German idioms to sound more German

German idioms. Learning languages sure has its moments of pleasure. What a joy to discover how people in another country, or speaking another language express their feelings with colorful expressions. Knowing those idioms is also a good way to sound more natural when speaking with native speakers.

German idioms to sound more German

Here’s a first collection of German sayings

Einen Kater haben

You had too many pilsners at your friend’s party and regret it the following morning? Well, being hungover happens and you can surely make it through the day. But if you want to tell your German friends how you feel, you’ll need to say literally ‘I have a cat’: ‘ich habe einen Kater’.

Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei

Germany is a land of sausage and poets, and that’s probably why Germans came up with this popular poetic wisdom: ‘everything has an end, only the sausage has two’. Pragmatism and simplicity: the German conception of beauty.

Da steppt der Bär

Your friends organized a party and you couldn’t wait to come. ‘There will be a dancing bear’ they said. Of course, there wasn’t. But you now know that you can use this expression to tell everyone where the fun’s at next time you throw a party.

Mist!

You missed your train? Or you were clumsy and dropped something? ‘Mist!’ is the perfect German word to express the frustration, angriness or surprise. You could translate ‘Mist’ with ‘Damn’.

Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof

This phrase literally translates to ‘I only understand train station‘, but is equivalent to ‘It is all Greek to me‘. It’s an old expression from WW1 soldiers who used to say that the only thing they understood when given orders was ‘train station’, as they hoped for the train back from the battlefront.

Ich glaube ich spinne

Sometimes, German idioms make a lot of sense, and sometimes you can’t understand the origin of the expression. This one counts towards the latter. When you feel you’re going crazy, in German you literally say ‘I believe I spider’.

Fix und fertig

You may be tired of saying ‘ich bin müde’ to express how tired you feel. Well, you can also say ‘ich bin fix und fertig’. Although this translates directly to ‘I’m quick and ready’, it actually means ‘I’m exhausted’.

Lügen haben kurze Beine

According to the Germans, ‘lies have short legs’. The meaning of this expression is pretty straight forward. It can be handy if you feel that the person who was previously ‘talking around the hot mash’ may now be lying to your face. Either way, their lies won’t get very far with those little legs.

Um den heißen Brei herumreden

Germans are allegedly cold and direct, so you probably won’t find them ‘beating around the bush’. But if you happen to want someone to get straight to the point, you can tell them: ‘Rede nicht um den heißen Brei herum’ (lit. stop talking around the hot mash).

Die Daumen drücken

‘Die Daumen drücken’ literally means to ‘press the thumbs’. It’s funny how close this is to the actual English translation, ‘to keep one’s fingers crossed’.

Tomaten auf den Augen haben

Literal translation: To have tomatoes on one’s eyes
English equivalent: To be oblivious to what’s going around you

Der Freund von Anna betrügt sie aber sie hat Tomaten auf den Augen. (Anna’s boyfriend is cheating on her, but she’s oblivious to what’s going on.)

Da kannst du Gift drauf nehmen

Literal translation: You can take poison on that
English equivalent: You can bet your life on that / you can be sure of that

Mein Vater wird die Sache in Ordnung bringen, darauf kannst du Gift nehmen. (My father will sort this out, you can be sure of that.)

Sich zum Affen machen

Literal translation: To make an ape of oneself
English equivalent: To make a fool of oneself

Wir lassen uns doch nicht zum Affen machen! (We won’t let ourselves be made fools of!)

Zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen

Learn german idioms to sound more German.

Literal translation: Kill two flies with one swat
English equivalent: To kill two birds with one stone

Morgen kann ich meine Eltern und alte Schulfreunde besuchen und zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen! (Tomorrow I can visit my parents and old school friends and kill two birds with one stone!)

Eine Extrawurst verlangen

Literal translation: To ask for an extra sausage
English equivalent: To ask for special treatment

Der Sohn des Chefs verlangt immer eine Extrawurst! (The boss’ son always asks for special treatment.)

Himmel und Hölle in Bewegung setzen

Literal translation: Put heaven and hell in motion
English equivalent: To move heaven and earth

Er wird Himmel und Hölle in Bewegung setzen, um zwei Karten für das Konzert zu bekommen. (He will move heaven and earth to get two tickets to the concert.)

Da steppt der Bär

Literal translation: The bear dances there
English equivalent: It will be a great party / to be a mad one

Ich gehe heute Abend zu Maria. Da steppt der Bär! (I’m going to Maria’s tonight. It’ll be a mad one!)

A close relative to the dancing bear is the burning air. It’s a similar phrase with an identical meaning: Da brennt die Luft!

Um den heißen Brei herumreden

Literal translation: To talk around the hot porridge
English equivalent: To beat around the bush

Rede nicht um den heißen Brei herum! Sag mir, worum es eigentlich geht! (Don’t beat around the bush! Tell me what it’s actually about!)

Den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen

Literal translation: To hit the nail on the head
English equivalent: To hit the nail on the head

Du hast recht! Du hast den Nagel auf den Kopf getroffen. (You’re right! You’ve hit the nail on the head.)

Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof

Literal translation: I can only understand “train station”
English equivalent: It’s all Greek to me

Er hat so einen starken Akzent—ich verstehe nur Bahnhof! (He has such a strong accent—it’s all Greek to me!)

Weggehen wie warme Semmeln

Literal translation: To go like warm rolls
English equivalent: To go or sell like hotcakes

Sein neues Album geht weg wie warme Semmeln. (His new album is selling like hotcakes.)

German idioms

Seinen Senf dazugeben

German idioms that you should really know and use.

Literal translation: To add their mustard
English equivalent: To put their two cents in

Peter spricht zu viel. Er muss immer seinen Senf dazugeben. (Peter talks too much. He always has to put his two cents in.)

Jemandem die Daumen drücken

Literal translation: To squeeze your thumbs for someone
English equivalent: To keep one’s fingers crossed for someone

Viel Glück! Ich drücke dir die Daumen! (Good luck! I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you!)

Etwas wie seine Westentasche kennen

Literal translation: To know something like one’s waistcoat pocket
English equivalent: To know it like the back of one’s hand

Ich kenne die Gegend wie meine Westentasche. (I know the area like the back of my hand.)

Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben

Itś teally important to master using german idioms.

Literal translation: Don’t praise the day before the evening
English equivalent: Don’t count your chicks before they hatch

Sag nicht, dass Argentinien die Weltmeisterschaft gewinnen wird. Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben! (Don’t say that Argentina will win the World Cup. Don’t count your chicks before they hatch!)