Cool German

Want to show some street cred? Here is our essential guide to young German people's slang
by Andrea Hoffmann, presenter of BBC beginners' online course German Steps.

We've divided up the expressions so you know what to say and what not to say.

(* = familiar, ** = very familiar, *** = vulgar, s = slang, Lit. = Literally)

ARGUMENT

Germans don't mind a good argument; some even see it as a sport, especially when done
eloquently. Germans consider themselves civilised arguers. They prefer the so-called Lass' uns
darüber reden policy - let's talk about it.
However there might be the odd situation where somebody is really looking for trouble, as in Was
guckst du! What are you looking at?
Here is a list of expressions which will enable you to start a discussion or an argument and either
go for it or try to de-escalate the situation - Entspann Dich. Relax.

Looking for trouble

Hast du ein Problem? (*) Got a problem?

Same as in many other languages and a very common opening line for starting an argument.

Was guckst du? (**) What are you looking at?

This phrase is so famous that there's even a German TV show with the same title. Commonly
used by friends to start a mock fight.

Redest du mit mir? (*) Are you talking to me?

Often accompanied by pointing the index finger to one's chest. It indicates that someone is
annoying you and that you want a challenge. Expect a heated argument.

Willst du mich anmachen? (**) Are you looking for trouble? Lit. Do you want to turn me on?
Unfortunately a real turn-off.

Get lost

Verpiss dich! (***) Piss off!

Sometimes you need to put your foot down.

Zieh Leine! (**) Milder version of Verpiss dich as in "go away". Lit. Withdraw from the line.
A slightly milder version for the more sensitive amongst your acquaintances.

Mach den Kopf zu! (s) Shut up! Lit. Shut your head down.
Stop talking nonsense and get lost.

Mach hier keinen Zoff! (s) Don't cause any trouble here!
A clear warning before stronger measures are taken. Oh no, we'll have no trouble here.

Kümmere dich um deine eigenen Angelegenheiten (*) Mind your own business.
One of the classics.

You're getting on my nerves

Du gehst mir auf die Nerven (*) You're getting on my nerves.
There are probably numerous justified reasons for using this phrase. A standard all time classic
for every intermediate learner of German.

Du gehst mir auf den Keks (**) You're getting on my nerves. Lit. You're getting on my biscuit.

Mach' mich nicht an! (**) Leave me alone! Don't bother me. Lit. Don't turn me on.
Another very straight forward expression.

Nimm dein Gesicht und geh (**) Leave me alone! Lit. Take your face and go.

Leck mich am Arsch (***) Lick my backside.

A real German classic. It was the German literature titan Johann Wolfgang von Goethe no less,
who came up with this remarkable one-liner in his drama "Götz von Berlichingen" in 1773. And it's
been very popular ever since.

Ja, du mich auch! (**) You too!

Standard reply to Leck mich am Arsch, lick my backside. Sometimes even used without the
insulting prompt.

Are you taking the mickey?

Willst du mich auf den Arm nehmen? (*) Are you pulling my leg? Lit. Do you want to pick me
up?
The classic question when you think someone is taking the piss.

Willst du mich verarschen? (***) Are you taking the piss out of me? Lit. Are you 'arsing' me?
German strong language likes to refer to a particular part of the body, the bottom obviously, which
is in itself a noun. But language-wise, this part is very flexible and can be used as a verb and can
be conjugated.

Verarschen kann ich mich allein (***) I can take the piss out of myself. Lit. I can 'arse' myself.
This phrase praises your own intelligence and is used when you want to indicate that you know
very well when something is wrong:
Q: Von wem hast du die Blumen? Who gave you the flowers?
A: Vom Weihnachtsmann. Father Christmas.
A: Verarschen kann ich mich allein. I can take the piss out of myself.

Du träumst wohl (*) In your dreams. Here's another quick and easy way of immediately
destroying somebody's expectations.
Q: Kommst du morgen mit mir ins Kino? Will you come to the cinema with me tomorrow?
A: Du träumst wohl. In your dreams.

Who do you think I am?

Was denkst du, wen du vor dir hast? (*) Who do you think I am?
It is always good to make it clear right from the start - there is no messing with me. I am not as
stupid as I look. Should always be said with a frown.

Auf welcher Droge bist du denn? Was hast du denn genommen? (**) What drug are you on?
Have you taken something?
Here's a nice way of letting somebody know that you are not interested in the least.

Ich glaube, ich spinne! (*) I'm hallucinating. I can't believe what I am seeing/hearing.
Exclamation to express one's surprise either in a positive or negative way, often accompanied by
gestures such as a slap on the forehead.
Nun mach' mal halblang (**) Draw it mild. Don't exaggerate.

De-escalation

Entspann dich! (**) Relax. Don't be so uptight.

Very cool and handy for somebody taking things too seriously.

Komm mal wieder runter (**) Calm down. Don't make a fuss.
Related to ones blood pressure going up when angry, and runter, down, to normal. So don't
make a fuss.

War nicht so gemeint (*) I didn't mean it that way.

Always good for back-pedalling.

Lass uns darüber reden (*) Let's talk about it.

