Tag Archives: untranslatable words
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…
Germany’s Indian Summer Posted by Constanze on Oct 12, 2016
Guten Tag! Today it’s time for another untranslatable German word – and I wanted to get this one in now because it’s all about that beautiful period between the end of Sommer (summer) and the beginning of Herbst (autumn) – which some of us will, hopefully, be enjoying right now! Today’s word is der Altweibersommer…
German Children’s Stories 2: Zappelphilipp Posted by Constanze on Sep 14, 2016
Guten Tag! Today I’m tying two topics together: An untranslatable word (we haven’t had one of those for a while!) and a classic German children’s story. One of these inspired the other. Want to learn more? The German word I am focusing on today is der Zappelphilipp. What does der Zappelphilipp mean? A ‘Zappelphilipp’…
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…