German Lessons


German Pseudo-Anglicisms

A pseudo-anglicism describes a word borrowed from English but used in other languages in ways that native speakers may not easily understand. For a native English speaker learning German, these pseudo English words can be a common source of misunderstanding, and German has more than its fair share of them!


Most people would think of a "cutter" as someone in the clothing trade who cuts cloth, or a cutting machine or a boat, but in German der Cutter (or in this case, die Cutterin) has a different primary meaning:


Es gibt eine Regie, es gibt einen Tontechniker, es gibt eine Cutterin.
There is a director, there is a sound technician, there is an editor.
Caption 32, Christian Brückner: Synchronstimme von Robert De Niro


If somebody offers to play Flipper with you in German, they aren't talking about playing with a talking dolphin:


Früher, da stand in jeder anständigen Kneipe ein Flipper.
There used to be a pinball machine in every decent pub.
Caption 19, Flipperautomaten: Kunstwerke für flinke Kugeln


If a German speaker ever asks you to find out about an Oldtimer, he doesn't mean an old man:


Sie sammelt sämtliche Informationen über Oldtimer.
It gathers all the information about classic cars.
Caption 37, Porsche 356: Der erste Porsche


In English news, a Shooting would be a tragic event, but in German:


Ich nehme euch mit auf die coolsten Shootings.
I’ll take you along to the coolest photo shoots.
Caption 10, Palina Rojinski: News for Original Girls


The German word Shooting is short for Fotoshooting, whose meaning should be pretty obvious by now!


Further Learning
Das Happy End, das Handy, das No-Go, das Public Viewing, der Smoking — the list of German words based on misconstrued English is a long one. Take a look at German Wikipedia and see if you can find some "fake English" words used in context on Yabla German.


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"Was für" is not "what for"

Although the German words was für may translate directly as "what for" as separate words, when you put them together they have a different meaning. If somebody asks you to do something in German and you want to know "What for?", you would properly respond with "Warum?" ("why") or "Wofür?", which is another way of saying "why."


In English, the word combination was für usually means "what" or "what kind":


Was für ein Geschenk soll ich dir mitbringen?     
What kind of present should I bring back with me for you?
Caption 14,  Märchen, Sagenhaft: Die Schöne und das Biest


Hach Gott, was für ein Tag!
Oh god, what a day!
Caption 8, Kein Kredit: im Land der Klone


The phrase was für in other contexts can also mean "something for":


Also, wäre der Modeljob definitiv was für dich?
So, would the modelling job definitely be something for you?
Caption 10, RNZ Top Model: Casting 2010


In the example above, the word was is functioning as a shortened version of etwas, which means "something."


Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and put in the search words "what kind" to see the different ways that was für is used in different contexts.


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Hold Your Positions!

The German noun die Stellung is usually defined as "position" in English. As in English, to know the specific meaning of the word, it is important to know the context in which it is used.


In this short TV ad, a provocatively dressed woman makes the suggestion:


Dann gehen wir schon mal hoch, ein paar neue Stellungen ausprobieren.
Then we'll go on up and try out a few new positions.
Caption 5, Klicksafe Werbung: Wo ist Klaus?


The "positions" she is referring to are the primary definition of Stellung in Duden, the German standard dictionary: to place the body in a particular posture.


In the next video, the speaker is referring to a celebrity who has been a patron of their non-profit activities:


Der Bülent hatte hier auch eine Stellung.
Bülent also had a position here.
Caption 64, Sallys Tortenwelt und Kochwelt: Backen mit Kindern & Auftritt bei Radio Rumms


Here the Stellung being referred to is a  job position or a role.


