117 German Slang Phrases and Phrases You Undoubtedly Need To Know
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When studying learn how to communicate German, mastering grammar and vocabulary guidelines is only one a part of the equation. In case you actually wish to sound “native” (like a local speaker), then understanding German slang, or Slangausdrücke, and realizing when to make use of it socially is a sport changer. Whether or not you’re exploring the wealthy metropolis lifetime of Germany or wish to perceive what your favourite German influencer is saying, familiarizing your self with a number of well-placed slang phrases could make all of the distinction. You possibly can be taught what these phrases imply and learn how to use them successfully, making certain you keep away from potential fake pas whereas sounding extra like a neighborhood.
When to make use of German Slang
German slang is part of Umgangssprache, that means common informal dialog utilized in Germany. To this finish, it’s necessary to do not forget that the German language has a proper and casual register. You’ll solely wish to use German slang phrases in the identical approach that you’d solely use the casual language. This implies you should utilize it with associates, household, family members, kids, teenagers, and people youthful than your self.
When the state of affairs requires extra formality, reminiscent of in knowledgeable surroundings or talking to a stranger or an grownup older than your self, it’s necessary in German tradition to make use of formal language. On this state of affairs, utilizing Slangausdrücke (slang expressions) could make you seem crass and unprofessional. An ideal social cue that can assist you know when to make use of German slang is in case you really feel that it’s extra applicable to make use of the casual du (you) to handle somebody, relatively than the formal Sie (you).
Alter and different widespread slangs in German
This chart highlights among the hottest slangs in German that can assist make your German sound extra pure to native audio system in Umgangssprache (informal dialog):
| German Slang | English Which means |
| Ab in die Kneipe! | Off to the bar/pub! |
| abgehen | to celebration laborious |
| abklatschen | to high-five somebody |
| Alter! | Dude! |
| Bombe! | Superior! |
| brettern | to hurry in a automobile |
| Brudi | bro |
| chill mal | chill out |
| Echt jetzt? | Actually now? |
| Ehrenmann/Ehrenfrau | legend (actually, honorable man/lady) |
| ein Kater haben | to have a hangover |
| Feierabend | a celebratory night or a night off work |
| flexen | to indicate off |
| Fopperei | sensible joke |
| Fresskoma | meals coma |
| futtern | to eat loads |
| Geil! | Cool! |
| Gelaber | gibberish |
| Happa-Happa | child discuss for “meals” |
| kein ding | no drawback |
| Kippen | cigarettes |
| Kohle | cash (much like “bucks” or “quid”) |
| Krass! | Unbelievable! |
| Läuft bei dir! | You’re on a roll! |
| Mahlzeit! | a greeting, used round lunchtime (typically used between coworkers) |
| Mega! | Tremendous cool! |
| Na sicher! | After all! |
| passt schon | it’s advantageous |
| quatsch | nonsense |
| reißaus nehmen | to flee |
| secure | undoubtedly |
| Sammel | bread roll/bun |
| Sauber! | Good one! |
| Schau’n wir mal. | Let’s see. |
| Schoki | chocolate |
| Schon okay. | It’s okay. |
| Schwerenöter | girl’s man |
| sich volllaufen lassen | to get drunk |
| High! | Nice! |
| verpeilt | mentally zoned out |
| zocken | to gamble |
Slang methods to say “what’s up” in German
Test in with your pals and begin informal conversations with these 22 slang methods to say “what’s up” in German proven within the chart beneath:
| German Slang Phrase | English Which means |
| Alles contemporary? | Every thing contemporary? |
| Alles roger? | Every thing okay? |
| Chillig? | Every thing chill? |
| Hey, was abgeht? | Hey, what’s taking place? |
| Na du Nase? | What’s up, you goof? |
| Na, wie läuft der Hase? | Hey, how’s the rabbit operating? |
| Na? | Nicely? |
| Was geht steil? | What’s going steeply? |
| Was geht? | What goes? |
| Was gibt’s Neues? | What’s new? |
| Was ist im Busch? | What’s within the bush? |
| Was ist los? | What’s happening? |
| Was knallt? | What’s banging? |
| Was läuft? | What’s operating? |
| Was liegt an? | What’s happening? |
| Was machst’n? | What are you doing? |
| Was poppt? | What’s popping? |
| Was treibst du? | What are you as much as? |
| Was’ los, Alter? | What’s up, dude? |
| Wie geht’s? | How’s it going? |
| Wie steht’s? | How’s it standing? |
| Yo, alles match? | Yo, every part good? |
Humorous German slang phrases
Use idioms to humorously convey your that means with the ten German slang phrases on this chart:
| German Slang Phrase | Literal English Translation | Which means |
| Alles für die Katz’! | All for the cat! | making a grand effort to no avail |
| Da steppt der Bär. | The bear is dancing there. | It’s vigorous there. |
| Den Vogel abschießen. | Shoot down the chook. | to outdo oneself |
| Der hat doch nicht alle Tassen im Schrank! | He doesn’t have all of the cups in his cabinet! | He’s loopy. |
| Die Kirche im Dorf lassen. | Depart the church within the village. | Don’t get carried away. |
| Durch die Blume sagen. | Saying it with flowers. | to say one thing subtly |
| Eselsbrücken bauen | Construct a donkey bridge. | to create a mnemonic machine |
| Repair und fertig. | Mounted and finished. | utterly exhausted |
| Hals- und Beinbruch. | break neck and leg | good luck (much like “break a leg” in English) |
| Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof. | I solely perceive “practice station.” | I’m confused by your speech. |
| Ins Gras beißen. | biting the grass | to go away |
| Kein Schwein battle da. | No pig was there. | Nobody confirmed up. |
| Quatsch mit Soße | nonsense with sauce | exaggerates the nonsense somebody says |
| Tomaten auf den Augen haben. | to have tomatoes in your eyes | not noticing one thing apparent |
| Um den heißen Brei herumreden. | to speak across the sizzling porridge | speaking about unimportant issues to keep away from what’s necessary |
Whether or not you’re commenting, posting, or scrolling, these German slang phrases and acronyms are important for sounding like a local on-line:
| German Slang | English Which means |
| anfixen | to get hooked (on content material, tendencies, and many others.) |
| Aso! (Ach so!) | Oh, I see! |
| Bd (bis dann) | goodbye |
| deabo | unsubscribe |
| Fitte | health fanatic/influencer |
| Gg (intestine gelaufen) | effectively performed (utilized in gaming) |
| glotzen | to binge-watch |
| HdGDL (Hab dich ganz doll lieb) | I like you numerous |
| KA (keine Ahnung) | no concept |
| KB (kein Bock) | no need/curiosity |
| KP (kein Drawback) | no drawback |
| likegeil | obsessive about likes |
| liken | to love (a publish or remark) |
| Lol | chortle out loud (taken from English) |
| Memer | somebody who makes or shares memes |
| posten | to publish |
| selfie machen | to take a selfie |
| simsen | to textual content |
| stalken | to stalk somebody on-line |
Spacko and different playful German slang insults
These expressions are well known however might be offensive or outdated if used within the improper tone or setting. All the time gauge your viewers earlier than utilizing them!
