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GERMAN LANGUAGE

Eight ways to talk about the heat like a true Austrian

With another heat wave just around the corner, here are some of the German phrases that will help you express yourself in the hot weather.

Published: 19 July 2022 13:03 CEST
Updated: 7 April 2024 06:42 CEST
Eight ways to talk about the heat like a true Austrian
Sergey Zotin of Russia jumps from a 27 metre high ramp into the Wolfgang Lake near St. Gilgen in Austria 17 July 2005 during the annual summer cliff diving event.Photo by MARKUS LEODOLTER / AFP)

1. Mir ist heiß

Firstly, it’s worth pointing out how to correctly express the fact that you’re hot in German.

In German, you say mir ist heiß using the dative form of the personal pronoun ich.

Be careful not to directly translate the English sentence “I am hot” into ich bin heiß as most German speakers will understand this to mean that you are hot in a more sensual sense of the word.

Examples:

Mir ist heiß, so furchtbar heiß.
I am hot, so terribly hot.

Mir ist es hier zu heiß.
It’s too hot for me here.

2. Was für eine Affenhitze!

The word Affenhitze is a colloquial term used for very high temperatures and literally means “monkey heat”. It’s widely believed that the term first appeared at the end of the 18th century in Berlin.

READ ALSO: The German language you need for summer in Austria

At that time, the monkey house in the Berlin Zoological Garden was known for being extremely hot, so people started to speak about “heat like in the monkey house”. Over time, the phrase became shortened into the phrase widely used today.

Example:

Morgen herrscht wieder eine Affenhitze.
Tomorrow will be another scorcher.

3. Das Kaiserwetter

Literally meaning “emperor weather,” Das Kaiserwetter more colloquially refers to those days of glorious sunshine, blue skies, and comfortable temperatures.

In other words, it’s the weather perfect for an emperor.

It is believed that the term has its origins in Austria as Austrian Kaiser Franz Josef’s birthday, the August 18th, was often bright and cloudless.

4. Es ist brütend heiß!

The adjective brütend comes from the verb brüten, meaning to breed or to incubate. It is likely, therefore, that it made its way into common parlance about the weather, from the fact that raising younglings involves keeping them nice and warm.

Hier drin ist brütend heiß!
It’s sweltering hot in here!

READ ALSO: Five of the best things to do in Vienna this summer

5. Es ist sauheiß!

Similar to the Affenhitze, this one means “it is sow hot” or “pig hot”. Perfect for those unbearable heat days.

6. Ich schmore in diese Hitze

More commonly used in the cooking lexicon, the verb schmoren meaning ‘to stew’, or ‘to sizzle’ is often used to express the feeling of being exposed to high temperatures. A comparable English phrase would be, “I am sizzling in this heat”.

7. die Sonne knallt!

One popular expression to do with the heat focuses on the source of the problem itself. The verb knallen means “to bang” or “to slam”.

Example:

Die Sonne knallt auch wenn es bewölkt ist!
The sun is blazing even when it’s cloudy!

8. “Es is ur haaß”

If you want to keep it simple, but still extremely Austrian, you can’t go wrong with just saying “it is super hot” using a very typical Austrian expression.

The High German would be “es ist sehr heiß“, but in Austrian dialect it’s common to shorten some words (turning ist to is) and use ‘ur‘ in lieu of “sehr” (meaning very, much, super, or uber). The Haaß is a good way to imitate heiß in the local dialect.

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RENTING

Can I get out of a rental contract in Austria?

Have you viewed an apartment in Vienna o elsewhere in Austria and hastily signed a contract? Don't you like the apartment after all? These are your withdrawal rights in Austria.

Published: 23 April 2024 17:24 CEST
Can I get out of a rental contract in Austria?

In Austria, the rental market is highly competitive, with apartments often staying on rental platforms for short periods due to high demand and limited supply. This, coupled with brief apartment visits (sometimes with other prospective tenants) and the pressure to secure a place, can lead to hasty contract signings. 

Understanding your withdrawal rights is essential in such a market.

READ ALSO: Renting in Austria – The key things foreign residents need to know

If you signed a rental contract and then realised you don’t want the place, you might feel stuck in your contract. Austria does have really strict rules on contracts, so that “anyone who signs a rental offer makes a binding declaration that they wish to rent the apartment at a certain rate”, Austria’s Tenants Association says.

The real estate agent will also remind you that you cannot leave your contract, as you signed a contractual agreement (“verbindliches Angebot“, which means a binding offer). But what exactly are your rights then?

It’s all about timing

Basically it’s very tricky and almost impossible to back out after signing a rental contact in Austria.

According to Austria’s Chamber of Labour (AK), Austrian law is on your side – but only in a particular case. 

Under a consumer law that applies to all types of contracts, including rental agreements, you are protected against potential pressure from real estate agents and property owners. If you view an apartment and sign an agreement on the same day, you have the right to withdraw from the contract within the week. Furthermore, if the estate agent fails to inform you of your right to cancel, you can withdraw from the contract within one month.

READ ALSO: Shopping in Austria – What are your consumer rights when purchasing goods?

The Tenants Association is more critical and explains that withdrawal is only possible within the “narrow” limits of the Consumer Protection Act. “If you as a consumer submit your contractual declaration on the same day that you viewed the apartment for the first time, you can withdraw from your contractual declaration in writing within one week.”

If the offer was not signed on the day of the very first viewing, though, there is no right of withdrawal in Austria.

READ ALSO: Tenant or landlord – Who pays which costs in Austria?

If you have the right to do so, the most effective way to withdraw from a rental contract is to do it in writing, preferably by a registered letter, as explained by the Austrian Chamber of Labour (AK). This not only provides a clear record of your intent but also empowers you to navigate the legal aspects of the process with confidence. 

If you signed the offer after the viewing, you don’t have the right to withdraw from the contract you signed. In that case, you could ask for a mutual agreement termination, seeking an amicable termination option with the landlord. Otherwise, you’d be bound by the contract, which in Austria usually means you’d have to stay for one year in the apartment and give three months’ notice before leaving.

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