The word Stellung is also the first half of the word Stellungnahme, which means "statement" in the sense of a document that announces the position one is taking on a topic:


Grund für die Stellungnahme…     
Reason for the statement
Caption 21, Aufklärung der NSU-Verbrechen: SPD fordert Sonderkommission


This week's new video "Mama arbeitet wieder" shows us an idiomatic use of Stellung:


Ich halte hier seit fünfzehn Uhr die Stellung.
I’ve been holding the position [idiom: taking responsibility] since three o'clock.
Caption 2: Spielfilm: Mama arbeitet wieder


A looser literary translation might use the American English idiom "holding down the fort" (just "hold the fort" in British English), a military phrase dating from the middle ages meaning to keep a military installation occupied to prevent enemy takeover. Apparently the US State Department was objecting to its use as politically incorrect a few years ago.


Further Learning
Watch the above videos on Yabla German to get a better sense of the use of the noun die Stellung in real world context.


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How Embarrassing: "verlegen" as Adjective and Verb



Um eine Ausrede bist du ja nie verlegen.
You are never embarrassed to make an excuse.
Caption 6, Die Pfefferkörner: Gerüchteküche




„Ach so, hm“, meinte Frederick verlegen.
"Ah, so, hm," said Frederick sheepishly.
Caption 34, Piggeldy und Frederick: Das Lachen




… um eine ganz normale Hartsteinbetonplatte, die wir verlegen.
Caption 19, Schadstoffarme Straßen: Neue Gehwegplatten für reinere Luft


relocated the story to the Second World War.
Captions 35-37, Kinotipp: Battleship und Unter Wölfen




Further Learning


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Pluralis Majestatis or the "Royal We" in German

The "royal we" form is mostly found today in fairy tales, medieval fiction, and fantasy literature such as "The Lord of the Rings" and "Game of Thrones." In centuries past, it was common for royalty and religious leaders to be referred to (and to refer to themselves) in the plural tense, based upon the conceit that, in referring to themselves, they were referring to "God and I." German uses the Latin term Pluralis Majestatis to denote the "royal we."


This obsolete form of personal pronoun does not present any grammatical problems in English, since it is commonly either rendered in modern English as "we" or "you" (in the plural sense), or in archaic English as thee, thou, thine etc., although these forms are also merely archaic and not necessarily reflecting the "royal we" form.


In German, however, the use of "royal we" can be initially perplexing. For the nominative second person singular pronoun, instead of the modern Sie  (you), the "royal we" form uses Ihr, with the Ihr always capitalized. Initially this may appear to be the same as the plural pronoun ihr, but is actually addressed to a single person:


Majestät, Ihr seid die Schönste hier.
Majesty, you are the most beautiful here.
Caption 86, Märchen, Sagenhaft: Schneewittchen


In standard German, the above sentence would have been written: Sie sind die Schönste hier. The "royal we" case Ihr conjugates the verb the same as the plural nominative second person pronoun ihr.


The accusative second person singular pronoun Sie (you), in a similar fashion, uses for the "royal we" form of the capitalized version of the accusative second person plural Euch:


Ich befreie Euch von dem Versprechen, Prinzessin!
I free you from the promise, princess!
Caption 58, Märchen, Sagenhaft: Hans, mein Igel


In standard German, the above sentence would have been written: Ich befreie Sie von dem Versprechen.


Further Learning
To further familiarize yourself with the use of the "royal we," go through the videos (listed on the right hand side of this lesson) on Yabla German that include extensive examples of Pluralis Majestatis.


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"Fertig" as idiom and slang

The German adjective fertig is typically translated as "finished" or "done," and we generally see it used on Yabla in its most common standard usage:


So, mein Apfelkuchen ist jetzt fertig.
So, my apple cake is now done.
Caption 37, Apfelkuchen: mit Eva


There are, however, a number of slang uses of the adjective, including its inclusion in the separable verb fertigmachen:


Ich mache euch fertig!
I'll finish you off [idiom: retaliate]!
Caption 12, Die Pfefferkörner: Eigentor


According to the Duden German dictionary, the definitions of the slang word word fertigmachen (or fertig machen) are: 1. to issue a sharp rebuke or reprimand; 2. to break or wear out somebody's will, to drive them to desperation; 3. to completely vanquish or physically destroy or kill; 4. to satisfy sexually or bring to an orgasm. The above translation is closest to the second and third meanings.


