often than not we also just call it "einen Schädel haben" (literally: "to have a skull"). Easy to understand, after a night of drinking your head hurts. But believe me when I say people in this area drink *heavily* and *way too much* , so they're kind of toughened up in that regard. If you have a Schädel, that isn't just a mean headache, it's a solid, seemingly down to the bone-hurting horror hangover. lol
Haha oh god! I have not had one do those for years…and I don’t intend to start again
besser: einen Brummschädel haben
I think „Das ist eine Apotheke“ is the same as „Apothekenpreise!“ for very high prizes.
Yes similar but used to refer to shops or vendors as opposed to specific items
Die beine in den Bauch stehen meint nicht standing in the belly, denn es mein keinen Zustand sondern einen Prozess. Es meint, dass man solange stehen musste, dass die Schwerkraft Zeit hatte den Körper nach untern zu ziehen, während zugleich unterstellt wird, dass die Beine aber nicht zusammengedrückt wurden, wodurch sie natürlich in den Körper hineindringen mussten, so dass der Vorgang des Stehens den Körper schließlich in die Beine herabsinken ließ, was wiederum so aussieht, dass die Beinen den Körper drangen. Das ist natürlich unmöglich. Aber viele Redewendungen leben davon, dass sie, wenn man sie wörtlich nimmt, unmögliches ausdrücken. Aber das finden wir Deutsche eben lustig.
Danke sehr Frank
I know "Er steht sich die Beine in den Bauch" mostly as a criticism of a person who is just standing idly by, instead of helping or participating.
Oh that’s interesting. Kind of related to waiting but with more meaning layered on top…the Germans I asked told me it meant to wait for a long time…but might be regional differences ? 🤷🏼♂️
@@britingermany I guess it works both ways. The core of the idiom is exaggerating passiveness as a form of activity.
"Steht rum wie bestellt und nicht abgeholt" is more likely to be used in such a situation.
".... "Er steht sich die Beine in den Bauch" mostly as a criticism of a person who is just standing idly by, instead of helping or participating....."
No, it´s discriminating !
They say it when they are waiting in front of ( ? ) an office, for example.
Or in another long queu !
A very long one.
"Gestern habe ich mir die Beine in den Bauch stehen können/dürfen/müssen, um einen PCR-Test machen zu dürfen." Yesterday I had to wait awfully long to get to do a PCR test. So far I know the idiom only meaning having to wait for a tediously long time.
"Jetzt guck keine Löcher in die Luft und hilf mir lieber beim Laub zusammenfegen." Just stop poking holes in the air by staring and start helping me at sweeping the leaves. That's an idiom meaning someone remains inactive eg failing to see an obvious opportunity to help someone else.
Excellent pronounced 👏 👌
Thanks Manfred 😃
I love your channel❤❤❤
Thank you Ralph 😀🙏
Erm...I think you may have either misunderstood the phrase, or this is a VERY, and I mean *VERY(!)* personal/regional alteration of it...because "Das ist eine Apotheke" is definitely nothing, I have ever heard in my life _(apart from when someone pointed on an actual pharmacy, and said "das ist eine Apotheke")._
The idiom that you mean is *"das sind (ja) Apothekerpreise"* _(translation "these are prices like in a pharmacy" (aka: very expensive))._
I have heard „das ist eine Apotheke“ from multiple people who do not know each other 🤷🏼♂️
To this day, I have never heard the idiom "Das ist eine Apotheke" other than someone actually pointing at a pharmacy. Must be a highly regional idiom.
Btw, (as an opposite) if you want to point out that something is very cheap you can use the idiom "für einen Apfel und ein Ei" ("for an apple and an egg"). The meaning probably derived from apples and eggs being one of the most common (and cheapest) items out there - at least in the past.
For example: I got that bike for "an apple and an egg" -> I paid almost nothing for that bike. ("Ich habe dieses Fahrrad für 'nen Apfel und 'nen Ei bekommen.")
Thanks a lot. Hadn't heard that one before
I would say: "Die haben Apothekenpreise" (They have prices like at a pharmacy) or "Hast du das in der Apotheke gekauft" (Did you buy that in a farmacy), both to express the same: It's been way to expensive.
