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LEARNING

12 brilliant German words you won’t find in English

Unfortunately English let you down when you were trying to think of these things to say.

Published: 12 October 2016 16:29 CEST
Updated: 7 May 2020 15:30 CEST
12 brilliant German words you won't find in English
A woman walks up actual 'Treppen' in Berlin in March. Photo: DPA

1. Verabredet

A woman writes in her caldendar. Photo: DPA

Germans don’t just agree to meet up at 2pm, and then rely on their mobile phones to explain why they’re late. They make utterly clear, unambiguous appointments. And then they describe themselves as “verabredet.”

“You are late. We were verabredet. I am simply not understanding this.” It’s an adjective that defines a whole culture.

2. Fahne

A man takes a nap after a few too many beers in Cologne. Photo: DPA

This does not just mean flag. It’s also the special type of “flag” (or the stench of booze) that flutters in your face and stings your eyes when a drunkard tells you he always loved her, you know, honestly, really loved her, despite how it looks. “Please wave that Fahne somewhere else.”

3. Drachenfutter

Roses. Photo: DPA

You’ve stayed out late and you weren’t supposed to. Your wife has put the kids to bed, made your dinner, and given it to the dog. What you need is Drachenfutter – a gift that will, literally, feed the dragon, outmoded sexist interpretations of gender roles notwithstanding.

“Oh no, I hope the late-night shop is open. I’m absolutely off my face and I need some Drachenfutter.”

4. Kummerspeck

Photo: DPA

The English have “comfort food,” but the ever-thorough Germans have taken that concept to its obvious biological conclusion. Kummerspeck, literally “sorrow bacon,” is the extra bulges that develop once you’ve consumed too much comfort.

“Is that Kummerspeck, or are you just pleased to see me?”

5. Fremdschämen

PFile photo: DPA

This is a truly vital word, missing from English, and indeed every language in the world (probably) – except German. It means to be ashamed FOR someone else. How often have you wanted to express that feeling in one neat, perfect word?

“Yes, I was very fremdgeschämt when Donald Trump got the date of the US election wrong.”

6. Rabenmutter

A T.V. show depicting a mother who pushes her children into show-business. Photo: DPA/ARTE

In keeping with their 19th century image of family roles, Germans have a special word for a bad mum. It literally means “raven mother”. Apparently baby ravens in the wild eat nothing but ketchup and are allowed to play with scissors.

READ ALSO: German word of the day: Die Rabenmutter

“Look, that child has not got a hat on and it’s below 20 degrees Celsius. What a Rabenmutter.”

7. Pechvogel/Glückspilz

Mushrooms Photo: DPA

In the Germans’ skewed image of the universe, the bird, soaring free through the sky, is an unlucky beast, but to be a mushroom is a fate associated with good fortune. It’s fun to be a fungi.

“Oh no, my fungi has ceased to grow. I am such a Pechvogel.” 

Pech means bad luck and Glück is good luck. See if you can work the rest out yourselves.

8. Quergebäude

Photo: DPA

Germans, it turns out, have specific names for different parts of a building, largely because of the structure of blocks of flats in Germany. There’s a Vorderhaus (front bit), a Seitenflügel (side bit), a Hinterhof (back bit) and something called a Quergebäude, which is, erm, the across bit. Quer means across, and can also be used as in the wonderfully literal term querlegen – to obstruct.

9. Handschuhschneeballwerfer

A glove-wearing snowball thrower in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Photo: DPA

Everyone hates the coward willing to criticize and abuse from a safe distance. The Germans equate that person with the lowest of the low: the one who wears gloves when throwing snowballs. As far as they’re concerned, a snowball fight is not a snowball fight until someone gets frostbite.

10. Treppenwitz

Stairs in the foyer of the Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg. Photo: DPA

Another wonderful German word, for a bittersweet situation familiar to everyone on the planet. The Treppenwitz, literally “stair-joke,” is the brilliant comeback you think of when you’re already out of the door and halfway down the stairs.

“And you, sir, are a prick! Ach! If only I’d thought of that at the time!”

11. Verschlimmbessern

Photo: DPA

There’s being ham-fisted, or putting your foot in it, or there’s just plain clumsiness, but in German there’s the very specific act of verschlimmbessern, which is when you make something worse in the very act of trying to improve it.

“Oh no, that extra piece of cheesecake, far from being nutritious, has just verschlimmbessert my digestive tract.”

12. Radfahrer

Cyclists in Göttingen, Lower Saxony. Photo: DPA

This is a deceptively simple word that weirdly hints at Germans’ darkest perversion. It just means cyclist, but in some German circles it refers to an employee who sucks up to his superiors while treading on his inferiors, thus imitating the posture of a cyclist. Not literally. That would be truly horrid.

