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German word of the day: Die Goaßgschau

Why do we sometimes find ourselves staring into space for no reason? And why don’t we have a word for this in English? Well the Bavarians do: die Goaßgschau.

Published: 1 October 2019 15:44 CEST
German word of the day: Die Goaßgschau
A true 'Goaßgeshau'. Photo: Depositphotos/SashaKhalabuzar

What does it mean?

Die Goaßgschau is not a word that you’d hear everywhere across German speaking countries; rather it’s a dialect word that’s found exclusively in Bavaria in southeast Germany. It refers to “an absent-minded gaze”. 

Perhaps it’s a term you’ll hear if you’re headed to Munich for Oktoberfest this year. 

READ MORE: 15 Bavarian words you need to survive down south

What are its origins? 

A Goaßgschau is something we’ve all experienced at some point in our lives. We’ve done it ourselves and we’ve watched other people do it, though we probably didn’t consider that someone out there had named the concept.

An alternative phrase in English that communicates the idea of not quite being present is “to be away with the fairies”, though this British term doesn't quite capture the notion of a staring blankly at nothing. 

In English Goaßgschau translates to “the stare of a goat”, or a person’s absent-minded gaze which resembles that of a goat’s blank stare. 

Goaß is the Bavarian dialect word for goat (as opposed to the standard German word die Ziege) and Gschau is the Bavarian dialect word for a person’s facial expression (which is quite far off from the standard German word Der Gesichtsausdruck).

Goaßgschau: Why do we do it?

As presented in a report by Galileo, the University of Wisconsin conducted research into why we all do a Goaßgeshau.

We usually stare into space whilst we’re working, and according to their findings, a Goaßgshau is an automatic human mechanism which helps us process new information. It also helps us refocus our concentration.

Examples of Goaßgshau

“Hallo!! Hörst du mich?” …“Sorry, Goaßgschau!”
 
Can you hear me? … Sorry, I was away with the fairies.
 
“Das sogenannte Goaßgschau kennt jeder von uns.”
 
Everyone know what the so called “stare of a goat” is all about.
 
“Wenn nun jemand während einer Vorlesung abwesend ist, Dann ist das Goaßgschau in seiner schönsten Form zu beobachten.”
 
When someone's not quite present during a lecture, then the Goaßgschau can be observed in its purest form.
 

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GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Einbilden

If you occasionally like to create a whole new reality in your mind, this German word is an essential part of your vocabulary.

Published: 30 April 2024 11:53 CEST
German word of the day: Einbilden

Why do I need to know einbilden?

Einbilden a word that you’re likely to hear coming out of your German friends’ mouths on a regular basis, and which describes a fairly common scenario.

It’s also a great excuse to practice your separable and reflexive verbs, and contains a root verb that German learners just can’t do without. 

What does it mean?

Used in the reflexive form, sich einbilden (pronounced like this) has multiple shades of meaning that all relate to deluding yourself in some way. 

In its most neutral use, sich etwas einbilden means to imagine something or be convinced of something that isn’t true.

When someone could have sworn they had a conversation with you that never actually took place, they may say doubtfully: “Vielleicht habe ich mir das nur eingebildet”, meaning: “Maybe I just imagined it.”

If you already know the word imagined as sich vorstellen, then it’s worth thinking of sich einbilden as vorstellen’s badly behaved brother. While vorstellen involves having some imaginative and empathetic capacity, einbilden edges towards tricking or deluding yourself. 

READ ALSO:  German word of the day – Vorwurf

This is partly because sich einbilden also has numerous negative connotations, and can often be used to describe people who are particularly full of themselves, smug about something, or overly convinced of their own talents. 

In this case, you’d often use einbilden as a separable verb, meaning that the root (bilden) is used separately from the prefix (ein). “Er bildet sich ein…, (etwas) zu sein” is a common formation you’ll hear, that roughly translates as, “He fancies himself to be (something)”.

If someone likes to blow their own trumpet in general, the construction you’ll need is: “Sich viel auf sich einbilden”, which could roughly translate as: “To pride yourself on a lot” or “To think a lot of yourself”. 

Similarly, being smug about something simply involves swapping “auf sich” to “auf etwas” in that sentence, so you get something like: “Sie bildet viel auf ihre Leistung ein.” (“She’s very smug about her performance.”)

READ ALSO: German phrase of the day – Über den Tellerrand shauen

If you want to keep it snappy, then you can always use einbilden as an adjective instead. “Du bist so eingebildet” would translate as “you’re so full of yourself”, so keep this in your arsenal if you know someone like that.

A rooster in a field

A rooster strutting in a field in Turkey. If someone thinks they’re the “cock of the walk” they’re best described in German as “eingebildet”. Photo: Photo by Hulki Okan Tabak on Unsplash

Note that when you use sich einbilden, the pronoun (sich) is in the dative case, so you’ll need to reach for mir, dir, Ihnen, etc., instead of mich, dich, and Sie. 

How can I remember it?

If you need help remembering einbilden, a good place to start would be to break it down to its components and think about what it literally means.

Most German learners will have heard the verb bilden, which means to form, build or create something, before.

Adding the prefix ein turns this inwards, so that someone who is eingebildet has formed an idea internally – usually that they are the most handsome, talented and charismatic person in the world.

Use it like it like this: 

Hast du dein Auto hier gelassen, oder habe ich mir das nur eingebildet?

Did you leave your car here, or did I just imagine it?

Sie bildet sich ein, die beste Mathematikerin der Welt zu sein. 

She fancies herself as the best mathematician in the world. 

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