Für'n Appel und 'n Ei... Well, I'm going to complete 60 years soon, so I still know that, but my Kids wouldn't use it anymore I guess...
@@RFI-DE Or as a friend of mine once said; The Pharmacy-Bakery meaning a bakery with prices like a pharmacy. We play around with it a little bit.
0:54 An alternative which is commonly used is "Bleib mal auf dem Teppich" (literally "Stay/Come back on the carpet") . It implies that someone refers theorethical or idealistic opinions/situations (maybe even cloud chasing) and needs a reality check.
6:08 Kater describes a kind of ongoing pain, with a kind of dull feeling (like exhaustion). I don't know the origin but it is also used in other idioms like "Muskelkater" (muscle soreness).
An alternative idiom for hangover is "Ich habe einen über den Durst getrunken" or "Ich habe zuviel getrunken", which both could be roughly translated as I drank too much.
8:17 The idiom most of my friends used is "waiting for ages" to descripe this feeling.
9:08 In general if something is expensive it refers to gold . Like "16,5 € für ein Glas von Coca Cola? Was!! Sind die Gläser aus Gold!" (literally 16.5 € for a glas from Coca Cola? What!? Are they made of gold?"). Otherwise if you want to express (unnecessary) luxury you use the idiom "goldene Wasserhähne" (literally "golden tap").
"Sich die Beine in den Bauch stehen" also conveys kind of discontent or unhappiness with you having to wait. You wouldn't say "Ich stehe mir die Beine in den Bauch" when you're happily standing around to enjoy the view.
Yes exactly...I initially thought that it meant I'm bored or annoyed because of the context in which I often heard it being used
There are many idioms in German which do have a military background. Like 0815 (pronounced Null Acht Fünfzehn) meaning ordinary, nothing special. The phrase was coined in WW1 where 0815 was the model number of the standard german machine gun. Also the phrase "ich verstehe nur Bahnhof" was originally used by WW1 soldiers at the front who only wanted to get home (by train). I believe more in East Germany the term "geht ab wie ne V2" (runs like a V2) was used referring to something being very fast (usually in the context of bikes and cars). It refers to the V2 ballistic missile developed in Nazi Germany (which was BTW the first artificial object to travel into space).
That's really interesting so they are actually pretty new sayings in comparison to some of the other ancient ones. Thanks for sharing 😀
Interesting, I remember our professor telling us how people used to speak all kinds of different languages at the train station as it used to be *the* hub for international travel, so you wouldn't understand much of what was being spoken there. I looked it up just now, apparently nobody really knows, and a few myths and stories are going around concerning the idiom's origin. Your story appears to be the likeliest one, but it's fascinating how 90% of all media reports it as indisputable, established fact.
As for idioms with a military background I‘d like to ad „rinn in die Kartoffeln, raus aus die Kartoffeln“ (the use of the incorrect article places this idiom in the Berlin area) which refers to contradictory messaging from leadership or that higher ups don’t know what they are doing. It originates from military exercises in the late 19th century, when some officers would order their soldiers to use potato fields to manoeuvre, only have that order recalled by another officer to avoid crop damage.
I can’t think of an English equivalent.
Southwest German and I never heard "geht ab wie eine V2" in my life.
Isn't that rather strange + a little offensive to hear as a Brit? "Befremdlich" wäre das deutsche Wort, das mir für mögliche Gefühlsreaktionen einfiele.
@@split4ss59 From time to time I still hear phrases that fall into the „Befremdlich“-category, even on TV. To be honest there might be years in between, but still. For example the phrase „Es war mir ein innerer Vorbeimarsch“ (it felt like beeing on the receiving end of a military parade) or it’s more offensive variant „Es war mir ein innerer Reichsparteitag“ (it felt like taking the Nuremberg rally). It means „I felt publicly vindicated in the most satisfying way possible“.
About "crossing fingers"
Well I grew up in Austria with the term "Hexenkreuz" literally translated "Witch Cross" for the "crossed fingers" used in order to jinx "a vow" you took in order to make it unvalid.
