SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

GERMAN LANGUAGE

Eight ways to talk about the heat like a true Austrian

With another heat wave just around the corner, here are some of the German phrases that will help you express yourself in the hot weather.

Eight ways to talk about the heat like a true Austrian
Sergey Zotin of Russia jumps from a 27 metre high ramp into the Wolfgang Lake near St. Gilgen in Austria 17 July 2005 during the annual summer cliff diving event.Photo by MARKUS LEODOLTER / AFP)

1. Mir ist heiß

Firstly, it’s worth pointing out how to correctly express the fact that you’re hot in German.

In German, you say mir ist heiß using the dative form of the personal pronoun ich.

Be careful not to directly translate the English sentence “I am hot” into ich bin heiß as most German speakers will understand this to mean that you are hot in a more sensual sense of the word.

Examples:

Mir ist heiß, so furchtbar heiß.
I am hot, so terribly hot.

Mir ist es hier zu heiß.
It’s too hot for me here.

2. Was für eine Affenhitze!

The word Affenhitze is a colloquial term used for very high temperatures and literally means “monkey heat”. It’s widely believed that the term first appeared at the end of the 18th century in Berlin.

READ ALSO: The German language you need for summer in Austria

At that time, the monkey house in the Berlin Zoological Garden was known for being extremely hot, so people started to speak about “heat like in the monkey house”. Over time, the phrase became shortened into the phrase widely used today.

Example:

Morgen herrscht wieder eine Affenhitze.
Tomorrow will be another scorcher.

3. Das Kaiserwetter

Literally meaning “emperor weather,” Das Kaiserwetter more colloquially refers to those days of glorious sunshine, blue skies, and comfortable temperatures.

In other words, it’s the weather perfect for an emperor.

It is believed that the term has its origins in Austria as Austrian Kaiser Franz Josef’s birthday, the August 18th, was often bright and cloudless.

4. Es ist brütend heiß!

The adjective brütend comes from the verb brüten, meaning to breed or to incubate. It is likely, therefore, that it made its way into common parlance about the weather, from the fact that raising younglings involves keeping them nice and warm.

Hier drin ist brütend heiß!
It’s sweltering hot in here!

READ ALSO: Five of the best things to do in Vienna this summer

5. Es ist sauheiß!

Similar to the Affenhitze, this one means “it is sow hot” or “pig hot”. Perfect for those unbearable heat days.

6. Ich schmore in diese Hitze

More commonly used in the cooking lexicon, the verb schmoren meaning ‘to stew’, or ‘to sizzle’ is often used to express the feeling of being exposed to high temperatures. A comparable English phrase would be, “I am sizzling in this heat”.

7. die Sonne knallt!

One popular expression to do with the heat focuses on the source of the problem itself. The verb knallen means “to bang” or “to slam”.

Example:

Die Sonne knallt auch wenn es bewölkt ist!
The sun is blazing even when it’s cloudy!

8. “Es is ur haaß”

If you want to keep it simple, but still extremely Austrian, you can’t go wrong with just saying “it is super hot” using a very typical Austrian expression.

The High German would be “es ist sehr heiß“, but in Austrian dialect it’s common to shorten some words (turning ist to is) and use ‘ur‘ in lieu of “sehr” (meaning very, much, super, or uber). The Haaß is a good way to imitate heiß in the local dialect.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

POLITICS

EXPLAINED: Austria wants to define its fundamental culture but what is it?

Politicians from Austria's centre-right ÖVP are putting together a definition of Austria's 'guiding culture', known in German as 'Leitkultur'. What is that and why are they doing it?

EXPLAINED: Austria wants to define its fundamental culture but what is it?

When you think of Austria, your first thoughts might be of Alpine hills, Schnitzel and traditional folk music. 

Is this what politicians are referring to when they talk about Austrian ‘Leitkultur’ or ‘leading or guiding culture’? 

Many in Austria are considering this question because the coalition government is honing in on this concept. 