Still popular claim introduced in the 80ies by so-called Softies, people with a soft heart, and
peace-lovers. Mind you, if somebody is really upset, this might make it even worse.

Friede, Freude, Eierkuchen (**) Everything's great. Lit. Peace, joy, pancake. Famous
loveparade slogan. Someone might have had a pancake too many. Or was it a cookie?

DRINKING

The Germans might not be famous for their food but they are certainly famous for their beer.
Germans love their beer and they can choose between numerous brews. You can have ein
Dunkles, ein Helles, ein Hefe, ein Weizen, ein Gespritztes ... just to mention a few. There are
also regional varieties and preferences such as ein Kölsch, a beer from Cologne. A certain
lifestyle is connected to what sort of beer you drink. The Germans are particularly proud of das
Reinheitsgebot, the purity law, which they fought for in the European Parliament.

Beer

Ein 7 Minuten Pils (*) A seven minute beer.

The most popular beer is Pils, and to be perfectly poured it must sit there for seven minutes, and
be topped up.

Ein Radler, ein Alster (*) Shandy, a light beer mixed with lemonade.
Called Alster or Alsterwasser in Hamburg after the town's lake and Radler, cyclist, everywhere
else. A popular low alcohol drink.

Ein Kölsch (*) Regional light beer from Cologne.

You always drink it from 0,2 litre glasses and when in Cologne it is a patriotic act to drink Kölsch.
Never ask for an ein Alt, as this is from Düsseldorf and people would feel strongly offended and
vice versa. There is a similar love-hate relationship between Düsseldorf and Cologne as e.g.
between Manchester and Liverpool.
Memorise: When in Cologne ask for ein Kölsch, when in Düsseldorf ask for an ein Alt.

Eine Berliner Weiße rot oder grün (*) A very light and refreshing wheat beer with syrup.
You only drink it in Berlin and surrounds and only during summertime. Real beer connoisseurs
don't regard it as beer at all. You order it either red, with a twist of raspberry syrup, or green, with
a twist of woodruff syrup.

Zischen (s) To drink. Lit. To hiss.

Drinking a beer quickly. Implies a hissing sound, maybe from the sound a can of beer makes
when opened.

Ein Bier zischen (s) To drink a beer quickly, to hoist one.

Ein Herrenhandtäschchen (s) Six pack. Lit. Man's handbag.

Other spirits

Ein Absacker (**) Nightcap, a last drink before going home. Lit. To sag.

Ein Herrengedeck (*) Consists of a beer and a glass of sparkling wine. Lit. Gentleman's place
setting.
Formerly sold by clubs and bars to keep the beer-only-crowd at bay by forcing them to buy the
two more expensive drinks together.

Ein Magenbitter (*) Digestive. Lit. stomach bitter.

That's what you normally drink after a heavy meal to help you digest. Formerly frowned upon as a
bit of a granny tipple it is now a popular drink for party-goers. Favourite labels are Underberg and
Jägermeister.

Die Puffbrause (*) Bubbly. Lit. brothel lemonade. Says it all.

Let's go for a drink

Lass uns einen trinken gehen (*) "Let's have a drink" is what the Germans refer to when they
want to have a night out. Normally before you go for a drink you have something to eat. Having
something to drink right after work is not as common as in Britain.

Lass uns einen heben (**) Lit. let's lift one together.
Involves usually more than one drink.

Lass uns einen hinter die Binde gießen (**) Let's have a drink. Lit. let's go and pour ourselves
a drink behind the collar. A bit dated but still popular.

Saufen wie ein Loch (**) Drink as if there's no tomorrow. Lit. To drink like a hole.

Vorglühen (s) to pre-party.

Drinking alcohol before you even go out. Lit. Warm up your battery before starting the engine.
Probably something for the Kampftrinker, real heavy drinkers.

Smashed

Der Suff (**) The state of being drunk, sometimes used as colloquial expression for "alcoholism".

Saufen (**) To booze, serious drinking.

Saufen bis zum Verlust der Muttersprache (**) Drink until you forget your mother tongue. Not
advisable but it does happen.

Der Säufer, die Säuferin (**) Heavy drinker, alcoholic.

Kampftrinken (**) Binge drinking. Lit. battle drinking.

Kampftrinker (**) Binge drinker. Lit. battle drinker.

Ich bin blau (**) I'm really drunk. Lit. I'm blue.
You're probably not able to decline offers anymore.

Ich habe einen Kater (**) I've got a hangover. Lit. I've got a tom cat.
Your answer should not be: Oh how nice, what's his name? Rather, you should demonstrate
sympathy for your friend and offer him ein Katerfrühstück, a hangover cure, lit. a tom cat's
breakfast, traditionally a pickled herring (cats like fish, don't they?).

CLASS

Class in Germany is today a question of lifestyle rather than birth-right. The following terms and
phrases give you an indication of the group in society a person is associated with.

People with money

Der Spießer (**) short for der Spießbürger, a narrow-minded, conformist person. Every parent
dreads to be called Spießer by their children, who grow up thinking of themselves as liberated
and open minded by comparison. Buying a house, having a mortgage, driving a family friendly car
and enjoying working in the garden definitely qualifies you as a Spießer.