So here in "Catholic Austria" the crossed fingers are seen as a pagan thing with no christian background.
And in my understanding in english speaking countries you basically "jinx" bad luck away by crossing the fingers.
So for me in context with my upbringing crossing fingers like we do here and how it´s done there was always basically "the exact same jinx" just used for different purposes,
The term "Kater" used in the phrase "einen Kater haben" is just a done simplification in common speech of the medical term "Katarrh"/"catarrh" in order to refer to "a physical bad condition/for feeling bad" ....and has actually nothing to do with the German term "Kater" for "Tom cat/male cat" at all.
Out of topic but about the term "hose" or in German "Hose" respectively..
It is always fascinating me how terms with basically the same origin are then used differently in related languages..in German "Hose" means "trousers/pants" = the thing where you put the legs into 2 "hoses" of cloth.
May I introduce you into an Viennese Idiom..."Der hat sich ins Pendel geschmissen"...just picture it.
Unfortunately I don´t see a way to translate that literally into English other than to paraphrase it into "Someone took the effort to become a pendelum" but it isn´t exact what the phrase actually says.
It is the morbid funny Viennese way to express that someone hung himself....I simply love that very dry and sarcastic image that phrase is literally picturing.
Yes you're right with the Hose. We do have pantyhose in English which is kind of related to trousers...maybe the garden hose pipe does have it's origins in the German Hose...I'm not sure about that. hehe I'm guessing the Austrians have a whole host of their own idioms. Thanks for sharing.
@@britingermany : Note that Ger. HoseN is a plural; there's one hose for each leg. Also present in archaic Swedish, “hosor”. BTW, in medieval times breeches (note the plural again) were two separate garments that were pulled onto each leg independently and tied onto a belt; they began to be sewn together only later.
Betcha all those hoses are descended from some Proto-Germanic ancestor meaning just “flexible tube”; in the other languages it's become narrowed to clothing but English had its sartorial needs fulfilled by the influence of Normandic French, so has kept the original wider meaning.
@@britingermany Yes, Austrians do, and some of them are used in whole Austria, others don´t.And in general those aren´t understood by Germans at all. The Viennese dialect has a whole bunch of its own, as like the one I told you.
I´ll give you another one which is common in whole Austria. The idiom term is "Lercherlschas" (=the fart of a baby lark) and every Austrian knows it and uses it on a daily basis...it is used for "things which aren´t worth to mention, but someone still made a huge fuss about it" and also used for things which are then "a walk in the park"/things which are easy to achieve/to manage...= and "that is then a Lercherlschas" or used in the other direction by saying "that is no "Lercherlschas" = refering to "the thing which is highly worth to mention, but belittled by someone" or "for things which aren´t easy to manage or to achieve." As like "Die deutsche Sprache zu lernen ist für Leute aus anderen Ländern kein Lercherlschas"
@@ChristianConrad Not true about the plural. In High German (=standard German) it's die Hose (singular) for the whole thing (both legs :D), in some dialects e.g. Bavarian it is "Hosen/Hosn", though, but grammatically "oane Hosn" (one trousers? I think you say one pair of trousers in English, not sure) is still treated as singular, e.g. "Mei Hosn is ma fui z'eng" (my trousers "is" way too tight).
But to give credence to your other point about some ancestor word, the German word for tornado is "Windhose" and there is also "Wasserhose" for tornadoes over big lakes (like lake Constance big) or the sea. A tornado is basically a big tube, so it makes sense.
Apparently it comes from the Proto-Germanic word *husǭ (the * means it is reconstructed, so don't take it as gospel) meaning either an outer covering; hull; shell; husk; case or a covering for the legs; leggings, trousers.
@@equolizer Ein Bayer würde wohl "Oa Hosn" für "eine Hose" sagen aber ganz sicher nicht "Oane Hosn".
Fragst Du aber "Wieviele Hosen willst Du?" kann die Antwort dann schon "Oane" lauten wenn er nur "Eine" will - und das Wort "Eine" da dann die Soloantwort ist,
In meinen Wiener Dialekt sagen wir nämlich "a Hosn" = "eine Hose" und auf die Frage "Wieviele Hosen willst Du" antworten wir dann mit "Ane" für "Eine"....
