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LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

The real meanings behind German words that are used in English

Even the most ardent admirer of the language of Goethe would have to admit that the language is somewhat clunky at times. Luckily Germans have found a way around this, and the results have even seeped into English.

The real meanings behind German words that are used in English
Adidas. Photo: DPA

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Image if every time you had to talk about your flat share in German, you had to splutter out the word Wohngemeinschaft. Or, if when looking for said Wohngemeinschaft, you had to equip yourself with a Schutzgemeinschaft für allgemeine Kreditsicherung.

Let’s just say that things could take a while. That’s why (thankfully) some smart German once decided that their language was totally impractical and decided to invent the first Abkürzung (or Abkü as we at The Local like to call it).

Abkürzungen are abbreviations which Germans often create in a rather novel way by leaving in the vowels, creating quite pleasing results.

Thus, people who need to present a credit rating hand in their Schufa, not a Schutzgemeinschaft für allgemeine Kreditsicherung. And if they are lucky they will be able to move into a WG, not a Wohngemeinschaft.

Some of these Abkürzungen have even made it into English, meaning we use them while having no knowledge of the real meaning.

Here are some of our favourites.

The Gestapo and SS

Even Anglophones with no knowledge of German whatsoever tend to have a smattering of Nazi and military German. Thus, if you were to say “Hände hoch” or “Achtung” on the streets of a English town, you would probably make yourself understood (even if those nearby might be somewhat confused).

The names of Nazi institutions are also common knowledge in the English-speaking world. We all know that the SS were Hitler’s crack troops and the SA were his street goons.

What fewer people know is that SS stands for Schutzstaffel, meaning protective squadron. Originally called the Saal-Schutz, they took on the new name in 1925 under the suggestion of Hermann Göring.

Another word that many people outside Germany probably don’t even realize is an acronym is Gestapo. The name of the Nazi secret police is an abbreviation of the words Geheime Staatspolizei (secret state police).

Even the word Nazi is itself an Abkürzung, being short for Nationalsozialismus.

Stasi

Photo: DPA

The Nazis were not the only totalitarian German system that managed to imprint its vocabulary on the world’s consciousness. The communists who took power in East Germany at the end of the Second World War gave us the Stasi, a word synonymous with paranoia and potential betrayal by one's neighbours.

Stasi is itself an Abkürzung of Staatssicherheitsdienst, meaning the state security service.

Adidas

Luckily, Germany hasn’t just given us the vocabulary of terror, it has also exported brands known for the high quality of their products.

The name Adidas has spread to every corner of the globe. What is less well known is that Adidas actually an Abkürzung for the name of the founder of the company Adolf Dassler. Adi is a common nickname for someone with the name Adolf – so the company became Adi-Das.

Haribo and other brands

Naming companies after oneself via a nifty Abkürzung was clearly all the rage back in the early twentieth century. The founder of the confectionary company Haribo, Johann “Hans” Riegel did the same when he started out in 1920. He added a little twist by name dropping his hometown, so it was HAns RIegel BOnn.

Photo: DPA

The detergent company Persil took a slightly more impersonal approach, naming themselves after their ingredients: PErborate and SILicate.

Aldi founders Theo and Karl Albrecht thought they would take the best of both worlds and combined their name with what they stood for. Thus Aldi is an Abkürzung for Albrecht Discount.

Gesundheit

It is not just acronyms that have crept into our English lexicon from German, the real meanings of which we are blissfully unaware of. Gesundheit is commonly used in parts of the US as a polite thing to say when people sneeze. This is of course correct – Germans also use it in this way. But very few Americans know that the word actually means health.

Reading and eating

Book worms among us will also be familiar with the word bildungsroman, which is a type of novel dealing with a character’s coming of age. While many people are vaguely aware that it comes from German, few know that the word means development-novel.

And how many of us have used the word deli hundreds of time in our everyday lives and never realized it comes from German? Deli is short for the German word Delikatessen, a fine foods shop.

Dollars

The word “dollar” is a fair bit older than than the American currency. It's an anglicized form of “thaler”, or the name of coins first minted in 1519 from local silver in Joachimsthal in Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic. The full name of the coins was Joachimsthaler, but they were abbreviated for simplicity's sake – a practice that, as we can see, goes back a long time. 

SEE ALSO: From cheering to sneezing: a chronology of Gesundheit in the U.S.

For members

EURO 2024

The German words and phrases you need for Euro 2024

With the Euros being hosted by Germany this summer, it's a great opportunity to broaden your German football vocabulary. Here are a collection of words and phrases to know to get into the games.