Austria’s Integration Minister Susanne Raab, of the centre-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), has been tasked by chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) to develop a legal definition of ‘Austrian guiding culture’.

It’s part of the “Austria Plan” that Nehammer presented earlier this year when he called for a “guiding Austrian culture by 2030, which should also be reflected in law as a national cultural asset”.

READ ALSO: ‘Austria Plan’ – What are the chancellor’s new plans for the country?

Raab said it should ensure “that symbols and behaviours that contradict our fundamental values can be treated in a legally differentiated manner”.

However, this topic has been the subject of heated debate with critics accusing politicians of using it to alienate immigrants, particularly asylum seekers and refugees.There is a fear that the ‘Leitkultur’ concept goes against multiculturalism and calls on people to conform to one ‘guiding culture’ without an acceptance of other ways of life outside western culture. 

The concept is not just a talking point in Austria – it’s also been discussed heavily in neighbouring Germany for years, particularly by centre-right and far-right parties. 

How is Austria planning to define Leitkultur?

The Austrian government says it wants to define a concept of national cultural heritage in law over the next six years. 

As a first step, the Integration Minister has brought together a panel of experts who will meet on Thursday.

Under the banner “Austrian identity and guiding culture: values of coexistence”, the first meeting will be an introductory exchange, according to Raab’s office. The minister will outline her approach to the topic before the discussion, Austrian newspaper Der Standard reported.

The panel includes Katharina Pabel, a lawyer from Linz, Rainer Münz, who worked for Erste Bank and advised Jean-Claude Juncker as President of the EU Commission and Wolfgang Mazal, a professor at the Institute for Labour and Social Law at the University of Vienna.

What is Austrian ‘guiding culture’?

In an interview with Der Standard before the meeting, Mazal said the initial discussion “should serve to find a consensus in society about what is important to us and what form of coexistence we should cultivate”. He added that the ‘Leitkultur’ debate should be a “process of reflection”.

Mazal does not share the criticism of the term – in his view, it is not about placing one culture above others. Similar to the mission statement of a company, a “guiding culture” should define the “fundamental direction” of a society, he said. 

But the ÖVP’s communication has been more rigid. Secretary General Christian Stocker, for instance, recently explained in a Facebook video that Austrian identity is “what defines us”. This goes “from A to Z”, for example from brass band music to the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. “How we celebrate our festivals and holidays” is also part of our identity, he said. And “anyone who doesn’t want to accept all that is welcome to leave”, he made clear.

Overall, the People’s Party is focussing the debate very strongly on the topic of migration. Stocker says, for example, in the context of his comments on identity, that those “who have come to us” have done so voluntarily. “They have chosen this country and therefore they must also accept how we live in this country, what tradition and identity we have.”

In social media posts, Der Standard notes that the party states things like: “Anyone who believes that they should not shake a woman’s hand because she is ‘unclean’ must leave.” Or: “Anyone who rejects our way of life must leave!” 

Integration a key component 

Integration Minister Susanne Raab (ÖVP) told the Kronen Zeitung earlier this year that the concept was centred on integration. 

“Integration means learning the language, going to work and also accepting the values of our coexistence,” she said.

“And that is relevant because many people come to us who have been socialised completely differently. Where the culture is completely different, where women are worth less than men, where girls have no access to education and are forced into marriage or where the police are not your friend and helper, but highly corrupt. All of this is important to convey. And this is where immigrants also have to adapt.”

Raab added that it was possible for someone who did not adapt to face sanctions. 

“Yes, there will be measures that can be implemented in law, Raab told the newspaper, suggesting that could include cuts to social benefits, for example, or negative influences in the citizenship procedure or to asylum status.

The minister gave the example of when refugees come to Austria they have to take a German and values course as well as sign a declaration of integration otherwise there is a risk of having social benefits cut. The ÖVP is also currently considering further sanctions. 

Whatever the case, it is clear that the ÖVP is pushing for more integration measures in Austria, which is something they have been doing consistently. 

READ ALSO: Austrian minister wants foreigners to improve German levels to keep social benefits

SHOW COMMENTS