Der Bayrische Dialekt und der Wienerische Dialekt unterscheiden sich bloß an der unterschiedlichen Lautverschiebung einzelner "Vokale", doch die Dialekt Grammatik ist die selbe weil die ist in beiden Fällen "Bairisch".
Und unsere Wiener "a" Lautverschiebung ist im Bayrischen (aber auch in West Österreich zu finden) fast immer eine "oa" Lautverschiebung.
So wie zB Wienerisch "haß" = Bayrisch/W.Österreich "hoaß" = Standard deutsch "heiß"
Oder 1 = wienerisch "Ans" = bayrisch/W. Österreich "Oans"
und 2 = wienerisch "Zwa" =bayrisch/W.Österreich "Zwoa"
Somit ist unser wienerisch "a Hosn" dann auf bayrisch wohl "oa Hosn" obwohl ich es nicht ausschließen möchte, dass man unter Umständen auch in Bayern "a Hosn" sagt bzw beides vorkommt.
"Einen Kater haben" is possibly a corruption of "having a catarrh".
interesting. Not heard that take before...
@@britingermany I think it's the most common explanation, Kater for Katarrh possibly originating as a student joke. Katarrh itself is, of course, a euphemism. Even today some people will call in sick "with a cold" after a night of partying, rather than admit the true cause of their ailment. ;)
Katzenjammer is also synonym, and Meowing cats at night arent pleasant, maybe that is related.
Thank you for the explanations. I did not heard "Das ist eine Apotheke" yet. I only know the idiom "Das sind ja Apothekenpreise" what seems to be the same.
Thank you 🙏
wobei das gelbe vom Ei fast nur in negativer Konontation benutzt wird: das war nicht so das gelbe vom Ei.... auch sehr schön: die Beine in die Hand nehmen... sich beeilen... oder einen Zahn zulegen... oh Gott, die Liste ist endlos erweiterbar
Haha ja das ist es. Danke dir👍🏻
What's your take on the accelerated adoption of anglicisms and the seemingly inability of the German language to grow in terms of lexicon without resorting primarily to English? Native English speaker here but I work in Germany and the use of English seems almost obsessive and borderline pretentious (sorry, nice, challenge, budget, customer journey, feedback, startup, business model, cool, etc.). I understand English has had and will continue to have an unavoidable influence in all languages, but I'm also fluent in two other languages and they seem to have a better grip on their ability to create new words or combine/adapt existing words, following their respective phonology, semantics, etymology and syntax to express the same new concepts that English is communicating. Whenever I come across an anglicism I ask my girlfriend for the German analog and she says it doesn't exist, I then do a bit of research, find the word, ask again and then she says "I've never heard that word" or "yeah, but we don't use it" as if the ability to expand the meaning of native words was just impossible in German. I get the feeling that English is just being used to appear cool rather than to really communicate.
It’s definitely an interesting development and is of course primarily used by the younger generations. I think if I were German I would find it very annoying. Especially when you order something at a cafe in German and are met with blank stares (until you switch to English). I think it does have something to do with being cool and “hip”. On the whole I find it hilarious when someone says something like “der meeting war so boring ich bin fast eingeschlafen” I can’t help but laugh 🤣🤣
@@britingermany and Joe San, I've shaken my head over the meshing of English into German since I was a student studying in Germany over 40 years ago! It has only become worse and even more widespread. (I can understand having one language for new and developing technologies to make it easier to work across international borders.) My best friend in Germany told me about a conversation he overheard between two coworkers. One coworker was upset about something and was told by the other worker, "Keep cool." The other responded, "Ich kann nicht cool keepen!"
@@douglasleavy5147 🤣haha "Coll keepen." I'm dying here. that is hilarious!!
I think it comes down to our modern history, as a lot of things do here in germany. It looks like turning to unhinged megalomania, trying to subject or erase all of your neighbours and subsequeltly getting all that fash beat out of you, leaves a significant rift in your cultural identity. That leaves a lot of room for different cultures to occupy, and after the war, the allies just were right there (and mostly english speaking). So when in doubt, english would be seen as modern I guess. In my experience at least, people who try to come up with these kinds of terms like you're referring to just come off as weirdly backwards.