The German words and phrases you need for Euro 2024

Auf geht’s!

You’ll usually hear this as the match gets underway and it means: let’s go! Another common expression that means the same thing is Los geht’s! and Fans will often stick their team on the end – Auf geht’s Deutschland! or Los geht’s Dänemark!

You can also shout: Deutschland vor! (Go Germany!) and Weiter, weiter! (keep going) as the match goes on.  

If you’re not feeling so confident at screaming these phrases at a TV, a simple way of explaining which team you’re supporting in a conversation is by saying: Ich bin für Deutschland or Ich bin für Italien. 

Tor!

If you already speak some German, you might recognise this word, which means ‘”gate” or “door” (think Brandenburger Tor) However, in football terminology, it is probably the most joyous word you’ll hear at a match because it means goal. Shout it out when your team gets one in the back of the net!

Italy's defender #05 Riccardo Calafiori reacts after scoring an own goal during the UEFA Euro 2024 Group B football match between Spain and Italy at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen on June 20, 2024.

Italy’s defender #05 Riccardo Calafiori reacts after scoring an own goal during the UEFA Euro 2024 Group B football match between Spain and Italy at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen on June 20, 2024. Photo by KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP

This is a chant involving Tor that you might hear at a match or screening: “Los geht’s Deutschland, schießt ein Tor” (Let’s go Germany, score a goal!).

Meanwhile, the goalkeeper is called der Torwart or der Tormann. Some fans will use the English – goalie. 

READ ALSO: Where are the fan zones for Euro 2024 in Germany?

Elfmeter

For England fans – this is an important one, as England has had some famous trip-ups at penalty shootouts during international tournaments over the years.

The word for penalty kick in German literally means “eleven meters” – the distance from the penalty spot to the goal.

You’ll sometimes hear German fans shouting Elfer! If they think a player has been wronged and deserves a penalty.

Gut gehalten!

This is an excellent Fußball phrase to use if your team’s goalkeeper has just saved an Elfmeter. Literally translating to “well held”, this phrase means “good save”.

Denmark supporters cheer in front of a group of England supporters in Frankfurt on June 20th.

Denmark supporters cheer in front of a group of England supporters in Frankfurt on June 20th. Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP

Schiedsrichter

Der Schiedsrichter – or referee – is often the most unpopular person on the pitch. When watching a match with disgruntled German football fans, you might hear this word shortened to Schiri!, similar to how Ref! is used in English.

Schwalbe

The German word for the bird swallow – Die Schwalbe – is used as a rather poetic description for when a player takes a dive. In these situations, when a footballer dramatically falls to try to earn a free kick or a penalty, they often lie on the ground with their arms and legs spread out, resembling a swallow with its forked tail.

IN PICTURES: Football fans take over German cities for Euro 2024

A swallow in the night sky.

A swallow in the night sky. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Karl-Josef Hildenbrand

Abseits

You’ll hear this term frequently, especially if your team plays an attacking game. It’s the German word for “offside,” and fans will call it out whenever the linesman’s flag goes up. 

Meanwhile, der Freistoß is free kick and der Anstoß is kick off. 

Raus!

You’ll hear this being shouted out when things get tense. Raus! which means ‘out!’ is signalling for the players to quickly get the ball away from the box near their goals to avoid danger. 

Arschkarte

Getting shown die Arschkarte (literally arse card) is another word for getting a red card or Rote Karte. 

It dates back to the 1970s and is connected to referees keeping the yellow card in their shirt pocket and the red card in their back pocket, next to their butt. So it is literally an Arschkarte. You’ll also hear fans shouting Gelb! (yellow) or Rot! (red) if they think someone deserves a booking. Or simply Foul! or Foulspiel! (Foul or foul play). 

By the way, there’s an idiom that is used off the pitch. Die Arschkarte ziehen – ‘pulling the arse card’ is the equivalent to the English ‘drawing the short straw’. So if someone says: ‘Du hast die Arschkarte gezogen’, they mean – ‘you’re out of luck’ or ‘you drew the short straw’.

READ ALSO: How to watch the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany 

Das war knapp! 

Das war Knapp means ‘That was close!’ or ‘that was a close call!’ The Euro 2024 tournament is already proving to be nailbiting so this little phrase is a perfect one to call out in a variety of circumstances such as when your team nearly lets in a goal or when the game finishes, but you just made it. If your team wins by a whisker, you can also use the phrase: Um ein Haar! which translates to ‘by a hair!’

For example – Die deutsche Mannschaft hat um ein Haar gewonnen! – ‘The German team won by a whisker!’

With reporting by Rachel Loxton and Sarah Magill 

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