Tag Archives: sayings
Sayings + Expressions 13 – Money I Posted by Sten on Jun 9, 2017
Money. Something so universally present in our lives that, of course, there are many sayings and expressions about it. Also in German. Today, we explore a Sprichwort (saying) and an Ausdruck (expression) concerning Geld (money). Because there are so many, we will explore money and time related ones on Monday. For today, let’s begin with the Sprichwort! Geld regiert die Welt Money rules the…
Devilish German Sayings Posted by Constanze on Mar 29, 2017
Guten Tag! Today I’d like to share some German Redewendungen – sayings/expressions – with you. The German language has many expressions that contain the word der Teufel – devil. Some of these are the same in English, while others are completely different. Some are very straight-forward, while others are more imaginative! The prominence of this word…
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…
Planets and Outer Space In German Posted by Constanze on Nov 16, 2016
Guten Tag! Today’s topic is science – specifically, outer space and the planets of the solar system. This is something I’m sure we all remember learning about in school; it is one of those topics that stuck with us all. So why not learn the names of the planets in German? Let’s go! die Planeten…
Untranslatable German: Tote Hose Posted by Constanze on Jun 23, 2016
Guten Tag! It’s time for another untranslatable German word – but it’s a special one, because it’s technically a phrase that is used in place of a single word. Confused? Don’t be! It’s a funny one. Today’s phrase is ‘tote Hose’. What does tote Hose mean? In German, ‘tote Hose’ is used to describe something…
German Sayings Translated Literally pt2 Posted by Constanze on May 16, 2016
Guten Tag, everyone! Recently I wrote a post about the postcards you can buy in Germany which feature German idioms translated literally into English. These are somewhat of an in-joke to speakers of both languages, so I wanted to share the love and explain what they all meant! You can read that post by clicking…
German Sayings Translated Literally (pt1) Posted by Constanze on May 12, 2016
Guten Tag, everyone! Today I want to teach you a bunch of German sayings and expressions. You can buy postcards in Germany that are literal English translations of popular German idioms. Perhaps you’ve seen or bought one of these already, but in case you haven’t, one of these postcards reads: ‘ONLY THE HARD COME IN…