Probably the most common slang usage that you'll hear in everyday spoken German means "tired":


Wir sind fix und fertig, hä?
We are worn out, huh?
Caption 4, Deutschkurs in Blaubeuren: Der Relativsatz


The above video uses the full phrase fix und fertig, but even using only the word fertig in the right context is enough:


Und dann war ich wieder völlig fertig
And then I was completely down again…
Caption 14, Udo Lindenberg feat. Clueso: Cello


As you see here, fertig is translated as "down" in the sense of tired, or worn out, or in the American vernacular: blue!


Further Learning
Do a search on German Yabla for the word fertig to find some examples of its usage in a real-world context.


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Bieten versus Anbieten

I have been speaking German for well over three decades, and although I've only lived in Germany and spoken German on a daily basis for about 15 of those years, I still get confused occasionally by verb prefixes. As I was formulating a freelance job offer the other day, it struck me that I wasn't entirely sure about the difference between bieten and anbieten, both of which are commonly defined as "to offer" in English.


To confuse matters even further, the Duden dictionary, which sets the standards for the German language, gives the primary definitions as: anbieten: zur Verfügung stellen und seine Bereitschaft dazu erkennen lassen, zeigen and bieten: anbieten, zur Verfügung, in Aussicht stellen. As you see, the meanings seem nearly identical; in fact, the first definition of bieten is anbieten!


There is, however, a rule of thumb that can help you remember the main difference between the two: anbieten is the specific process or act of making an offer, whereas bieten is a general state or condition, that is, a standing offer or a feature.


To illustrate, here are a few examples of anbieten from Yabla German, first in present tense, then in past tense, then in simple tense as a separable verb:


Kann ich Ihnen einen Kaffee anbieten?
Can I offer you a coffee?
Caption 19, George und Donna: Die Milch macht's


Deutsch wird als zweite Sprache ab Stufe eins angeboten.     
German is offered as a second language from the first grade.
Caption 41, Strothoff International School: Imagefilm


Wir bieten unseren Tieren saisonale Produkte an, wie beispielsweise Weihnachtsbäume.
We offer our animals seasonal products like, for example, Christmas trees.
Caption 48, Umfragen: Zootiere im Winter


And some examples of bieten from Yabla German, first in present tense, then in past tense:


Yabla bietet dir das weltweit fortschrittlichste System.
Yabla offers you the most advanced system worldwide.
Caption 3, Yabla-Intro: Jenny


Und auch dieses Jahr ist wieder allerhand für Jung und Alt geboten.
And this year too, a lot is offered again for young and old.
Caption 5, Das Tollwood-Festival: BAP und Clueso in der Musik-Arena


Lastly, when someone is bidding in an auction you would always use the word bieten (or steigern), but never anbieten.


Further Learning
Make up some sentence examples in English using the word "offer" and then translate them into German to see if you understand the principal difference between bieten and anbieten.  Also, do a search on German Yabla for both of the words to find some examples of their usage in a real-world context.


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Ask the Dust

The title of this week's mini-lesson is from an American depression-era novel of the same title by John Fante, and is an allusion that can be taken both literally and figuratively. In most contexts, however, words take on their literal original meaning, as in the use of the word "dust" (German: der Staub) here:

Die Mischung aus Staub und Sonnenstrahlen ließ das gleißende Licht entstehen, das die tödliche Hitze im Film so glaubhaft macht.    
The mixture of dust and sunbeams gave rise to the glistening light that makes the deadly heat in the film so believable.
Captions 28-30, Hell: Science-Fiction-Kinotipp

This week’s video release, “Alpenseen,” however, uses the word “dust” in an idiomatic sense meaning “to leave.” The English idiom “to dust out” and the 1920s-era slang "to take a powder" have similar meanings.