Der Bonze (**) Big wig. Derogatory for someone belonging to the establishment, holding a high
governmental rank.

Der Neureiche (*) Nouveau riche. Someone who has made a lot of money in a relatively short
space of time and is not shy about showing it off.

Der reiche Sack (s) Loaded geezer. Lit. Rich bag.

Der Schnösel (**) Snotty, arrogant person.

People without money

Der Lebenskünstler (*) Person embracing life without much money. Lit. Life artist.

Der Hungerkünstler (*) Person working as an artist, but making no money. Lit. Hunger artist.

Der ewige Student (*) Lit. The eternal student. A German phenomenon as most students
graduate between 26 and 30 and some even manage to go on until they're 40. Due to the
German tax system it is sometimes more lucrative to hold on to the student status to avoid paying
high taxes while working.

Der Parkbankphilosoph (s) Low life, bag lady. Lit. Park bench philosopher.

Working class

Der Assi (**) Scumbag. Short for Asozialer, antisocial person.

Der Prolo (**) Derogatory abbreviation for proletarian, working class.

Der Mantafahrer (s) Serious stereotyping here: a person who drives an Opel Manta car, has
tattoos and a mullet.

Die Mantalette (s) The girlfriend of Manny, der Mantafahrer. She's blond, her name is usually
Gabi or Mandy and she often works as a hairdresser.

Der Vokuhila (s) Mullet. Abbreviation for the forever popular hairstyle VOrne KUrz und HInten
LAng, short at the front and long at the back.

Other
Der Müsli (*) Person who is very much into environmental issues, eating mainly organic food and
supporting fair trade products. Lit. Muesli eater.

Der Schnorrer (**) Scrounger, sponge.

Der Vereinsmeier (**) Club maniac. Narrow-minded person who is only interested in club
activities, often joining clubs such as collecting model trains, breeding rabbits and pigeons.

Das Weichei (s) Softy. Lit. Soft boiled egg. Endearing term for males who are more in touch with
their feminine side.

Der Warmduscher (s) Softy. Lit. Person who only takes warm showers.

FAMILY

Meine Alten (**) My parents. Lit. My oldies.

Can be used in a disparaging as well as loving way.

Meine Erzeuger (**) Old farts. Lit. My creators.

Die Ellies (**) Short for Eltern, parents.

Die Kohlenbeschaffer (s) Bread winners. Lit. The ones getting the coals.

Meine family(**) My family.

A bit of ever so popular Denglish.

Hotel Mama (*) Hotel "Mother".

Still living at home because it is cheaper and more comfortable.

Die Kniebeißer (s) Rugrats, small children. Lit. Knee biters.

Die Bälger (s) Children.

Meine Angetrauten (*) The in-laws.

Der Lebensabschnittsgefährte, die Lebensabschnittsgefährtin (*) Partner. Lit. life-section-

partner.
One of those funny endless German nouns, created to name a phenomenon of modern times. It
is used to refer to your long-term partner but implicit is the cynical notion that the partnership is
temporary, and should the circumstances of your life change, so will your partner.

Die Lebensgemeinschaft (*) To co-habit without being officially married.

Mein Ex, meine Ex (*) Short for my ex-partner.

Das Krampfadergeschwader (s) Senior citizens. Lit. Varicose vein brigade.

FOOD

Not much to write home about you might think but attitudes towards food have changed and the
food has improved quite a bit. It used to be a big deal to stick to die Mahlzeiten, the correct
eating times. Some families still insist on having lunch between 12pm and 1.30pm and the so
called Kaffee at 4pm sharp. With longer and flexible working hours this is all changing.
Younger people often prefer a light fusion of European and Asian food. Vietnamese is quite
popular and so are small diners. Sandwich shops are mushrooming all over.
Traditionally German food is based on potatoes and bread. You should definitely try a good
hearty potato based meal in a traditional German restaurant. You might also have heard about or
even had Abendbrot, dinner, consisting of bread and cold cuts.
So enjoy this chapter and Guten Appetit or Mahlzeit!

Hungry

Mir knurrt der Magen (*) I'm hungry. Lit. My stomach is growling.
Usually a noise caused by an empty stomach like a dog's growl.

Ich bin hungrig wie ein Wolf (*) I'm hungry like a wolf.

Ich könnte ein halbes Schwein verschlingen (**) I could eat half a pig.

Ich sterbe vor Hunger I'm starving.

Meals

Die Mahlzeiten Lit. Feasting times. They are still taken very seriously.
You might also hear the odd Mahlzeit! hailing through the halls between noon and 2pm when this
word is used as a greeting.

Das Frühstück (*) Breakfast.

There is often the weekday and weekend option. Weekdays it's normally a coffee, cereal or toast
with jam or honey. At weekends you either go out for brunch or people feast on boiled eggs, a
variety of rolls, cold cuts and yogurt.