On the other hand, I think this kind of blunt, unaware mixing of english and german terms is somewhat of a cliché and is widely being recognized as silly, so it's not really the norm I'd say.
During the corona lockdown I practised my English with Duolingo. The bad news for those who wanted to learn German were: six hundred new german words since pandemic begin.
I had a lot of discussions with my mates about: are we "gelockdowned" or "gedownlocked" now...
"Auf dem Schlauch stehen" - your alternative "I'm not following" is usable only when you have that mental blockage while someone else is trying to explain something to you. But I can use "Irgendwie stehe ich auf dem Schlauch" also as part to indicate a mental blockage when you're trying to ask someone for help -- in which case it's more along the lines of "somehow I'm stuck" (as it's not the thought process of the other person you can't follow).
ok thanks Benedikt
For me "Auf dem Schlauch stehen" has also most often the connotaton of "I really should know that and normally I do but I am currently I do not"
Auch schön: (Very nice too:) "Jetzt weiß ich wie der Hase läuft" (Now i know how the bunny runs) - it is like "ah, now i have checked it" or "now i understand it".
Thanks Stefan
-Hier haben wir den Salat! :) (it is chaos)
-Ab in den Süden! (you have done your work, now get home)
I come from Sweden but have lived in Vienna for many years. I love how folks here play around with words and how many idioms that are really used. It is sometimes confusing, but almost always fun.
A Swede in Vienna I love it! Tell me about it...and as I just found out local people form other regions have never heard some of these idioms...I but the Austrians have a bunch that are not used in Germany
@@britingermany even after seven years in Vienna, I did not recognize some of the idioms you mentioned. I find it true that there is a great variation of both dialects and idioms in the German speaking countries.
One you often hear in Vienna is "Bist du deppert!". In normal slang it mostly express awe or a shock of something, but it can also be used as an insult: you are an idiot.
It is not an idiom, but you often hear "Alter!" or variations of it everywhere. Here they say "Oida!" (it is dialect for Alter). Often used to express anger or awe. If you want to blend in in Vienna, it is one of the greatest words to learn and use! :D
@@britingermany here is one of the most useful language lessons I have ever seen. Also presented in true fashion. All cred to the creator!
Oida:
ua-cam.com/video/iuXR53ex4iI/v-deo.html
@@jokervienna6433 thanks a lot. I’ve been dying to revisit Vienna. Hopefully this year 😀
@@britingermany Vienna waits for you. :)
/Billy Joel
6:39 I would possibly say "the worst thing since molded bread"
"Sich die Beine in den Bauch stehen" - you got that right, sort of. But the direction is upwards, its more like: Standing around for a long time, until the legs press/push INTO the belly.
Thank you 👍🏻
I use "Die Kirche im Dorf lassen" quite often, so one could say, that this would be my favorite one.
Unfortunately - due to the massively rising prices - I tend to use "Preise wie in einer Apotheke" more and more. 😞
Yes prices re skyrocketing 😞
'Nicht über seinen Schatten springen können' would be 'a leopard can't change his spots'
Thanks kai
"Lass die Kirche mal im Dorf" is equivalent to "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater."
Oh really? I thought it was a nit of a different meaning as in you should always try to take a more nuanced approach...see both sides of the argument
@@britingermany If someone reacts way too strong or suggests a pretty radical solution to a problem you may say both: "jetzt lass mal die Kirche im Dorf!" "jetzt schütt mal nicht gleich das Kind mit dem Bad aus!" It'a call to stay reasonable.
Agree. Also, "eine Sache nicht so hoch hängen", not attributing too much importance to a thing.
@@christiank1251 Also "Jetzt spinn mal nicht rum"
@@Yossri Ja richtig, das trifft es, nach meinem Gefühl.
