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Untranslatable German Words: Klangwunder Posted by Sten on Jul 28, 2017
In the series of untranslatable German words, we tackle those words that just don’t have a direct English translation that makes sense. This week, we have a wonderful word, that encapsulates a lot: Klangwunder. What is a Klangwunder? A Klangwunder is a place or device that has miraculous acoustics. It puts you in awe and wonder how such…
Untranslatable German Words: Tante-Emma-Laden Posted by Sten on May 18, 2017
We all have this Großmutter (grandmother), Onkel (uncle) or Tante (aunt) that complains that all the big Supermarktketten (supermarket chains) are taking over, and there is no space left on the market for the small shops, wie es früher mal war (like it once was back in the day). So as a sign of resistance, Tante Emma opened her own little grocery store. That is a Tante-Emma-Laden…
Untranslatable German Words: das Anstandsstück Posted by Constanze on Apr 26, 2017
Hello and welcome to another edition of untranslatable German words, where I bring you the quirkiest, funniest, most unusual words the German language has to offer – and ones that are difficult to find a direct translation for! Today’s word is das Anstandsstück. What does das Anstandsstück mean? Das Anstandsstück refers to the last…
Untranslatable German Words: Bauchpinseln Posted by Constanze on Feb 18, 2017
Guten Tag! As it was Valentinstag (Valentines Day) on 14th Februar, I thought I’d bring you a (sort of!) topical “untranslatable word”. This one will hopefully make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Today’s untranslatable word is bauchpinseln. What does bauchpinseln mean? It means to flatter or compliment someone, just like you would…
Untranslatable German Words: Wichteln Posted by Sten on Feb 9, 2017
In the pre-Christmas time, many groups throughout Germany practice an old tradition: Das Wichteln. But what is that? Find out here, in another post in the awesome series on untranslatable words in German that Constanze started on this blog! What does Wichteln mean? Wichteln is a tradition where all participants get a gift for someone else in the group. Mostly, the originality…
Untranslatable German Words: Morgenmuffel Posted by Constanze on Jan 13, 2017
Hello and welcome to another post on untranslatable German words, where I bring you the quirkiest, funniest and most intelligent words that the German language has to offer – and ones that are difficult to find a direct translation for! Today’s word is der Morgenmuffel. What does der Morgenmuffel mean? In German, a Morgenmuffel is…
Untranslatable German Words: Der Pantoffelheld Posted by Constanze on Nov 23, 2016
Guten Tag! Today it’s time for another untranslatable word, in which I share some of the quirkiest, coolest words the German language has to offer – and try (usually fail) to find an identical English version! This time it’s a funny one: Today’s word is der Pantoffelheld. What does der Pantoffelheld mean? Pantoffelheld is used…