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GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Trauer

You’ll see this sad word in the headlines a lot at the moment.

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

Why do I need to know this word?

Because it describes a core human emotion and often appears in news stories when important public figures pass away.

What does it mean?

die Trauer is the German word for “grief” and describes the deep emotional pain over a loss or misfortune.

It comes from the verb trauern which means “to grieve,” but be careful not to mix it up with the verb trauen which means “to trust”.

Language experts believe that the modern German word trauern can be traced all the way back to the Gothic language – an ancient East Germanic language which has been extinct since the 6th century.

It’s believed that the Gothic word driusan, which can be translated roughly as “to fall down” or “to become dull, powerless” became trüren in Middle High German and eventually trauern in modern German.

In German, Trauer is used to mean “grief,” “sadness” and the grieving process itself. You may already be familiar with the adjective traurig meaning “sad” and you’ll also hear it appearing in the word Trauertag – “a day of mourning” – especially at the moment. 

Every year in November, Germany has a Volkstrauertag (literally “the people’s day of mourning”), the German version of remembrance Sunday, when people gather to remember the victims of the two world wars. 

Use it like this:

Keiner sollte während der Trauer alleine sein

Nobody should be alone during their grieving period

Mit tiefer Trauer haben wir die Nachricht vom Tod Ihrer Majestät Königin Elizabeth II. erhalten

It is with deep sadness that we have received the news of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

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GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Dudelsack

This hilarious sounding German word describes something quintessentially Scottish.

German word of the day: Dudelsack

Why do I need to know Dudelsack?

In the run-up to the German v Scotland opening match of Euro 2024, there were a lot of these gracing the streets of Munich. More importantly, why wouldn’t you want to know a word like Dudelsack?

Just say the word aloud and it will brighten your day. 

What does it mean?

Dudelsack (pronounced like this) is one of those German words that’s both charmingly literal and somewhat onomatopoeic, describing a big bag or sack that makes a ‘doodling’ kind of noise: in other words, the bagpipes.

As well as sounding like the noise this traditional Scottish instrument makes, dudeln also translates as ‘to drone’, and anyone who’s heard the bagpipes will know that this is also a fairly accurate description of how they sound. 

READ ALSO: 10 German words with hilarious literal translations

As Scotland geared up to play Germany in the opening match of Euro 2024 in Munich, many sacks were doodled in the Bavarian capital. 

Seeing parades of kilts and hearing the distinctive wail of the Dudelsack against the backdrop of Munich’s gothic town hall isn’t something you experience every day, and we’re sure it’s an experience the people of Munich also won’t forget for a while. 

Use it like this: 

Hör mal auf, Dudelsack zu spielen! Es geht mir auf die Nerven.

Stop playing the bagpipes! It’s getting on my nerves.  

Weißt du, wie der Dudelsack klingt? Man hört ihn überall in Schottland.

Do you know what the bagpipes sound like? You can hear them everywhere in Scotland. 

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