{"id":6440,"date":"2015-06-30T10:11:40","date_gmt":"2015-06-30T10:11:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=6440"},"modified":"2017-11-20T15:28:58","modified_gmt":"2017-11-20T15:28:58","slug":"untranslatable-german-words-die-knoblauchfahne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/untranslatable-german-words-die-knoblauchfahne\/","title":{"rendered":"Untranslatable German Words: Die Knoblauchfahne"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today I\u2019m going to talk about bad breath. As you do. Let me introduce you to your new, untranslatable German word: Die Knoblauchfahne.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Knoblauch\"<\/a>

Knoblauch: Garlic. Photo: johovac on flickr.com under CC BY 2.0<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

What does Knoblauchfahne mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Die Knoblauchfahne means, quite simply, garlic breath<\/strong>! I know this seems like an easy word to translate and in some ways it is, but like all quirky German words it has a little more to it than meets the eye! Read on and you\u2019ll see what I mean.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What is the literal translation of Knoblauchfahne?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Die Knoblauchfahne splits into two words: Der Knoblauch<\/strong> (garlic) and Die Fahne<\/strong> (flag). So its literal translation is garlic flag.<\/em><\/strong> Why a flag, you might ask? Well, a flag blows in the wind- much like garlic breath seems to waft around every time somebody opens their mouth.<\/p>\n

This word is very versatile and can be used with any cause of bad breath. Some examples are:<\/p>\n

Die Alkoholfahne<\/strong> \u2013 alcohol breath (general)<\/p>\n

Die Schnapsfahne<\/strong> \u2013 alcohol breath (literally \u2018schnaps breath\u2019, referring to any strong liquor)<\/p>\n

Die Zigarettenfahne<\/strong> \u2013 cigarette breath<\/p>\n

Die Kaffeefahne<\/strong> \u2013 coffee breath<\/p>\n

Die Morgenfahne<\/strong> \u2013 morning breath<\/p>\n

Basically, just take whatever you can smell on the person\u2019s breath and add the word Fahne<\/em> onto the end of it. Voila, you have yourself an untranslatable German word for a very specific type of bad breath!<\/p>\n

You can also use the word Die Fahne<\/em><\/strong> as a general term for bad breath (usually alcohol-related)<\/strong>. Obviously, whether you are talking about bad breath or a real flag will depend on the context. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How would you use Knoblauchfahne in a sentence?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMensch, du hast \u2018ne Knoblauchfahne!\u201d \u2013 My God, you\u2019ve got a garlic flag!<\/p>\n

Or just:<\/p>\n

“Mensch, du hast ‘ne Fahne!” – My God, your breath stinks! (usually alcohol-related)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What is the nearest English enquivalent to Knoblauchfahne?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Obviously, the nearest equivalent is garlic breath! But the general term for bad breath in English is halitosis<\/strong>, which is Der Mundgeruch<\/strong> (\u2018the mouth smell\u2019) in German. So in a way, this is not a truly untranslatable German word \u2013 but I think it\u2019s versatile and interesting enough to include as one!<\/p>\n

As always, I hope you\u2019ve enjoyed this post!<\/p>\n

Liebe Gr\u00fc\u00dfe,<\/p>\n

Constanze x<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Today I\u2019m going to talk about bad breath. As you do. Let me introduce you to your new, untranslatable German word: Die Knoblauchfahne.   What does Knoblauchfahne mean? Die Knoblauchfahne means, quite simply, garlic breath! I know this seems like an easy word to translate and in some ways it is, but like all quirky…<\/p>\n

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