Sie macht sich aus dem Staub.
She makes herself out of the dust [idiom: absconds].
Caption 45, Alpenseen: Kühle Schönheiten

Further Learning
Take a look at this German Wikipedia list of German sayings  and do a search on German Yabla  to see if you can find some of the sayings used in context in a video.

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Race and Gender Stereotypes in German Culture

The made-for-TV miniseries Mama arbeitet wieder explores the roles that men and women play at home and in the workplace in Germany. Studies show that for the fifth consecutive year, women earn on average 22% less than men in the same job positions, ranking Germany as one of the most wage discriminatory countries based on gender in the industrialized world.



In one scene of part 4 of  "Mama arbeitet wieder," Mark tells his boss that his wife is going back to work and requests to delay his transfer to Dubai. His boss responds:


Wenn das Mädel weiter Zicken macht, dann schaff' dir ein Exemplar der alten Gattung an.
If the girl continues to be bitchy, then get yourself an example of the old species [a more traditional woman].


This is misogynistic on several levels: first of all, he calls Mark's wife a Mädel, which is an ironic and often demeaning term term for a woman (equivalent to "stupid girl"); he then employs the term Zicken (literally a "she-goat") to classify her behavior as bitchy; he then suggests that Mark find a more "traditional woman."


The message of the series is actually pro gender equality, and the scriptwriters purposefully use such provocative and sexist language to point out how common gender stereotyping is in Germany. The writers additionally added racial stereotyping to the script. Directly after telling Mark to get a more "traditional" wife, the boss says to a worker walking by, who was not privy to the conversation:


Da gibt's nämlich nie Probleme, was, Mehmet?
With that there are namely never problems, right, Mehmet?


The name "Mehmet" is Turkish, and the worker's appearance suggests that he or his family originally came from the Middle East. Mark's boss is putting forth racial, religious and gender stereotypes in a single sentence by suggesting that men from the Middle East, or Moslems, always force the women in their households into "traditional" subservient roles.


Racism is strictly taboo in Germany due to its Nazi past, and by equating sexism and racism, the scriptwriters are attempting to heighten awareness of the seriousness of the problems that Germany currently faces in regard to gender discrimination.


Mama arbeitet wieder shows how a German man comes to terms in a positive way with modernizing his views and learning to drop stereotypes of a woman's role in the household and in the workplace. Watch the entire series on Yabla German.


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Cool Off this Summer in the Alps

This week saw the introduction of an exciting new nature series on German Yabla. Alpenseen: Kühle Schönheiten is a beautifully filmed documentary about wildlife deep in the icy lakes of the Alps. If the summer heat is starting to get to you, cool down with this video and learn the German names of some very curious plants and animals while you're at it:


Die Alpen haben vielfältige Gesichter. Luchse und Steinböcke gehören dazu...
The Alps have many faces. Lynxes and ibexes are part of this...


Wenn Gemsen mit scharfen Hufen Pflanzentriebe, Moose und Flechten freischarren, müssen sie aufpassen.
When chamois with sharp hooves scratch up plant shoots, moss and lichen, they must be careful.


Auch die Bergmolche zieht es hier oben später zum Wasser als ihre Artgenossen im Tiefland.
Even the alpine newt takes to the water later up here than its species counterparts in the lowlands.


Doch daneben existiert noch eine andere Welt. Sie liegt verborgen unter'm Eis...
But next to it exists yet another world. It lies hidden beneath the ice...


So chill out with Yabla German when the heat gets be too much, and bleibt cool beim Deutschlernen!


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Go Green for the Planet!

Germany is one of the most advanced countries in world in terms of environmentally-friendly energy. Chancellor Angela Merkel announced in 2011 that all German nuclear power plants will be closed by 2022 as part of a plan to gain a competitive edge worldwide in renewable energy.


