Guten Tag!

During my time here at the German language blog I’ve had the pleasure of introducing you to the weird, wonderful, ‘untranslatable’ words that the German language has to offer. From Schattenparker to Waldeinsamkeit, Gesichtsbremse to Kaffeeklatsch, this series of ‘untranslatable German words’ has proved to be very popular with you all, and I’m really pleased that you enjoy these words as much as I enjoy writing about them.

So in the spirit of interactivity, and because it’s the end of the month, I thought I’d quiz you all on the ‘untranslatable German words’ series!

The answers to this quiz can be found in my previous posts, which I have linked to individually at the end of this post for ease of reference. Alternatively, you can find them by typing ‘Untranslatable German words’ into the search bar on the right hand-side of this blog. That will bring up all of my posts on the topic, so you can swot up on them before attempting the quiz! Please leave your answers as a comment, and I will post all of the correct answers in a separate post in a few days’ time.

So, shall we get started? Viel Glück to you all!

 

Untranslatable German Words – The Quiz!

1. What is the literal translation of the word Nervensäge?

 

2. What does this sentence mean, and which untranslatable word is mentioned in it?
   “Nach nur 125 Minuten musste die erste Alkoholleiche am Oktoberfest behandelt werden”

3. Which smaller German words are used to make up the compound word Schadenfreude?

 

4. What is the difference between experiencing Schadenfreude and experiencing Fremdscham?

 

5. In German, if you knew you’d annoyed someone, and wanted to stop them from screaming at you the second you walked through the door, what would you give them?

 

6. Which of these words does NOT exist in German?
a) Altschmerz
b) Weltschmerz
c) Lebensmüde

 

 

7. Both of these untranslatable words have the word coffee (‘Kaffee’) in them. But which one is talking about a type of scam?
   a) Kaffeefahrt
   b) Kaffeeklatsch

 

8. What is a Knoblauchfahne?

 

9. What is an alternative word for Arschgeweih?

 

10. Where on the human body would you find the following things?
    a) Nail moons
    b) Ass antlers
    c) Grief bacon

 

11. What is a Kulturbeutel?
a) A purse
b) A toiletry or wash bag
c) A wallet

 

12. What does the word Überfremdung have to do with PEGIDA, the German right-wing political organisation?

 

13. Schattenparker, Damenradfahrer, Beckenrandschwimmer and Frauenversteher are all words that describe what?
a) Methods of transport
b) Wimpy or ‘soft’ people
c) Sporty people

14. What is the German word for a type of cosiness specific to German culture?

 

15. Give an example of when you might experience Torschlusspanik.

 

16. Which of these words literally translates to ‘ghost driver’?
a) Geisterfahrer
b) Schnapsidee
c) Kummerspeck

 

17. Which of these words literally translates to ‘sugar snail’?
a) Rabeneltern
b) Zuckerschnecke
c) Nagelmond

 

WORDS REFERENCED:

Drachenfutter
Waldeinsamkeit
Gemütlichkeit
Nervensäge
Fremdscham/Schadenfreude
Alkoholleiche/Schnapsidee
Kaffeeklatsch/Kaffeefahrt
Schattenparker
Zuckerschnecke
Nagelmond
Rabeneltern
Arschgeweih
Geisterfahrer
Kulturbeutel
Knoblauchfahne
Kummerspeck/Frustfressen
Gesichtsbremse
Überfremdung
Torschlusspanik
Weltschmerz/Lebensmüde

 

If you enjoyed this quiz, let me know, and perhaps I’ll do another one in the future. The idea is to help you guys get the most out of this blog, after all, so any suggestions and feedback are more than welcome!

Looking forward to reading your answers. 🙂

Bis später!

Constanze x