Tag Archives: untranslatable german
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…
The German Word ‘der Kater’ Posted by Constanze on Feb 8, 2017
Guten Tag, everybody! In case you weren’t aware yet, I think the German language is truly wonderful. I love it when I tell somebody about an unusual German word and their face lights up. So here’s a post that I hope will make your face light up, too! In this post we’ll learn the German…
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…
Untranslatable German Words: Magdeburgisieren Posted by Sten on Nov 10, 2016
In our segment of untranslatable words in German, we discuss words that have no English equivalent. Today, I will have a look at a rather grim one, but that is definitely untranslatable. Today, I will discuss the verb magdeburgisieren. What does magdeburgisieren mean? During the Dreißigjährigen Krieg (Thirty Years’ War) from 1618-1648, an absolute low occurred in 1631. In…
Untranslatable German Words: Lebenskünstler Posted by Sten on Oct 20, 2016
In another post in the awesome series on untranslatable words in German that Constanze started on this blog, we will have a look at the German word Lebenskünstler. It is pretty difficult to translate to English, because of its precise meaning. Let’s get into it! What does Lebenskünstler mean? A Lebenskünstler is a person that manages to deal with problems in life in…
Untranslatable German Words: Versemmeln Posted by Constanze on Oct 19, 2016
Guten Tag! It’s time for another ‘untranslatable German word’ – one of those words that, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t find an equally quirky, unusual or downright funny translation for in English! The untranslatable words I’ve shared with you here have mostly been nouns, but this time I’m giving you a…