The first of the two words is Der Kaffeeklatsch.<\/strong><\/p>\n Kaffeeklatsch. Photo by photocapy on flickr.com on CC BY-SA 2.0<\/p><\/div>\n A Kaffeeklatsch<\/strong> is a meeting between friends to exchange gossip over coffee. It is made up of the words Kaffee (coffee) + Klatsch (gossip\/noise).<\/strong> This word allegedly originated around the 1900s when German women would gather in one of their homes to drink coffee and chat. The German Kaffee und Kuchen Kultur<\/strong> (as I mentioned above) most likely originated from this. Compared to here in the UK, I definitely eat more cake and drink more coffee when I go to Germany, and it is all down to the Kaffeeklatsch custom. Practically everybody wants to invite you round, and it is quite an insult to some people if you say no \u2013 especially if they have just baked a cake, or bought one fresh from the bakery, ready for this exact occasion! I can’t think of an English word that describes Kaffeeklatsch. It’s a great German word. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n The second word is Die Kaffeefahrt.<\/strong><\/p>\n Photo by dskley on flickr.com under CC BY-ND 2.0<\/p><\/div>\n Although it looks somewhat similar to Kaffeeklatsch, this word has a very different meaning. Kaffeefahrt is made up of the words Kaffee (coffee) + Fahrt (trip).<\/strong> This would lead you to assume that a Kaffeefahrt is some sort of nice, pleasant outing where you drink lots of coffee, right? Well\u2026 yes and no. It is a trip, and you do get to drink coffee. But a Kaffeefahrt is not as nice as it sounds.<\/p>\n A Kaffeefahrt is an outing \u2013 for example, a coach trip – disguised as a pleasant daytrip, but is really a scam to get people to buy cheap, useless things, advertised as being \u201cSchn\u00e4ppchen\u201d (bargains) and \u201cexklusiv\u201d (exclusive), to hype people into buying them. These scams are usually targeted at the elderly, who receive them in the form of an invitation. It is called a Kaffeefahrt because there is usually the promise of coffee and cake, which is used as \u2018bait\u2019 to draw people in. It is also known as a Werbefahrt<\/strong> (‘Advertising trip’).<\/p>\n An extract from the website Pfiffige Senioren<\/a> (\u2018Smart Seniors\u2019) explains why people fall for the Kaffeefahrt scam:<\/p>\n “Senioren haben einen gro\u00dfen Bedarf an Kommunikation. Deshalb nehmen sie besonders gerne an Tagesfahrten teil. Busreise, Essen Kaffee, Kuchen und sie kommen mal raus. Man erlebt Gemeinsamkeit, kann Bekanntschaften schlie\u00dfen. F\u00fcr einen Tag geh\u00f6rt man mit dazu, ist Mitglied einer Gruppe Gleichgesinnter. Das Hauptmotiv f\u00fcr die Teilnahme ist Unterhaltung und Geselligkeit. Nicht jeder hat Geld zum verreisen, der Ausflug ist billig. Warum also nicht? Und vielleicht gibt sogar einen Gewinn? Immerhin nehmen f\u00fcnf Millionen Deutsche j\u00e4hrlich an Kaffeefahrten teil.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Translation: Senior citizens have a great need for communication. This is why they enjoy going on daytrips; a coach trip, food, coffee and cake, and they can get out of the house. There is a sense of community and togetherness, and a chance to make new friends. For one day, they are part of a group of like-minded people. Therefore, the main reason for taking part is this chance for communication and community. Not everybody has the money to go abroad, and this sort of trip is affordable. So why not? They may even win something! Each year, five million Germans take part in so-called Kaffeefahrten.<\/em><\/p>\n The website advises you to call the police if you suspect a planned trip is actually a Kaffeefahrt. You can read more about Kaffeefahrten on Pfiffige Senioren<\/a> (in German).<\/p>\n The fact that this scam is named a Kaffeefahrt (coffee trip) just shows how the appeal of something pleasant (Kaffee) can be used to draw you in to something untoward. Coffee is obviously more addictive than I thought! However, I can\u2019t say I know the English equivalent for a Kaffeefahrt , other than the word scam<\/em>, which is a bit too general for my liking \u2013 can anyone help?<\/p>\n I hope you\u2019ve enjoyed my Kaffee-related German word post. It\u2019s made me desperately want another coffee, so I\u2019m off to go and make one. As always, I love your comments, so please do leave one if you have something to say. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n More untranslatable German words:<\/p>\n Untranslatable German Words: Nervens\u00e4ge<\/a> Today I\u2019m talking about two words centred around one of my favourite things \u2013 coffee! Coffee in German is Kaffee. Just the mere mention of this word brings a smile to my face. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve heard of the German Kaffee und Kuchen Kultur (\u2018coffee and cake culture\u2019) \u2013 they\u2019re absolutely mad for it. So…<\/p>\n![\"At](\"https:\/\/farm3.staticflickr.com\/2316\/2242684642_d57c53ec2b.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"Bus](\"https:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8157\/7588419716_660fc49d0c.jpg\")
<\/a>
\nUntranslatable German Words: Waldeinsamkeit<\/a>
\nThe German Wimp: A Broad Definition<\/a> (Schattenparker)
\nThe German culture of cleanliness: Putzfimmel and Kehrwoche<\/a>
\nGermany doesn\u2019t have bad weather. It has un-weather.<\/a> (Unwetter)
\nUntranslatable German Words Teil 2: Schadenfreude and Fremdscham<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2014\/11\/2242684642_d57c53ec2b-350x261.jpg\")