{"id":12882,"date":"2021-04-26T23:00:48","date_gmt":"2021-04-26T23:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=12882"},"modified":"2021-04-22T10:06:34","modified_gmt":"2021-04-22T10:06:34","slug":"4-ways-to-say-nonsense-in-german","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/4-ways-to-say-nonsense-in-german\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways To Say ‘Nonsense’ In German"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guten Tag! Today\u2019s post is about die Rede<\/strong> (speech), something we have touched upon before in this post,<\/a> where I explained the difference between sagen, reden, sprechen, and other words meaning \u2018to talk\u2019 or \u2018to speak\u2019. Today\u2019s post is more about the contents<\/em> of that speech \u2013 in particular, 4 ways to say nonsense <\/em>in German. <\/em>Note that they are all fairly similar in meaning and use, but I will explain the words individually, and include example sentences for each!<\/p>\n

4 Ways To Say ‘Nonsense’ In German<\/h2>\n

Quatsch<\/h3>\n
\"nonsense\"

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

From the verb quatschen, meaning ‘to talk rubbish’, Quatsch is the first of our four words meaning ‘nonsense’. You can either use it as an interjection (‘Ach, Quatsch, das macht nichts!’<\/strong> – ‘Oh, nonsense, that doesn’t matter!’), or to say that someone is speaking nonsense (‘Er redet nur Quatsch’<\/strong> – ‘All he talks is rubbish’).<\/p>\n

Papperlapapp<\/h3>\n
\"nonsense\"

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

This is an interjection used in speech to dismiss what someone is saying as nonsense, rubbish, false, etc., or to otherwise make out that what\u2019s being said is no big deal:<\/p>\n

\u2018Der Arzt sagt, du sollst dich ausruhen.\u2019<\/strong>
\n\u2018Ach, papperlapapp, mir geht\u2019s gut!\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018The doctor says you should rest.\u2019
\n\u2018Oh, nonsense, I\u2019m fine.\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Wischiwaschi<\/h3>\n
\"nonsense\"

Photo by Christin Hume<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

This can be likened to the English ‘drivel’ referring to talk that goes on and on, but doesn’t make sense, or have any real meaning. It’s often translated as ‘wishy-washy’. However, whilst the English term wishy-washy is an adjective (something is<\/em> wishy-washy), in German Wischiwaschi can also be a noun, referring to the talk itself:<\/p>\n

\u2018Das war alles blo\u00df Wischiwaschi\u2019<\/strong>
\n\u2018That was all just nonsense\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Larifari<\/h3>\n
\"nonsense\"

Photo by Mimi Thian<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Similarly to Wischiwaschi, Larifari refers to talk that is nonsensical, silly, or otherwise empty, like when you have a very surface-level conversation with someone, not talking about anything of importance. It can be an adjective: ‘etwas larifari machen’ means ‘to do something in a superficial or careless way’, but it can also be a noun, as below:<\/p>\n

Warst\u00a0du\u00a0bereits in einer Situation, in der jemand\u00a0nur Larifari\u00a0geredet hat?<\/strong>
\nHave you ever been in a situation where someone\u2019s been talking pure nonsense?\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Note that all of these words are colloquial\/informal, and are best used with people you know, rather than in a formal setting.<\/p>\n

The ‘normal’ word for nonsense<\/em> in German, by the way, is der Unsinn!<\/strong><\/p>\n

I hope this has been useful! Let me know if you can think of any more ‘nonsense’ words (unusual or ordinary!) by leaving a comment in the comment box below. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Bis bald
\nConstanze<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"nonsense\"

Guten Tag! Today\u2019s post is about die Rede (speech), something we have touched upon before in this post, where I explained the difference between sagen, reden, sprechen, and other words meaning \u2018to talk\u2019 or \u2018to speak\u2019. Today\u2019s post is more about the contents of that speech \u2013 in particular, 4 ways to say nonsense in…<\/p>\n

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