Zu Tisch (*) A bit naff for having lunch. Lit. At the table.
People in administrative jobs like to flock to the canteen at around 12pm. So don't try to call and
bother them, you will only hear the answer:
Frau Meier ist zu Tisch, rufen Sie bitte später an (*) Mrs Meier is having lunch, please call
again later.

Das Kaffekränzchen (*) Pretty old-fashioned expression for having cakes and coffee at around
4pm. Families sometimes meet on Sundays for a little Kaffee und Kuchen gathering. The term
Kaffeekränzchen is today also used for unsuccessful business meetings that end without
substantial decisions.

Das Abendbrot/die Brotzeit (*) Dinner.

A very German thing where you normally have brown bread with a choice of cold cuts. The
traditional Abendbrot or Brotzeit in southern Germany is being replaced by a cooked dinner as
people often drop their lunch during working days.

Food

Lass uns Essen fassen (**) Let's grab some food.

Mampfen (**) Stuffing your face.

Die Assischale (s) Paper plate with chips - not exactly haute cuisine. Closest British equivalent is
a portion of chips wrapped up in newspaper from the local greasy spoon.

Die Mantaplatte (s) Paper plate with chips with ketchup or mayonnaise, lit. Manta server. Drivers
of Opel Mantas have a bit of a reputation.
Pommes rot/weiß also Pommes Bahnschranke (**) Chips with ketchup and mayonnaise, lit.
chips red/white or chips "level crossing barrier" (because of the way the barrier is painted).

Der Döner (*) Kebab, very popular Turkish fast food.

Has long replaced the celebrated German Bratwurst as a quick snack.

Die Currywurst (*) Popular German sausage snack with a tomato-based sauce and curry
powder.

Tasty or not

Das war lecker (**) That was yummy.

Das war ekelhaft (**) That was disgusting.

Total verkocht (**) Totally overcooked.

Zäh wie Leder (**) Tough like leather.

Zum Finger ablecken (**) Finger-licking good.

Das lebt ja schon wieder (**) Lit. It's living again. Something so rotten, it's coming back to life.

Das liegt mir wie ein Stein im Magen (*) It's lying in my stomach like a stone.

FRIENDS

Mein Kumpel (**) A mate, a good male friend.

Bruder (*) Male with the same ethnic or social background. Lit. Brother.

Schwester (*) Female with the same ethnic or social background. Lit. Sister.

Der Typ (*) Guy, bloke, both neutral and derogatory.

Der Fuzzi (s) Guy, bloke, derogatory.

Die Buddies, die Clique (s) Friends, circle of friends.

Die Zicke (s) Girl, bitch. Lit. She-goat.

Der Zickenstall (s) Ladies rest room. Lit. She-goats' stable.

Zickenalarm (s) Bitch alert. Lit. She-goats' alert.

Die Tussi, Trulla, Schnepfe, Puppe (s) A young woman, girlfriend, mostly derogatory.

Der Macker (s) A young man, boyfriend, mostly derogatory.

MOF (s) Short for Mensch ohne Freunde, Billy-no-mates, loner.

GOING OUT
Berlin is 'the' German city for a night out. Given the city's recent history there are still many things
to discover but the party scene is quite young and always on the move.
You'll find everything from sleek and stylish to grungy and underground. Here is a list of
expressions to help you keep track of the party slang. But be careful, it's like the scene: Heute in,
morgen out. What's 'in' today is 'out' tomorrow.

Getting ready

Aufbitchen (s) To get tarted up for a party.

Aufbrezeln (s) To dress up, lit. to pretzel yourself up.

Vorglühen (s) To pre-party, have a drink to get you started. Lit. Warm up your battery before
starting the engine.

Places to go

Clubben gehen? (**) Shall we go clubbing?

Party machen (*) To party.

Um die Häuser ziehen (**) Lit. Stray around the blocks.

Sich die Nacht um die Ohren hauen (**) Doing an all-nighter. Lit. Twist the night around your
ears.

Rumtrashen (s) Party heavily.

Durchsumpfen (s) Doing an all-nighter and getting wasted.

Eine Party schmeißen (**) To throw a party.

Partyparasit (s) Gate crasher.

Zu Hause abhängen (**) To hang around at home, doing nothing special.

Vor die Kiste/vor den Flimmerkasten hauen (**) Watch TV and do nothing.

Club-hopping (**) It's exactly what it says and quite popular.

Zappelbunker (s) Night club. Lit. Fidget bunker.

Zocken (s) Gambling.

The morning after

Ich habe einen Kater (**) I have a hangover. Lit. I've got a tom cat.
It's an old but still popular expression. Some things never go out of fashion.

Ein Katerfrühstück (**) Good, hearty breakfast for the day after, with lots of carbohydrates. Lit.
Tom cat's breakfast.

Breit sein (s) Smashed, plastered, stoned. Lit. To be wide.

HEALTH
Health is certainly one of the more serious but also the most popular topics for Germans. You
might have never worried about your Blutdruck, blood pressure, or the level of your cholesterol,
but you should. Germans certainly do...
Here are some expressions to talk it down a little.

Where to go when you're ill

Der Hausarzt (*) General expression for your local GP.

