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These 10 witty sayings prove Germans think everything revolves around beer

We didn't realize just how obsessed with the amber brew Germans were until we started researching this article.

Published: 30 August 2017 11:24 CEST
These 10 witty sayings prove Germans think everything revolves around beer
Photo: DPA

A lot of German sayings about beer boil down to meaning “if I don't find a woman attractive, it means I haven't drunk enough.” But we decided to pick out a few others (from the very many that exist) which we thought were quite a bit funnier.

1. Man soll das Bier nicht vor dem Kater loben

There are surely few sayings that hold more truth than this wise call to caution in what one drinks. It translates as “don't praise your beer until you've experienced the hangover”. When you think about it, this statement applies to so much more than just alcohol consumption.

2. Halb besoffen, ist rausgeschmissenes Geld

But while some German beer sayings call for forethought, others encourage you to throw all caution to the wind. This freewheeling adage advises that “being half drunk is wasted money.”
Photo: DPA

3. Durst ist schlimmer als Heimweh

Proving that Germans think that everything can be solved if you drink enough, this dictum states “Thirst is worse than homesickness.” And somehow we don't think they mean a thirst for Apfelschorle.

We should caution though that this doesn't apply to all alcohol – whiskey often leaves homesick Scots sobbing out every third word of Loch Lomond in the corner of an empty pub.

4. Durst wird durch Bier erst schön

“Thirst is only beautiful when accompanied by beer,” goes the saying. Thirst might be the thing Germans fear the most, but it turns into a wonderful thing when they have a cold frothy Maß placed in front of them.

4. Hast du Kater, nimm den Rat, trinke früh, was du trankst spat

If you're ever wondered whether Germans agree that the “hair of the dog” is the best cure for a hangover, this saying should put your mind at rest. “If you've got a hangover, take the advice to drink early what you drank late,” is a rough translation of this rather poetic little ditty.

Photo: DPA

5. Bei kaltem Wetter läuft die Nase, bei kaltem Bier läuft die Blase

“When the weather's cold your nose runs, when the beer's cold you bladder does”. Well, we can't argue with that.

6. Am morgen ein Bier und der Tag gehört dir

“Drink a beer in the morning and the day is yours.” German medical authorities have been fighting to consign this idea to the past for some time now. And with beer consumption dropping steadily over the past few decades, you're only likely to hear this saying on father's day.

8. Ein Bock ist jenes Tier, der auch als Bier getrunken werden kann

“A goat is an animal that can also be drunk as a beer.” This 19th century aphorism is a reference to Bock (goat) beer, a strong beer that has an alcohol content upwards of 6.5 percent. It is most famously brewed at Andex monastery in Bavaria. Just as you're unlikely to come out on top in a fight with a billy goat, get too intimate with this powerful brew and you'll be left reeling.

9. Wenn ich Durst habe, sieht es keiner. Wenn ich besoffen bin, sehen es alle

The pearl of wisdom gets to the heart of the lonesome pursuit of being a beer enthusiast. “When I'm thirsty nobody notices, but when I'm drunk everyone does,” it laments.

Photo: DPA

10. Der Wirt ist nicht der Beste, der mehr trinkt als die Gäste

Everyone likes their barman to have good chat, but nobody wants to have to pick him up off the floor at the end of the night. Or as this saying puts it “A landlord certainly isn't the best, if he drinks more than his guests.”

For members

GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Grenze

From national borders to personal limitations, this German word is a great one to add to your active vocabulary.

Published: 22 February 2024 09:16 CET
Updated: 22 February 2024 11:16 CET
German word of the day: Grenze

Why do I need to know Grenze?

Because Grenze is one of those nifty words that has multiple uses beyond its most literal meaning, and which can also be used in verb form.

As with many German nouns, it also functions well as a compound noun (i.e. paired with other nouns to create a new word) so learning this word could add several new words to your vocabulary at once. 

What does it mean? 

Die Grenze (pronounced like this) can be best translated as border in English, but can also mean limit or boundary, depending on the context.

When you hear the word in a geographical sense, it’s usually used to discuss national borders, such as Germany’s borders with nine other countries.

Of course, borders don’t have to be national: a Stadtgrenze would refer to the city limits, while Bundeslandgrenzen are the borders between Germany’s federal states. Want to know where the border crossing is? In that case, you’ll need to locate the Grenzübergang (also a feminine noun). 

An Abgrenzung, meanwhile, is any kind of demarcation. 

In the list of useful compound nouns that can be made using Grenze, one particularly interesting one is Phantomgrenze. This word is used to describe borders that don’t physically exist but that take the form of cultural, political or economic divides – a prime example being the East/West divide that still exists in Germany more than three decades after reunification.

READ ALSO: How does Germany’s ‘phantom border’ still divide the country?

Less literally, you can use Grenzen to discuss physical or emotional limitations, or to talk about being pushed to the limit (an die Grenzen gestoßen sein). In a similar sense, there may be political boundaries (politische Grenzen), or scientific ones (wissenschaftliche Grenzen) that haven’t yet been crossed. 

You may have recently learned to set boundaries in your personal life, which can be described in German as “Grenzen setzen”. In that case, you may also want people to respect those boundaries (Grenzen respektieren). 

In fact, almost any well-known English phrase that refers to limits, borders or boundaries can usually be translated using Grenzen. For example, “Meine Leidenschaft kennt keine Grenzen” means “My passion knows no bounds.” 

Of course, this being German, there are countless other ways you can adapt Grenze not just into compound nouns but also into verbs or adjectives. 

Grenzen, of course, means “to border” while angrenzen means “to border on” and begrenzen means “to limit”. Speaking of which, if you’re hoping to snap up a discounted deal, you may well be warned: “Das Angebot ist stark begrenzt.” That tells you that the offer is limited, so you’d better hurry while stocks last!

Where does it come from?

Interestingly enough, the word Grenze has Slavic roots and stems from the Polish word granica, which also means border.

Geography buffs may well observe that Germany shares a fairly long border with Poland (along with eight other countries), so the etymology of the German word seems incredibly fitting. 

READ ALSO: Five German words that come from Polish

Use it like this: 

Es ist wichtig, die Grenzen anderer Menschen zu respektieren.

It’s important to respect other people’s boundaries. 

Wie viele Länder grenzen an Deutschland? 

How many countries border Germany?

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