{"id":10801,"date":"2019-06-12T06:00:25","date_gmt":"2019-06-12T06:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=10801"},"modified":"2019-06-11T09:36:04","modified_gmt":"2019-06-11T09:36:04","slug":"german-things-and-stuff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/german-things-and-stuff\/","title":{"rendered":"German Things And Stuff"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guten Tag! Do you ever have moments where you can\u2019t remember the word for something? How about when there\u2019s a pile of what can only be described as \u2018stuff\u2019? Just like in English, German has words that you can use in these situations. Here are two of them: Krimskrams and Dingsbums.<\/p>\n

Krimskrams<\/h3>\n

The first word is Krimskrams. This is a masculine noun, so it takes der: der<\/strong> Krimskrams.<\/p>\n

Krimskrams is what you\u2019d call all of the little bits and pieces you have lying in a drawer, for example. Equivalent words\/phrases in English include \u2018odds and ends\u2019, \u2018bric-a-brac\u2019, \u2018knick-knacks\u2019, or, simply, \u2018stuff\u2019 and \u2018junk\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"\"

A Flohmarkt (flea market) is a good place to find Krimskrams! Image via Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n

The word Krimskrams comes from the German verb kramen \u2013 to rummage<\/strong>, and the noun der Kram \u2013 stuff, junk<\/strong>. The \u2018krims\u2019 part of the word doesn\u2019t have any particular meaning.<\/p>\n

There are several synonyms for Krimskrams in German, including:<\/p>\n

der Kram<\/strong>
\nder Klimbim<\/strong>
\nder Krempel<\/strong>
\nder Ramsch<\/strong>
\ndas Ger\u00fcmpel <\/strong>(Interestingly, a box room in German is sometimes referred to as Kammer f\u00fcr Koffer und Ger\u00fcmpel<\/strong> – \u2018small room for suitcases and knick-knacks\u2019. Its usual translation is die Abstellkammer.<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

In der Schublade ist lauter Krimskrams
\nThere\u2019s a load of junk in the drawer<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dingsbums<\/h3>\n

The second word is Dingsbums. This is an unusual word because it can take all three genders<\/em>: der (masculine), die (feminine), or das (neuter)!<\/p>\n

Dingsbums is the word you use when you have forgotten the name of something. It\u2019s the equivalent of saying \u2018thingymajig\u2019 or \u2018thingymabob\u2019 in English. You can also use Dingsbums if you have forgotten a person\u2019s name. This makes it the equivalent to \u2018Whats-his-name\u2019 or \u2018Whats-her-name\u2019 in English.<\/p>\n

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Image via Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n

The word Dingsbums comes from the German word for \u2018thing\u2019 – das Ding. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh! So ein Dingsbums habe ich auch!
\nOh! I\u2019ve got one of those thingymabobs, too!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Dingsbums is a playful, fun, and informal word.<\/p>\n

A variation on Dingsbums is \u2018Dingsda\u2019. Literally \u2018thing there\u2019, this is used if the thing you can\u2019t remember the name of is right in front of you, and you\u2019re pointing at it, for example.<\/p>\n

Look out for my next post on German placeholders!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Guten Tag! Do you ever have moments where you can\u2019t remember the word for something? How about when there\u2019s a pile of what can only be described as \u2018stuff\u2019? Just like in English, German has words that you can use in these situations. Here are two of them: Krimskrams and Dingsbums. Krimskrams The first word…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":119,"featured_media":10804,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[503854,504105,63020,95131,451644,376012,504106,376023,3016,1401],"class_list":["post-10801","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-language","tag-curious-words","tag-dingsbums","tag-filler-words","tag-german-language","tag-german-words","tag-germanlanguage","tag-krimskrams","tag-language","tag-placeholders","tag-words"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t