Der Seelenklempner (**) Shrink. Lit. Soul plumber.

Der Halbgott in Weiß (**) Doctor. Lit. Half God in whites.

Medical doctors in Germany usually wear white clothes.

Der Zahnklempner (**) Dentist, Lit. Teeth plumber.

Parts of the body

Die Birne (**) Head. Lit. Pear.

Die Fresse (*) Face.

Der Riechkolben (**) Nose. Lit. Smelling flask.

Die Fressritze (*) Mouth. Lit. Munching chink.

Die Wampe (*) Stomach.

My ... is sore

Mir tut (+ any part of the body) weh (*) My (+ any part of the body) hurts.

Mein Blutdruck ist zu hoch/zu niedrig (*) My blood pressure is too high/too low.

Mir ist schwindlig (*) I feel dizzy.

Mir ist speiübel (*) I feel quite sick.

Ich habe mir den Magen verdorben (*) I'm feeling sick. Lit. I have wasted my tummy.

INTERJECTIONS

Interjections play an important part in every language. Sometimes whole words are just too much
and that's when interjections come in handy. The good thing about them is they are often
international and by the intonation you know exactly whether you should stay or run.
Here is a little list of interjections you should know for getting around.

Annoying situations

Mann! (*) Lit. Man! You're annoyed.

Mist! (**) Lit. Dung! You're very annoyed.

Scheiße! (***) Shit! An all-time classic.

Scheibenkleister! (*) A bit naff but commonly used as a milder, more palatable version of
Scheiße! As in "fudge", "sugar", "flipping heck" ..., well, you get the picture... Lit. Window paste.

Autsch! (*) Ouch! That hurts.

Verdammt nochmal! (**) Damn!

Hallo! Jemand zu hause! (*) Hello! Anybody home? Usually accompanied by knocking on
somebody else's head.

Noises

Aha! (*) I understand.

Oh! (*) Surprise.

Nein! (*) No! I don't believe it.

Hmm! (*) I'm thinking.

Puhh! (*) I've just escaped an uncomfortable situation.

Wau! (*) Wow! That's great!

He! (*) Watch out!

Hä? (*) I don't understand.

Ach, nee! (**) I knew it! Usually put in front of a sentence as in:
Ach nee, hab' ich es nicht gesagt! Du wolltest es ja nicht glauben. You see, didn't I tell you?
And you didn't want to believe me.

Food

Lecker! (**) Delicious! Very good food.

Pfui Teufel! (*) Devilishly disgusting.

Igitt! (**) Yuck, yuck.

Iihh! (*) Eeeck! Waiter, there's a dead mouse in my soup.

Handy words

Holla! (**) Careful!

He! (**) Calling somebody.

Oder was? (*) Or what? Punctuates a lot of sentences and is often the equivalent to English
question tags, although not that polite.
Kommst du nun, oder was? You are coming, aren't you?

Dalli, dalli! (**) Chop chop! Hurry up!

Also ... (*) Well ... Often used to start a sentence or announce an activity.
Also, dann wollen wir mal! Well, let's start then.
Voll (s) Reinforcement when put in front of an adjective for comparison as in voll gut, even better
than good.

MONEY

Money is a tricky subject for Germans. Money is mainly there for security, not for spending, and
having money is regarded as a bit dodgy. It's okay to spend public money but private money
should be stashed away in savings accounts. Germans tend to worry about their pensions from a
very young age. They lavishly pursue the hobby of bargain hunting and there is a very popular
slogan which says it all: Geiz ist geil! Being stingy is cool!

Money

Die Kohle (**) Dosh, Lit. Coal.

Die Mäuse (**) Money, Lit. Mice.

Ein Hunni, ein Tausi, eine Mille (**) One hundred, one thousand, one million. General slang for
the hundred/thousand/million euro notes.

Bar auf die Kralle (s) Receiving money in cash. Lit. Cash on the claw.

Expensive

Ein Haufen Geld (**) An arm and a leg. Lit. A heap of money.
Das hat mich einen Haufen Geld gekostet. (**) That cost me an arm and a leg.

Das kostet mich ein Vermögen. (*) That cost me a fortune.

Die Kohle zum Fenster rausschmeißen (**) Wasting money. Lit. Throwing coal out of the
window.

Eine gute Partie (*) Lit. A good part. Quite an old-fashioned term for somebody with money, like
an eligible bachelor.

Voll teuer (**) Very expensive.

Cheap

Das ist ja hinterher geschmissen (**) That's cheap. Lit. That's thrown at you.

Aldig, voll Aldi (s) Skanky. Referring to the cheap supermarket chain Aldi.

Broke

Ich bin blank (**) I'm broke. Lit. I'm blank.

Ich bin abgebrannt (**) I'm broke. Lit. I'm burnt down.

Ich bin klamm (**) I have no money left. Lit. I'm clammy.

Ich bin auf pump/auf Stütze (s) I'm on welfare/on the dole.

Stingy

Die Taschen zuhalten (**) Being stingy. Lit. To keep your bags closed.
Schlauchen (**) To scrounge.

Etwas auf Pump kaufen (**) Buying something on credit.