And my favorite idiom is an extension of "Über den Tisch ziehen", making it an evil advice for human resource management:
"Die Kunst der Personalführung liegt darin, den Angestellten zu überzeugen, dass er die Reibungshitze beim übern Tisch ziehen als Nestwärme wahrnimmt"
"The art of managing personelle is to convince your employees that the friction heat he feels being drawn across the a table is acutally the warmth of a nest"
Nice👍🏻poetic and makes a lot of sense
"Jemanden auf seine Seite ziehen" means to pull someone on your side, to convince someone to support you.
"Jemanden über den Tisch ziehen" means to convince someone to accept unfavorable conditions in an agreement, treaty or a similar situation. The accepting person could be aware or the flawed conditions or not. The convincing person might be exploiting a difficult situation in which the accepting person might be trapped. Hence the expression can have a negative twist.
some other idioms that may be interesting for you:
- Du willst mir wohl einen Knopf auf die Backe nähen? (Guess you're attempting to sew a button to my cheek?" means "Are you kidding me?"
- Er kann in einer Stunde ein Pferd tot reden (he can chat a horse to death in only an hour) ....... Self explanatory I guess.
- Jemandem eine Vesper in den Rucksack schwätzen. (to chat a meal into someones backpack) Same as "ein Ohr abkauen"..... the person is a real chatterbox. Maybe regional for the southwest
- Jemand redet um den heißen Brei herum. (someon is talking around the hot porridge) means someone is beating around the bush instead of being direct.
- "Darauf kannst Du Gift nehmen!" (you can drink/take poison on that) means you can be absolutely sure about it.
You have picked the pretty hardest one to start with :) "Kirche im Dorf lassen" goes way beyond exaggeration or holding back the horses, as in any context used it comes back to the historical aspect of German society: it is wrapped around the church (well, it used to be shall we say?).
In the core it goes back then to "whatever we argue on there is unquestionable foundation" ... with all awkwardness belonging to it.
Great job, thank You.
Thanks a lot😀
"Lass' die Kirche im Dorf!" " = "Don't be a worrier.", Don't see problems where there are none." , "Don't make it too complicated.", "Accept things the way they are."...
Thank you
I really like your "Herangehensweise"!
Thank you. Das freud mich 🙏
'Die Kirche im Dorf lassen' means also 'dont get over the top' or 'cmon we all know this is too much'.
Thank you
Lately explained "Um den Pudding fahren/laufen" ("Drive/walk around the pudding") to an English friend, which means to walk a long way and not really getting far, for example when looking for a parking place for 30 minutes driving around the same block. Or as in our case to find the entrance to the Tube station.
Never heard the Apotheke one. 🤔
Hi, I Iike your video. Idioms are a great thing but difficult to explain because they are highly context dependent, how and when to use them.
"Die Beine in den Bauch stehen" is more like "My feet are killing me" or "It takes ages".
"Kraut und Rüben" is less the description of a chaotic thing/situation it can by more translated as "This is a very crude solution" or that something is very unclean done. It has always a connection to a work that has to be done, or somebody who tells about such a situation.
"Die Kirche im Dorf lassen" is always related to somebody who overaccomplish rules or is very strict about a rule. You would translate it to "Don't be so harsh" or "This is a little to much".
"Don't exaggerate" or "Calm down" does not really hit it. It is more an expression if you feel that following the rules strictly is inappropriate in a particular situation. You could also say:
"Komm jetzt lass mal gut sein - jetzt lass mal die Kirche im Dorf.", or "Der soll sich nicht so aufregen - Der soll mal die Kirche im Dorf lassen"
There is also an other idiom which means almost the same "Jetzt sei mal nicht päpstlicher als der Papst" - rougly translated: Don't be more popish than the pope. It has the same meaning as "Die Kirche im Dorf lassen" but on people who over moralize things.
The other idioms are good translated and explained.
Thank you 😀
Well, the idiom "über den Tisch ziehen"; "to pull over the table" means in the normal linguistic usage that one was cheated with a purchase or a purchase negotiation.
Right 👍🏻
For me as a northern german, "Das ist eine Apotheke" is totally unknown. What I hear and use however is "Apothekerpreise" (=pharmacists prices).
Maybe it's a local thing
Bin aus Berlin, und natürlich benutzt man diesen Spruch hier.
@@cantkeepitin Finally 🙏thank you. I'm not the only one😀