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Tag Archives: untranslatable german

Untranslatable German Words: der Kulturbeutel Posted by on Jul 31, 2015

Guten Tag! Welcome to another edition of German untranslatable words, dedicated to teaching you quirky German words, their meanings, and how to use them! Today the word is der Kulturbeutel. What does Kulturbeutel literally translate to? This German compound noun is made up of the words die Kultur (culture) + der Beutel (bag/pouch). Its literal…

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Untranslatable German Words: Die Knoblauchfahne Posted by on Jun 30, 2015

Today I’m going to talk about bad breath. As you do. Let me introduce you to your new, untranslatable German word: Die Knoblauchfahne.   What does Knoblauchfahne mean? Die Knoblauchfahne means, quite simply, garlic breath! I know this seems like an easy word to translate and in some ways it is, but like all quirky…

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Untranslatable German: Schnapsidee & Alkoholleiche Posted by on May 17, 2015

Guten Tag! I’ve gone a little off track with the untranslatable German words lately, so here are two for good measure! Even though I’ve already written about roughly 5,567 of them, rest assured there are always more quirky, fascinating German words to be discovered. 🙂 These two words revolve around the theme of Der Alkohol…

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Obscure German Sorrows: Weltschmerz and Lebensmüde Posted by on Apr 15, 2015

Today’s untranslatable German words post was inspired by John Koenig’s project, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. This ‘dictionary’ fills gaps in the English language for feelings that were never given a name. One of the ones I came across on there had a German name: Altschmerz. “Altschmerz: weariness with the same old issues that…

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Die Überfremdung and PEGIDA Posted by on Mar 4, 2015

Guten Tag! Often when I write posts about ‘untranslatable’ German words I try to include references to German culture (where applicable) or add in extra information relating to those words.   Today I’ve chosen a word that is relevant to the current political situation in Germany. Die Überfremdung. What does Überfremdung mean? Überfremdung describes excessive…

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Untranslatable German Words: Kummerspeck and Frustfressen Posted by on Feb 9, 2015

Guten Tag, and Willkommen to another edition of untranslatable German words! Today the word I’m going to break down for you is Der Kummerspeck. What does Kummerspeck mean? Kummerspeck is the name for excess fat gained by emotional eating – specifically, the excessive eating people do in times of stress or sorrow. What does Kummerspeck…

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Vocabulary for Valentine’s Day Posted by on Feb 5, 2015

Guten tag! Valentine’s Day is coming up and so I have all the vocabulary you need to get you through the day. Let’s start off with which Geschenke (presents) to buy: Die Schokolade             Chocolate Das Lebkuchen Herz     Gingerbread heart (they also have pet names written on them) Der Blumenstrauss       A bunch of flowers Die Rosen                  …

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