Geizhals (*) Stingy person. Lit. Stingy neck.

Knickerig/knauserig (**) Being stingy but having enough money, being an overly economical
person for no reason.

MOODS

Germans tend to answer questions about their mood quite honestly, so don't be surprised to
listen to someone's life story after an innocent 'How is it going?'. So beware if you don't have
much time or patience.
Asking the question Wie geht's? 'How are you?' you might hear one of the phrases listed in this
section.

Good

Ich bin super drauf (**) I'm very well.

Alles Banane (s) Everything is fine, Lit. Everything's banana. There is no point trying to figure out
the link between feeling good and bananas, maybe it's the vitamins ...

Alles im grünen Bereich (**) Everything is fine, under control. Lit. Everything is in the green
sector. The opposite of red alert.

Ich bin auf Wolke sieben (**) I'm on cloud nine. Lit. I'm on cloud seven. That's normal when
you're in love.

Ich habe das große Los gezogen (**) I'm really happy with my life. Lit. I've won the lottery.

Alles paletti (s) Everything's fine. Sounds Italian but it's more likely to derive from the French
word paletot, coat

Exhausted

Ich bin total fertig (*) I'm totally exhausted.

Ich bin platt (**) I'm shattered. Lit. I'm flat.

Ich fühl' mich voll daneben (**) I'm not on track, I'm standing beside myself.

Ich bekomme es nicht auf die Reihe (**) I can't do it. I'm not able to get something going, to
solve a problem. Lit. I cannot get it in a line.
Q: Was ist los mit dir? What's wrong with you?
A: Ich bin so fertig, ich bekomme nichts auf die Reihe. I'm so shattered, I can't get anything
done.

Upset

Ich bin nicht gut drauf (**) I'm not at my best, I'm feeling blue.

Ich bin total angepisst (s) I'm really pissed off.

Ich krieg den Hass (**) I'm extremely annoyed. Lit. I've got hatred. So don't mess with me today.

Mir schwillt der Kamm (**) I'm bristling. Lit. My comb is swelling.

Ich hab so'n Hals (**) I'm really angry. Lit. I'm having such a neck.
You're so angry your lymph nodes are swelling. The expression has to be accompanied by an
appropriate gesture. Put your hands on both sides of your neck and demonstrate the enormous
imaginary swollen lymph nodes poking out of your neck.

Durchgeknallt (**) When somebody just lost it. Lit. Blown.

Dem/Der ist eine Birne durchgeknallt (**) He/she just lost it. Lit. One of his/her bulbs blew.

Astonished

Das haut mich um (*) This is mind-blowing. Lit. That knocks me out.

Das erwischt mich kalt (**) I'm not prepared for that. I didn't expect this at all. Lit. It's catching
me cold.

Das ist fett (**) That's quite a thing. Lit. That's fat.

MUSIC

Music is a very important part of everyday German life and is also a good start for a conversation.
Talking about music in cool German is a lot like talking in English and you will hear a lot of
familiar words such as track, DJ set, sound etc.
Here are some terms which will hopefully lead you through a cool conversation.

Music

Die Mucke (s) Music.

Der Sound (s) Music, sound.

Das Brett (s) Track. Lit. The board.

Great

Cooler Sound (**) Cool sound. Note that English words get a German grammatical make-over
and acquire German endings.

Das geht ab (**) That's great.

Das ist krass/fett (s) That's very good, that's a killer. Lit. That's fat.

Voll der Hammer (s) Wicked tune. Lit. A massive hammer.

Das Brett burnt (s) This track is banging. Please note the English verb 'to burn' which receives
the German third person singular ending -t.

Das ist megamäßig abgespaced (s) This is out of this world. Please note the word abgespaced,
taken from the English 'spaced' and incorporated into the German grammatical pattern.

Rubbish
Scheiß Mucke (s) That's shit music.

Das ist alles eine Soße (**) That's all the same thing. Lit. That's all the same sauce.
Totally mainstream, coming from the same source.

Das ist weichgespült (s) This is too middle-of-the-road. Lit. That's treated with softening agents.

PLAY UP/PLAY DOWN

Play up

Bombastisch! (**) Bombastic!

Genial! (*) A stroke of a genius!

Gigantisch! (*) Gigantic!

Geil! (s) Great, awesome, wicked. Lit. Randy, horny. These days it's used to express that
something is great, cool or nice although a generation ago it was only used with its original sexual
meaning.

Mega + any adjective or noun (**) Commonly used to emphasize something, either good or bad.
Das ist megageil (s) That's really cool.
Das ist megaschlecht (s) That's really bad.
Das ist ein Megaerfolg (s) That's a great success.

Hammermäßig! (**) That rocks. Lit. That hits like a hammer.

Dieses Auto ist der Hammer (**) This car rocks.
Die Party war der Hammer (**) The party rocked.

Play down

Den Ball flach halten (s) Don't exaggerate, calm down. Lit. Keep the ball down.

Das ist unterirdisch (s) That's really bad. Lit. That's below the surface of the earth.

