{"id":12505,"date":"2021-01-06T23:00:23","date_gmt":"2021-01-06T23:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=12505"},"modified":"2021-01-06T14:46:02","modified_gmt":"2021-01-06T14:46:02","slug":"germanys-youth-word-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/germanys-youth-word-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Germany’s Youth Word 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guten Tag! Every year, the Langenscheidt<\/a> dictionary selects a word it calls the Jugendwort des Jahres \u2013<\/strong> Germany’s Youth Word of the Year<\/strong>. This is separate from the Wort des Jahres<\/strong> (Word of the Year), also picked by Langenscheidt. For the Jugendwort des Jahres, people have the opportunity to vote from a selection of shortlisted teen slang, and then the winner is picked by a jury. Germany’s Youth Word 2020 was revealed recently, so today we\u2019ll be looking at that, plus the other contenders for the title. This is a great way to get an insight into the German spoken today by young people \u2013 it\u2019s not something you would find in a textbook, for example! For Wort des Jahres 2020, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Image by Devin Avery on Unsplash.<\/p><\/div>\n

Germany’s Youth Word (Jugendwort des Jahres) 2020 is:<\/h3>\n

Lost.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, it is an English word, as a lot of German youth slang usually is! But the word ‘lost’ is not new to the German language, so why have German teenagers been saying it so much this year that it earnt itself the title of Jugendwort des Jahres<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Langenscheidt explains:<\/p>\n

\u201eVielleicht passt das diesj\u00e4hrige Jugendwort des Jahres auch ganz gut in die aktuelle Situation, in der wir alle stecken. Wom\u00f6glich sind wir durch Corona so \u201elost\u201c, wie noch nie zuvor.”
\n\u201cPerhaps this year\u2019s youth word perfectly describes the current situation we are all in. Thanks to the Coronavirus, we are \u2018lost\u2019 like never before.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ways to say \u2018lost\u2019 (in the context of feeling hopeless, empty) in actual German include:<\/p>\n

unsicher<\/strong> (unsure, unsteady, insecure)
\nahnungslos<\/strong> (clueless)
\naussichtslos<\/strong> (hopeless, desperate)<\/p>\n

Germany’s Youth Word 2020 Runners-Up:<\/h3>\n

Schabernack<\/strong> \u2013 a practical joke, hoax, shenanigan<\/p>\n

Mittwoch<\/strong> \u2013 Wednesday. Relating to a meme featuring a frog, containing the words \u2018Es ist Mittwoch, meine Kerle\u2019 (\u2018It is Wednesday, my dudes\u2019).<\/p>\n

Wild\/Wyld<\/strong> \u2013 This has the same translation in English: wild. In German, the correct spelling is \u2018wild\u2019, but in youth slang there is a variation of it with a y: wyld. It is usually said with the word \u2018zu\u2019 in front of it: \u2018Zu wyld\u2019 \u2013 \u2018too wild\u2019. It is used when describing something perceived as crazy, or otherwise unusual.<\/p>\n

No front<\/strong> \u2013 An English phrase used in German, meaning whatever has been said was not meant to offend and should not be taken personally.<\/p>\n

K\u00f6ftespie\u00df<\/strong> \u2013 This relates to German rapper Xatar, who released a song with this title in 2020. The song begins with the lyrics:<\/p>\n

\u201cWas ist das Erste, was du machst, wenn du rauskommst?
\nDas Allererste, ich glaub’, ich geb’ mir ‘n sch\u00f6nen Kebap, so ‘n sch\u00f6nen K\u00f6ftespie\u00df\u201d
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s the first thing you\u2019ll do when you get out?
\nThe first thing I think I\u2019ll do is get myself a nice kebab, a nice K\u00f6ftespie\u00df (kofta skewer)\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n

Diggah<\/strong> \u2013 A friend\/mate<\/p>\n

Cringe<\/strong> \u2013 Pretty self-explanatory. German words similar to the English \u2018cringe\u2019 are peinlich<\/em> (embarassing) and the untranslatable German word Fremdscham<\/em>, which you can read about here!<\/a><\/p>\n

Mashallah<\/strong> \u2013 An Arabic word meaning \u2018what God has willed\u2019 (in German: ‘wie Gott wollte’, or ‘was Gott wollte’), often used to express gratitude or to congratulate someone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Guten Tag! Every year, the Langenscheidt dictionary selects a word it calls the Jugendwort des Jahres \u2013 Germany’s Youth Word of the Year. This is separate from the Wort des Jahres (Word of the Year), also picked by Langenscheidt. For the Jugendwort des Jahres, people have the opportunity to vote from a selection of shortlisted…<\/p>\n

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Sauftrag<\/strong> \u2013 A planned drinking event. Sauftrag is a Kofferwort (portmanteau word)<\/a> of the words der Auftrag<\/em> (contract, job, mission) and saufen<\/em> (to drink\/guzzle, usually relating to alcohol).<\/p>\n