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LEARNING GERMAN

German word of the day: Geil

‘Geil’ is just about as omnipresent in Germany as bureaucracy and bratwurst.

Published: 22 November 2019 09:52 CET
Updated: 27 May 2021 11:23 CEST
German word of the day: Geil
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

This colloquial word is commonly used by Germans of all ages and is an excellent way to make yourself sound like a native speaker.

At first glance, this word can confuse some non-native German speakers. If you look up ‘geil’ in a dictionary you will likely find a translation along the lines of horny or lecherous. Whilst this is certainly the original use of this word, colloquially ‘geil’ is far more complimentary.

The best translation for ‘geil’ in its colloquial sense would be something like ‘great,’ ‘cool,’  ‘awesome,’ or ‘wicked.’ It can also be used to compliment someone’s appearance, similar to calling someone ‘hot.’

‘Geil’ is often used on its own as a response to something, to imply the person thinks that thing is great or cool.

This word is so commonly used in its colloquial form that it is very much a part of the mainstream, even being included in the following 2014 advert for the popular German supermarket Edeka.

It is not clear when exactly ‘geil’ shifted in meaning and became a popular colloquial adjective but Bruce and Bongo’s song ‘Geil’ from 1986 shows that this word lost its original meaning a while ago.

As ‘geil’ is such a popular adjective there are a number of adverbs it is often compiled with. The most popular combinations are probably ‘super geil,’ ‘mega geil,’ and ‘echt geil.’ All of these emphasise just how great something is.

The German musician Deichkind coined the term ‘leider geil’ in his song of the same name. This phrase encompasses the idea that something is ‘unfortunately’ cool, despite the fact that it has negative connotations or effects. Below is the official video.

Examples:

A: Heute abend gibt es ein Party.

B: Geil!

A: There’s a party on this evening.

B: Sweet!

Dieses Essen ist mega geil oder?

This food is really awesome isn’t it?

Gestern war der Film super geil, ich würde dir ihn wirklich empfehlen.

The film yesterday was super good, I’d really recommend it to you.

Der Alkoholkonsum ist ungesund aber leider geil.

Drinking alcohol is unhealthy but unfortunately it’s cool.

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GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Sitzpinkler

Do you sit down when you pee? If so, this funny German term applies to you. But don’t worry, in this country, you’re not alone.

Published: 8 May 2024 11:41 CEST
German word of the day: Sitzpinkler

Der Sitzpinkler, pronounced like this, is a practical and hilarious German compound word that combines sitzen ‘to sit’ and Pinkler ‘pisser’ (from pinkeln ‘to pee’).

The term is typically reserved for men, and male-bodied people, who choose to take a seat when they urinate.

See also Sitzpisser.

Why do I need to know ‘Sitzpinkler’?

This one is perhaps most likely to come up at the pub among men who’ve let the conversation drift toward life’s more grotesque and banal questions: how do you position yourself when you pee?

But Sitzpinkler is also an insult in German. If you mean to call someone a wuss, or imply that they are effeminate and pampered in a derogatory way (with the added sting of a grade-school insult), then you can call them a Sitzpinkler.

By the way, while you’re at it, you may as well call them a Warmduscher (a warm showerer) and a Schattenparker (a shade parker) as well.

Who pees sitting down?

Despite its use as an insult, sitting down to urinate happens to be a very common habit among German men – and there is sufficient data to back this up.

sit down while peeing sign in Germany

“Standing up – wrong. Sitting down – right.” A sign urges guests to sit down to pee in a cafe restroom in Berlin. Photo by Paul Krantz

British data analytics firm YouGov, “conducted a 13-country study on men’s peeing preferences internationally” which confirmed that German men are by far the most likely to be Sitzpinklers.

According to the YouGov poll, 62 percent of German men sit down to pee ‘most times’, with 40 percent saying they sit down to pee ‘every time’. Only 10 percent of German men say they ‘never’ do.

In comparison, men in the US or the UK are largely opposed to the idea, with more than 30 percent of men in each country saying they never sit down, and only about 10 percent sitting each time.

Incidentally, perhaps the wildest finding of the above poll is that four to six percent of men in each country ‘don’t know’ if they sit or stand when they pee. Perhaps this partially explains the state of public restrooms.

A brief defence of thrown sitters

Coming from the US myself, I can confirm that the idea to make a practice of sitting for a pee at home never really occurred to me until I came to Germany. 

I had moved into a shared flat, and on the topic of house cleaning duties, a German suggested that if we all sat down on the toilet, it would generally stay cleaner. I didn’t resist – I’ll try anything once – and now I’ve joined team Sitpinkler.

I’ve admitted as much to friends from the US and received raised eyebrows, but logically I just can’t condone misting my bathroom floor with urine when I know how easily avoidable it is.

Additionally, there is some research that seating peeing may actually be better for men with prostate and bladder health issues.

But to each their own, I guess. 

By the way, stand-up guys need not worry too much. While Germany may be a nation of seated tinklers, the country’s courts have previously ruled in defence of the right to stand up and pee in your own home.

 

Use it like this:

Bist du ein Sitzpinkler?

Are you a sit-down pisser?

Du hast Angst!? Sei nicht so ein Sitzpinkler.

You’re scared!? Don’t be such a wimp.

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