POLITICS

The Germans have a love-hate relationship with politics. They love debating political issues and
get very passionate about them. So called Talkshows are very popular on German TV where
politics and celebrities debate the state of the nation.
Germans consider themselves political experts. They have an opinion about each and every
topic. Paradoxically they never trust politicians but expect the government to solve every problem
for them.

Political affiliations

Die Realos (**) Short for die Realisten, realistic people. Term for members within a party who
are regarded as the ones with a more realistic attitude to what's possible.

Die Fundis (**) Short for die Fundamentalisten, fundamentalists. Those members within a party
with a more fundamentalist attitude who often like to stick to the old ways.
Müslis/Ökos (**) An endearing term for people who hug trees, eat organic food (mainly
vegetarian) and wear alpaca jumpers and Birkenstocks. Commonly associated with die Grünen,
followers of the Green party.

Die Alternativen (**) Politics offering alternative solutions to the main parties, often radically left-
wing ideas.

Die Anarchos (**) Short for die Anarchisten: no power to any person, state or government.

Die Faschos (**) Short for die Faschisten, fascists, politicians supporting right-wing ideas. The
term is frequently used in a non-political manner for people with conservative ideas or simply as a
swear word for unpleasant people.

Die Kommis (**) Short for die Kommunisten, communists.

Die Sozies (**) Short for die Sozialisten, social democrats.

Das politische Urgestein (*) Lit. Political primitive rock. Term used for people such as chancellor
Helmut Kohl or Helmut Schmidt, influential people who were in power for a long period of time
and had great political influence.

Der Betonkopf (**) Reactionary die-hard. Lit. Concrete head.

Politics as usual

Das politische Blabla (**) That's just political tittle-tattle.

Die Wahlköder (**) The promises voters hear before the election. Lit. Election bait.

Eine Ente (**) Hoax. Lit. Duck. Journalists' term for a fake story which is spreading in the media.

Der Jammerverein (**) Lit. Collective moaning club. Either used for a party or for the voters.

Die Null-Bock-Generation (**) Generation without any interest in politics. Lit. Zero-interest-
generation.

Die Spaßgesellschaft (**) Generation only interested in having fun. Lit. Fun generation.

PROFESSIONS

Academics

Der Pauker (**) Teacher. Lit. Person playing the kettledrum.

Der Prof (**) Short for der Professor at a university.

Die Studis (**) Short for die Studenten, students.

Der HiWi (**) Short for der Hilfswissenschaftler, assistant scientist.

Civil servants/public service

Die Sesselfurzer (s) Lit. Chair farters. People working in the public service or administration.

Die Beamtenmentalität (*) Slow, not very productive work caused by lots of red tape. Lit. Civil
servant mentality.

Der Bulle (**) Pig, cop. Lit. Bull. Don't use it when talking to a policeman.

Others

Die Tippse (**) Typist, secretary, reduced to writing letters only.

Die Saftschubse (s) Trolley-dolly, Lit. Person pushing the juice trolley.

Der Agenturheini (**) Person working for a PR agency.

Die PR Maus (**) Derogatory for female PR assistants. Lit. PR mouse.

Die Putze (**) Short for die Putzfrau, cleaning lady.

Der Schreiberling (**) Journalist.

Blaumachen (**) To pull a sickie, going awol. Lit. To make it blue.

Ich mache heute blau. (**) I'm pulling a sickie today.

FOOTBALL

Football fans have a special code for communicating. Their language is often cryptic and full of
metaphors. If you hear fans, for example, encouraging their team with the slogan Ran an die
Pille! you probably wouldn't know what it meant, even with a decent command of German. Now
that's where we're stepping in to help you catch up on the lingo in preparation for a big football
event.

Football slang

Die Pille (s) Football. Lit. Pill.

Das runde Leder (s) Football. Lit. The round leather
Ran an die Pille! (s) Go for the ball! Lit. Go for the pill!

Der Kasten (s) Goal. Lit. box. That's what the whole match is about: getting the ball in the goal.
Wenn das Leder im Kasten klingelt (s) Scoring a goal. Lit. When the leather jingles in the box.

Abräumen (**) To score, Lit. To clean up.

Versenken (s) To score, Lit. To dump, to sink.
Den Ball im Tor versenken (s) To score a goal. Lit. To dump the ball in the goal.

Bolzen (s) To kick about. Playing just for fun in your spare time.
Der Bolzplatz (s) Football pitch. Lit. Kick around ground. Communal pitch, often with goal posts,
where you can play football.

Der Hexenkessel (s) Football stadium of the opposing team, with the fans creating a heated
atmosphere. Lit. Witch's cauldron.

Rempeln (**) To barge into, to shove somebody away. Unfair behaviour on the football pitch.

Anfeuern (*) To cheer on, to encourage your team. Lit. To fire.

Schlachtengesänge (**) Football chants Lit. Battle songs.

As in Steh auf, wenn du für Deutschland bist (*) "Get up if you're supporting Germany", sung
to the melody of "Go West" by the Pet Shop Boys.

La-Ola-Welle (*) La-ola-wave. Mexican wave, invented by fans at the World Cup in Mexico in
1986.

