Tag Archives: untranslatable german
Untranslatable German Words: Die Gesichtsbremse Posted by Constanze on Jan 21, 2015
I know you all love learning about German’s ‘untranslatable’ words, so here’s another – the first one of 2015, in fact! Today’s untranslatable German word is Die Gesichtsbremse. What is the literal translation of Gesichtsbremse? The word is made up of Das Gesicht (face) and Die Bremse (brake). So, it literally means ‘face…
Untranslatable German Coffee: Kaffeeklatsch and Kaffeefahrt Posted by Constanze on Nov 21, 2014
Today I’m talking about two words centred around one of my favourite things – coffee! Coffee in German is Kaffee. Just the mere mention of this word brings a smile to my face. I’m sure you’ve heard of the German Kaffee und Kuchen Kultur (‘coffee and cake culture’) – they’re absolutely mad for it. So…
Untranslatable German Words: Nervensäge Posted by Constanze on Oct 17, 2014
Hello and welcome to another post on untranslatable German words! I can’t believe how many words we’ve covered already – Torschlußpanik, Geisterfahrer, Gemütlichkeit, Waldeinsamkeit, Putzfimmel, Schattenparker… to name just a few! It may not have a reputation as being romantic or sexy, but if you’re a language lover then you’ll quickly realise what an interesting…
Germany doesn’t have bad weather. It has un-weather. Posted by Constanze on Oct 5, 2014
Guten Tag, meine Lieben! Since die Jahreszeiten are changing and Herbst und Winter are upon us here in the UK, I thought this was the right time to learn some Wetter vocabulary – and yes, the Germans even have an untranslatable word or two when it comes to describing the weather. The first untranslatable word…
Untranslatable German Words: Der Geisterfahrer Posted by Constanze on Sep 17, 2014
Guten Tag! Here’s another little German language lesson in the form of an untranslatable German word – and today there are a few other words thrown in for good measure. Today’s word is Der Geisterfahrer. Before I tell you what this word means, here are some similar-looking words, along with their meanings. You will see…
Untranslatable German Words: Waldeinsamkeit Posted by Constanze on Aug 21, 2014
Guten Tag, and wilkommen to another post on untranslatable German words! The word of today is Die Waldeinsamkeit. What is the meaning of Waldeinsamkeit? It refers to a very specific feeling – the feeling of being alone in the woods. What does Waldeinsamkeit literally translate to? Wald means wood/forest. Einsamkeit means loneliness, or solitude. How…
Untranslatable German Words: Torschlusspanik! Posted by Constanze on Aug 3, 2014
Guten Tag, and willkommen to another post on untranslatable German words! The word of today is Torschlusspanik. What is the meaning of Torschlusspanik? This is the fear that time is running out. It describes the panic you get when you realise one day that in actual fact, you haven’t done very much with your life…