Untranslatable Words: Die Konfirmandenblase Posted by Sten on Mar 12, 2020 in Culture, Language
Do you have to go to the bathroom a lot? Looks like you may have a Konfirmandenblase… A what? Let’s look at this untranslatable classic today!
What does Konfirmandenblase mean?
https://youtu.be/3ATLej-1WW0?t=1178
A Konfirmandenblase refers to a weak bladder, somebody that has to go to the toilet a lot. Other similar words referring to the same are “Sextanerblase” (“Sexta pupil bladder”, an old word for 5th grade in Germany was Sexta) and “Pionierblase” (“pioneer bladder”). All three of these terms mean the same thing.
What would be a literal translation of Konfirmandenblase?
Image by Robert Thiemann at Unsplash.com
Konfirmandenblase literally means “Confirmand bladder”. Confirmand? Somebody that is doing their Church Konfirmation (Confirmation)? Yes. Weird, right?
But why is it related to this? It looks like it may come from how langweilig (boring) the Konfirmationsunterricht (Confirmation lessons) were, and because of Langeweile (boredom), the teens just wanted to escape it often – which looks like they have a real weak bladder!
And so this word is also related to copping out of an event, especially because it is not very spannend (interesting).
How would you use Konfirmandenblase in a sentence?
Du musst schon wieder auf Toilette gehen?
– Tja, ich habe wohl eine Konfirmandenblase!
(You have to go the bathroom again?
– Well, looks like I have a Confirmand bladder!)
What is the nearest English equivalent of Konfirmandenblase?
There is no such thing as a “Confirmation bladder” in English. Perhaps there, the Konfirmationsunterricht was never that langweilig! I’ve seen an expression somewhere of a “Chinese bladder”, but I could not find much on that nor have I heard that in the wild before. If you have, or know an equivalent, please let me know in the comments below!
Have you heard of the Konfirmandenblase? Does your language have an equivalent or similar term? Let me know in the comments below!
Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.
About the Author: Sten
Hi! I am Sten, both Dutch and German. For many years, I've written for the German and the Dutch blogs with a passion for everything related to language and culture. It's fascinating to reflect on my own culture, and in the process allow our readers to learn more about it! Besides blogging, I am a German-Dutch-English translator, animator and filmmaker.
Comments:
Bron:
That is all so interesting and gave me a chuckle. We used to use the term Chinese Bladder here in Australia. Perhaps it was from days when Chinese products were more ‘cheap and nasty’, or a little substandard, and doesn’t *always* apply today.
Sten:
@Bron oh, very interesting!
Richard Roan:
Men my age generally say about frequent urination:
Excuse me, I need to go shake hands with the unemployed.
John:
People do refer to it as just a “weak bladder.” I have heard a few people in my lifetime say, “I have a bladder the size of a pea!” or “My bladder is the size of a pea!” which would be the same condition as a “Konfirmandenblase.”
Sten:
@John Yep. The direct translation “schwache Blase” exists in German, too. Now that you say it, you’re right! I’ve heard that expression before 🙂