For all The Local’s guides to learning German CLICK HERE

Member comments

  1. My personal favourite is “Ausstrahlung” – the radiance or feeling that someone gives off… kind of like your aura, but somehow in german it sounds less poncey 😉

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LEARNING GERMAN

‘Forget about bilingual Kitas’: Key tips for raising bilingual kids in Germany

With greater numbers of international workers choosing to settle in Germany and raise a family, the question of how to best raise bilingual children is often considered. 

Published: 25 April 2024 15:01 CEST
Updated: 28 April 2024 08:35 CEST
'Forget about bilingual Kitas': Key tips for raising bilingual kids in Germany

The Local asked its readers who have raised bilingual children in Germany to tell us how they managed to raise children who speak German in addition to their parent’s mother tongue. 

Trust the (school) system. 

One piece of advice was echoed by several readers: Trust the German education system to take care of teaching German through immersion. 

Siniša, 44, from Hesse, who speaks Croatian and English at home, told The Local: “Speak your native language at home. The school will ‘cover’ German and other languages.”

Steve, 55, who lives in Munich and speaks English and Spanish with his daughter agrees.

“Be consistent and raise your child in your native tongue. At a local school, they will learn German quickly,” he said.

Chris, 44, from Hamburg, who speaks English with his children, backed the idea of leaving kids’ schools to take charge of teaching them German.

“Get the kids into the German education system as early as possible and let them learn themselves from native speakers. As a bonus, they’ll pick it up quickly and not pick up a ‘non-German’ accent either,” he said.

Read more: ‘Multilingualism is an enrichment’ – The challenges of raisin bilingual kids in Germany

Readers also noted that even in the preschool stage, children can handle multiple languages. 

Julie, 41, who lives in Hamburg and speaks English and Italian at home, said: “Relax and go with the flow. Don’t get hung up on finding bilingual Kitas for toddlers if they already get significant exposure to the non-German language at home. Languages seem to develop in different spurts at different speeds.”

However, liaising with schools in Germany was noted as an essential skill. 

Kim, 46, based in Sindelfingen, with a family speaking both English and German, said: “It’s essential for at least one parent to understand German when children attend a German school. They can help explain language and cultural differences. They can also help with administrative matters and even homework.”

Maintain the mother tongue.

While readers were keen to encourage parents to trust the immersion process that German schools provide, they were also quick to advise a concerted effort to maintain speaking the mother tongue in and around the home. 

“For international parents, I think it’s very important that their children do not lose touch with their mother tongue, as it is a very special part of their identity,” said Prashanth, 42, who lives in Munich.

Anne-Marie, 52, from Frankfurt, who speaks ‘Singlish’ (Singaporean English) with her children, stated that it’s essential to be firm.

“Speak in your mother tongue to your kids from the day they are born. Be consequent about it, even in front of other people who do not speak your mother tongue,” she said.

Karl, 44, who lives in Celle and who speaks English and the indigenous American Ute language with his children, said getting family on board is important. 

“Communicate with all family members your decision, intentionally speak all of the languages, when possible provide translations so family members present are not excluded from conversations,” he said.

Charles, 40, from Berlin, even stated that speaking German at home may prove detrimental: “Don’t speak your own mediocre German with them. It may be hard to see them speaking another language as their more comfortable primary language than your own.”

Charles, who speaks English at home, added: “Find books and shows to share with them in your native language to continue the shared experience.”

Read More: What foreign parents should know about German schools

Just let it happen with the kids…

Sometimes, it seems, becoming bilingual takes care of itself. 

Paul, 40, from Munich, married to a German, said: “Our oldest just started speaking English one day around age 3. She had heard so much she could understand and just started talking. 

“The twins are starting to speak more and more English. It wasn’t a problem since she was fluent in both by age 4. I advise patience and not expecting perfection at a young age.

Crystal, 38, who lives in Nuremberg and speaks English at home, responded: “At first, my main concern was getting as much German into our lives as possible so my son would be ready for Grundschule. 

“Now I’m swinging the other way. My advice is to try to relax. There are always other things to worry about, and kids learn so much really quickly.”

…but also challenge yourself

Finally, respondents to The Locals’ survey repeated that raising bilingual children is something that requires a degree of effort – on the parent’s behalf. 

J.K, 40, who lives in Hanau and speaks English and Telugu at home, told The Local: “Language is very important for the kids to grow in a culture. 

“Parents should facilitate situations around the kid to better integrate locally. Parents (at least one) should be able to speak German at a level better than B1. 

“If not, supporting kids in their education is difficult, and this will hamper their chances of reaching a higher education level.”

Read More: Six surprising facts about Germany’s school system

Moreno, 40, who lives in Munich and speaks Portuguese with his children, was firm in his advice: “Don’t choose the easy way for you, parents. Don’t hide in your language community bubble. 

“If you intend to live in Germany for a long time, put your kids in German schools and get them in touch with the German community.

“If you don’t speak German like me, deal with it. But don’t transfer your problem to your kids.”

Have we missed any crucial advice for raising bilingual children in Germany? Tell us in the comments section below.

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