| German Slang | English that means |
| Assi (asozial) | somebody who’s behaving impolite or trashy (asocial) |
| bescheuert | silly/loopy |
| Dödel | idiot |
| Doofkopf | dummy |
| Faulenzer | a lazy particular person |
| Fies | describes a imply/nasty motion |
| Fraulein | younger lady (outdated) |
| Grünschnabel | inexperienced particular person |
| Klugscheißer | know-it-all |
| Labertasche | blabbermouth |
| Naseweiß | good aleck |
| Oberlehrer | bossy particular person |
| Quatschkopf | nonsense-talker |
| Sackgesicht | ugly particular person (actually, bag face) |
| Saftschubse | flight attendant (outdated time period now thought of offensive) |
| Spacko | weirdo |
| Sparfuchs | cheapskate (actually, saving fox) |
| Sprachgenie | sarcastic time period for unhealthy audio system (actually, language genius) |
| Stinkstiefel | grump |
| Trantüte | slowpoke |
| Warmduscher | wimp (actually, heat showerer) |
| Zicke | drama queen |
Understanding apostrophes in German slang
In German, apostrophes are sometimes used sparingly in formal writing. They’re primarily used to indicate possession with correct names ending in “-s,” “-z,” or “-x” as in Max’ Auto (Max’s automotive). You might also encounter apostrophes in contractions like wie’s (how it’s), which is brief for wie es, though that is rather more frequent in casual and slang writing.
This observe has been adopted solely lately, borrowed from the English use of apostrophes. Nonetheless, this utilization shouldn’t be universally embraced in German and is commonly thought of casual and even incorrect by German linguistic purists.
German slang, then again, steadily makes use of apostrophes to mimic pure speech patterns. For instance, ‘n can exchange complete phrases like ein or einen (each that means “one”). Equally, apostrophes typically exchange omitted letters in verbs and prepositions, like Ich geh’ (I am going) as an alternative of Ich gehe or auf’m (from the), brief for auf dem. These contractions save time and mirror the colloquial nature of Umgangssprache (informal German dialog).
Whenever you learn a German phrase with an apostrophe, chances are high that phrase is probably going slang and may solely be utilized in casual communication. Some examples of apostrophes in German slang embrace:
- ’s gibt Kuchen! = There’s cake!
- Ich hab’ = I’ve
- Geh’n wir? = Are we going?
- Haste ‘ne Idee? = Do you’ve got an concept?
- Auf’m Tisch. = On the desk.
Ideas for choosing up extra German slang
Language is a continually evolving assemble, that means you’ll doubtless encounter new slang German phrases or phrases as you have interaction with German locals. Your greatest good friend when making an attempt to grasp a brand new slang time period, as is the case in any degree of language acquisition, is context.
Did one thing cool occur and everybody exclaimed a brand new German slang phrase you’re not accustomed to? Contemplating what’s taking place within the state of affairs round frequent German phrases is a good way to grasp what that new phrase is perhaps getting at!
In any other case, nothing beats going to the supply of the information. In case you make a good friend with a local German speaker or be part of a web-based language trade group, you’ll have a wonderful cultural useful resource to immediately ask concerning the that means of a phrase. You should use these cultural assets to transcend the textbooks and get a first-hand account of the that means behind any difficult German slang phrases.
Some further ideas for choosing up extra German slang embrace:
- Watch German TV and films
- Hearken to German podcasts
- Comply with German social media tendencies and accounts
- Maintain a slang pocket book
- Hearken to German rap, hip-hop, and pop:
- Comply with trending hashtags on social media
- Give attention to youth tradition and pursuits
Be taught German slang with Rosetta Stone’s immersive coaching
Incorporating German slang into your vocabulary isn’t nearly studying phrases—it’s about understanding the cultural pulse of the language and sounding like a real native. That’s the place Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion methodology is available in. By specializing in real-world context and interactive studying, it’s designed to take your language abilities past the textbook.
You’ll not solely construct a strong basis in grammar and vocabulary but in addition achieve the boldness to make use of expressions like a local, together with slang. With instruments that adapt to your progress and encourage sensible communication, Rosetta Stone helps you be taught German because it’s spoken right now—slang and all.
