SHARE
COPY LINK

GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Büffeln

If you or your children are gearing up for an exam, this colloquial verb might come in handy.

German word of the day: Büffeln
Photo: Francesco Ungaro / Unsplash + Nicolas Raymond / flickr

Most people will know the feeling: you have an exam coming up and have to work and study extra hard in preparation – often cramming in revision the night before.

Not to be confused with the German word for Buffalo: “der Büffel”, büffeln as a verb that roughly translates to “cramming”.

However there may be some connection to the wild animal – revising to the point of feeling like an overworked buffalo or ox before the plough. Similarly, even the verb “ochsen” is used to signify working diligently at something, with the root of the word stemming from the German word for ox “Ochse”.

Büffeln is a colloquial term (or umgangssprachlich), which can have similar connotations to the British informal term “swot” – a student, perhaps a teacher’s pet, working extremely hard. The noun form of the word, “der Büffler”, can therefore be used in this context. 

Other study terms that are used synonymously to büffeln are pauken, bimsen or stucken.

READ ALSO: What it’s like to study abroad in Germany during a pandemic

Young people sitting an exam at a school in Dresden.

Young people sitting an exam at a school in Dresden in 2021. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Robert Michael

The first university semester is coming to an end for many students in Germany, meaning exam season is coming up and a lot are surely planning on some “büffeln” (me included!).

Examples:

Ich kann heute Abend nicht feiern gehen, ich muss für meine Prüfung morgen büffeln.

I can’t go out tonight, I have to cram for my exam tomorrow.

Obwohl ich versuche, im Voraus zu lernen, scheine ich immer in letzter Minute zu büffeln.

Although I try to study in advance, I always seem to cram at the last minute.

READ ALSO: Studying in Germany: These are the words you need to know

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Rechtsruck

The word describes a trend in German politics that has been worrying many foreigners.

German word of the day: Rechtsruck

The word Rechtsruck comes up from time to time in German politics. It was recently plastered all over the German headlines the day after the European parliamentary elections, for example.

If you want to discuss the mood of the country’s voters in broad terms, Rechtsruck is a good term to have up your sleeve.

What does it mean?

Der Rechtsruck (pronounced like this) can best be translated as a lurch to the right.

It describes a sudden shift in politics to favour right-wing parties, and in some cases, the right-wing extremist and right-wing populist parties like Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).

Disillusionment with Germany’s centre-left government is peaking presently, and it appears that voters are increasingly turning to the right-wing CDU/CSU and the far-right AfD in elections and opinion polls.

This played out in the recent EU elections with the coalition parties losing 21 points between them, while the CDU/CSU emerged victorious and the AfD significantly increased their vote share.

READ ALSO: What do Germany’s far-right gains in EU elections mean for foreigners?

Beyond elections, ein Rechtsruck can also denote a more general embrace of conservative and right-wing ideas, such as a socially conservative stance on marriage or the LGBTQ+ community. This can play out as a lurch to the right within parties themselves, if more hard-line voices gain influence while moderates are left on the side-lines. 

Alongside Rechtsruck, you may also come across the term Rechtsrutsch, which means a slide to the right or a right-wing landslide. This version is more extreme, and usually means that a far-right party has unexpectedly made huge gains in an election.

Though it hasn’t happened too much recently in Europe, there is of course such a thing as a Linksruck: a lurch to the left in which left-wing voices suddenly gain influence in parties and elections. 

Use it like this:

Was ist der Grund für den aktuellen Rechtsruck in der deutschen Politik? 

What’s the reason for the current shift to the right in German politics?

Viele Ausländer machen sich Sorgen über den Rechtsruck in Deutschland. 

Many foreigners are worried about the shift to the right in Germany.

SHOW COMMENTS