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LEARNING GERMAN

Why every country should get on board with the German Feierabend

Feierabend is the name for the time after you finish work; when you switch off your computer, hang up your tools, or get rid of your uniform. And Germans really know how to embrace it.

Why every country should get on board with the German Feierabend
Finally relaxing on a Feierabend. Photo: DPA

Every employee in the world looks forward to Feierabend, and yet we don't even have a word for it in English. It’s made up of two parts: Feier (a party/celebration, sounds a bit like 'fire' in English) and Abend (evening).

Feierabend doesn’t have to be late though; you’ll hear shift workers saying it to each other at any time of the day, whenever they finish working really. They say: ‘Schönen Feierabend!’ = ‘Enjoy your after-work time!’

The concept runs contrary to the common perception that Germany, Europe's largest economy, is all about work. Germany has some of the highest levels of productivity in the world, with unemployment rates at a record low of just 4.1%.

Many Germans truly however use Feierabend to disconnect from the office.  Germany’s employment ministry fully support this, recently stating in a set of labour guidelines that managers should not call or email their employees after hours.

I've found that Nacht for Germans also tends to mean tuning out – to sleep! In German it doesn’t mean 'night' in the same way English speakers use it. It is literally the time you receive some shut eye. I've lost count of the times I've received strange looks when I've asked Germans what they did last night. They usually answer with: 'I slept of course!' Best to ask if they've had a good Feierabend.

A classic German song which proclaims that it's “Finally Feierabend!”

My Feierabend are a little sketchy at the moment, at least by German standards, because I’ve been struggling to really let go. It's hard to switch off when you work freelance, or you're doing shifts, or having to finish a research project or whatever else.

So on weekdays the evening celebration rarely comes before 10pm. And when it finally arrives, it’s not so much a party as a measly fumble in the cupboard for a few raisins or almonds – it used to be chocolate but I realized I was pinning way too much joy and anticipation on sugar and had to cut down.

But really, this is not acceptable! I'm in a country with the word Feierabend, and should take that on board – as should other countries. 

In 2017, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported that Germany’s “employment growth is strong… above potential, and the fiscal position keeps strengthening”. But Germans don't seem to be workaholics.

They value their time away from work and try to make the most of it. Most people take a proper hour-long lunch break, actually chatting with their colleagues or friends instead of constantly checking their phones. They aren't afraid to take sick days if they need them – often with the philosophy that they are doing their colleagues a favour by not constantly sneezing around them – and they enjoy their time away from the office without guilt.

They honour a work-life balance so much that 80 percent, in a recent survey, said that they don’t want anything to do with work while on holiday. Compare that with their American counterparts, only 52 percent who said that they disconnect from their professional lives while taking a trip.

I've neglected my Feierabend moments recently. But I tell you, when I do get a proper one – well, at that moment I love it. I now try and make Feierabend Friday a thing.

The techno song “Feierabend wie das duftet”, or Feierabend as it smells.

I’ve always loved Fridays. Even when I worked on weekends, there was something magical and bubbly about the end of the week that isn’t quite Saturday yet. It’s that feeling of being a bit too tired and in need of bed but so happy that you have a couple of days off in front of you that you stay up. Bleary eyed and smiling.

In previous jobs in the UK, Friday evening used to be a time when people would gather in the pub and I loved being part of it. It was kind of fun to get home at 8 or 9pm, a bit tipsy and starving. I'm talking really hungry, feeling like you’ve not eaten in days. Then you really enjoy a good meal.

The Feierabend has a different feel in Germany since going to the pub after work is not so common. I mean some people do it, but lots of punters go out much later, at around 11pm. Well, when your bars don't shut until you choose to leave and your clubs are open all the way through until Monday morning, maybe starting later on Friday is necessary…

Last summer, on one of my designated Feierabend Fridays, I met my friend Alice and we walked in the sunshine and then sat by a canal in Berlin drinking white wine from plastic cups and eating ice cream.

It seemed like the whole population of Berlin was squeezed onto the slopes next to the Landwehrkanal in Kreuzberg, observing swans love and fight each other in a series of exaggerated movements.  Watching the sun go down on a Friday night is a lovely experience to end the working week.

So as spring picks up its pace, I'm making a little pact with myself: embrace the Feierabend more. I like this idea and I think the English language should adopt it too.

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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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