Ihr könnt nach Hause fahrn' (*) "You can go home." Fans greeting the opposing team.

Der Schlachtenbummler (**) Football fan who travels to support his team (home and away). Lit.
Battle stroller.

Der Abstauber (**) Goal hanger, player who scores without much strategy, sometimes
accidentally, Lit. Swiper.

Kleinklein (s) Passing the ball from player to player without a plan. Lit. Small small.

Die Gurkentruppe (s) Team that plays badly and unprofessionally, a disaster area, incompetent
bunch of players. You get the picture. Lit. Cucumber troop.

Die Altherrenmannschaft (**) Senior citizens' team. Often used to describe a team that plays
slow and unadventurous football.

Referee

Schiri (s) Short for der Schiedsrichter, referee.

Der Unparteiische (*) Referee. Lit. The neutral one.

Der Schwarze (**) Referee. Lit. The black one (referring to his black clothes).

Der Schiedsrichter braucht einen Blindenstock (*) Lit. The referee needs a white cane.

Football metaphors

Some football terms even made it into every day language.

Auf der Auswechselbank sitzen (*) Ready to be replaced by somebody else. Lit. Sitting on the
substitute's bench.

Die rote Karte zeigen (*) To send someone off, to keep someone from doing something. Lit. To
brandish the red card.

Im Mittelfeld spielen (*) To be mediocre. Lit. To play the centre field.

In einer anderen Liga spielen (*) To be better than someone else. Lit. To play in a different
league.

Footballers' pearls of wisdom

Footballers are not just famous for their ability to play and score, but also for their comments after
a match. Enjoy the following classic quotes.

Ich hatte vom Feeling her ein gutes Gefühl. Andreas Möller (former player Schalke 04) in
fluent Denglish about his feelings. Lit. My feeling was that I had a good feeling.

Das habe ich ihm dann auch verbal gesagt. Mario Basler (former player FC Kaiserslautern)
states the rather obvious. Lit. That's what I said verbally.

Ich habe gleich gemerkt, das ist ein Druckschmerz, wenn man drauf drückt. Lothar
Matthäus (former player Bayern München) reveals medical insights. Lit. I immediately realised
that it was a pressure pain when I put pressure on it.

Zwei Chancen, ein Tor - das nenne ich hundertprozentige Chancenauswertung. Rohland
Wohlfahrt (former player Bayern München) knows his maths. Lit. Two chances, one goal - that's
what I call taking your chances one hundred percent.

Ich brauche keinen Butler, ich habe eine junge Frau. Thomas Doll (former player HSV) proves
to be a gentleman. Lit. I don't need a butler, I have a young wife (who is now married to one of his
colleagues).

Mailand oder Madrid - Hauptsache Italien! Andreas Möller (former player Schalke 04) knows
his geography. Lit. Mailand or Madrid - All that matters is that it's in Italy.

Names

Fans always find nicknames for their favourite players. It is very popular to just shorten the name
and then add an -i to the end. Here are some names to look out for.

Olli Oliver Kahn, Bayern München goalkeeper, also called der Titan, the titan.

Poldi Lukas Podolski, 1.FC Köln

Schweini Sebastian Schweinsteiger, FC Bayern München. Lit. Piggy from his rather unfortunate
last name

Klinsi Jürgen Klinsmann, national team trainer

Basti Sebastian Deisler, FC Bayern München

Balla Michael Ballack, FC Bayern München

PULLING

When it comes to seduction the Germans have a bit of a reputation, or is it that they have no
reputation? Women don't like to be treated as an easy catch and often find it awkward being
invited for a drink. Men are not known for their gentlemanly behaviour.
It would seem that flirtation and seduction are not what Germans are most skilled at. Either they
get straight to the point or they talk about serious topics and professional aspirations. However,
real friendship can blossom between men and women even if the flirting leads to no success.
These are the words to watch out for.

Looking around

Scannen/auschecken (s) To check out. Note that English words get a German grammatical
make-over and acquire German endings.
Lass uns die beiden da hinten mal auschecken. (s) Let's check out those two over there.

Making a move

Aufreißen (s) To pick up. Lit. To tear open.

Aufgabeln (s) To pick up. Lit. To fork up.

Anbaggern, angraben (s) To flirt. Lit. To dig someone.

Yes or no

Einen Korb geben (**) To reject someone. Lit. To give someone a basket. A bit old-fashioned
but still in use. Apparently, from the times when women used a basket to pull their lovers into their
bed chamber.

Landen (**) To score. Lit. To land.

Ein Griff ins Klo (s) Being unsuccessful. Lit. To grab into the toilet bowl.

Lass uns abpfeifen (**) Lit. Let's blow the final whistle. The likelihood of scoring is negative so
you'd rather leave and try again somewhere else. The night is still young.

Getting down to it

Knutschen (s) To snog.

Schmusen (s) To canoodle.

Poppen (s) To shag.

Ein Gummi (**) A rubber.

Flachlegen/flachgelegt werden (**) To shag someone/to get laid.

Weiberheld (s) Womanizer. Lit. Wenches' hero.