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GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Reisefieber

Although you might feel these too, Reisefieber is a distinct feeling from either Wanderlust or Fernweh.

Published: 11 January 2023 16:28 CET
German word of the day: Reisefieber
Photo credit: Francesco Ungaro / Unsplash + Nicolas Raymond / flickr

What does it mean?

Reisefieber, which sounds like this, is literally translated as “travel fever.” But that’s a bit misleading. At first glance, something like “travel fever” in English might seem akin to Wanderlust – which is a desire for travel, or even to Fernweh, a longing for distance places. But Reisefieber is actually associated with the anxiety of travelling.

READ ALSO: Six German expressions to entice your Wanderlust

How do you use it or where might you see it?

Reisefieber is a neutral noun, so you use the article das with it. It can describe any situation where you feel anxious about an upcoming trip. You might be nervous that you forgot your passport.

Maybe you’re constantly weighing and re-weighing your bags because you’re worried about having to pay the airline extra baggage fees. Perhaps you have a friend or relative who insists on arriving at the airport extra early. All these are good examples of Reisefieber.

While Wanderlust and Fernweh might come up at the same time as Reisefieber, they don’t necessarily need to. Reisefieber can show up either on a trip you’re looking forward to or one you’re dreading.

READ ALSO: German Word of the Day: Das Fernweh

Habe ich mein Reisepass vergessen? Nein? Was kann man gegen Reisefieber tun? – Did I forget my passport? No? What can I do against travel fever?

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GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Quatschen

Whether it's a long chitter-chatter with a friend on the phone or a quick gossip with your housemates, this German word is a great one to have up your sleeve.

Published: 25 July 2024 16:59 CEST
German word of the day: Quatschen

Alongside the more formal words you often learn in language classes, there are a great many German phrases and words that can add more colour and personality to your speech. Quatschen is one them, and it’s the perfect way to talk about an everyday occurrence with a bit more style and humour.

What does it mean?

If you’ve been studying German a little while already, you may have heard the word Quatsch, used to mean ‘nonsense’ or ‘rubbish’. Quatschen makes a verb out of this funny put-down and describes the act of talking nonsense, or chatting about nothing in particular.

In English, quatschen could be aptly translated as “yabbering away”, “blathering”, “having a natter” or the rather poetic “shooting the breeze”. 

In other words, quatschen can be used in most occasions when you’ve had a long, friendly chat with someone, particularly if there was no particular goal to the conversation other than having fun and getting along.

READ ALSO: 10 ways of speaking German you’ll only ever pick up on the street

Much like Quatsch, quatschen is a colloquial word, so be sure to only use it in relatively informal settings and to describe informal situations. If you’ve had a discussion with a client at work, for example, ‘ein Gespräch führen’ (to have a conversation) would be much more appropriate than quatschen. 

Use it like this:

Wir haben so lange gequatscht, dass ich die Zeit vergessen habe.

We chatted for so long that I lost track of time.

Mein Freund und ich können stundenlang miteinander quatschen.

My friend and I can shoot the breeze with each other for hours.

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