This week's new video, Green-Region-Konferenz zur Nachhaltigkeit, uses a number of energy-related terms (below in bold text) that can give you a good jump start in improving your environmental vocabulary.


Eine Energie-Effizienz-Revolution soll her.
An energy-efficiency revolution should happen.


Um die Klimaschutzziele in Deutschland zu erreichen…
In order to achieve the climate protection targets in Germany…


Rund um Darmstadt bedeutet das vor allem den Ausbau der Windkraft sowie mehr Geothermie-Anlagen und Biomasse-Kraftwerke.
Around Darmstadt, that means, above all, the expansion of wind power and more geothermal plants and biomass power plants.


Further Learning
Watch the complete video above and add any new German terms to your vocabulary learning list. The Urban Climate website of the University of Freiburg has created an extensive German-English glossary of environmental protection terms. See if you can find some of these words used in context in Yabla German videos.


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Get Off On the Right Foot

English has quite a few idioms using the word "foot," and the German language also "puts its best foot forward" in this regard!


Some German foot expressions are very similar to English:


Ich nehm' mein Herz und leg's dir zu Füßen.
I'll take my heart and lay it at your feet.
Caption 3, Deutsche Musik: Chris und Croissant


Sometimes, a German expression is close to English, but with a spin of its own:


Er war von Kopf bis Fuß grün angezogen.
He was dressed in green from head to foot [idiom: completely].
Caption 23, Märchen, Sagenhaft: Ein Topf voll Gold


The above expression is very similar, of course, to the English "from head to toe." Most German idiomatic expressions with the word Fuß are quite different, however:


Die Besucher müssen wirklich gut zu Fuß sein.
The visitors must be really good to foot [idiom: agile].
Captions 18-19, Internationale Automobilausstellung: IAA in Frankfurt öffnet die Pforten


The English foot idiom that comes closest is "light on their feet." At Yabla, we translate idioms literally (word for word), and then add a dictionary-style definition for clarity.


Be careful you don't "put your foot in it" though, as some expressions sound similar to English, but have a completely different meaning:


Was Henne gesagt hat, hat ja eigentlich auch Hand und Fuß.
What Henne has said also actually has a hand and a foot [idiom: makes sense].
Caption 48, Luxuslärm: Interview


If you recall the English saying "to wait on someone hand and foot," you might falsely interpret the German to mean that Henne was being servile, when in fact she was making sense!


Further Learning
Learn some more expressions using the word "foot" here, and go to Yabla German and see how the word Fuß is used in different contexts.


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How well can you deal with it?

This week's new video, Märchen, Sagenhaft: Die Wichtelmänner, uses the prepositional phrase mit (etwas) umgehen:


Sie war keine Schneiderin, konnte aber gut mit Nadel und Faden umgehen.
She was not a seamstress, but was good with a needle and thread.
Caption 70, Märchen, Sagenhaft: Die Wichtelmänner


The word umgehen on its own usually means to avoid, to circumvent, or to get around something, but when you put it with an adjective and the preposition mit, its meaning is broadened to mean how something is handled, dealt with, or treated. Here are a couple more examples from Yabla videos:


Ich werde dir beibringen, wie du damit umgehen kannst.
I will teach you how you can deal with that.
Caption 18, Lektionen: Morgen


Da muss man sehr sauber arbeiten, muss sehr pfleglich mit seinen Grundstoffen umgehen.    
You must work very cleanly, you must handle your basic materials very carefully.
Captions 67-68, Whesskey: Whiskey aus Hessen


Further Learning
Go to this link on Yabla German and see how the word umgehen is used in different contexts.


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The Mouse is Out!

Idiomatic expressions can be difficult, because even if you know what all of the words mean, it can sometimes be nearly impossible to understand what the phrase means. Just think about how some standard English idioms sound if you try to understand them literally: "It's raining cats and dogs," or "Don't spill the beans." Neither cats, nor dogs, nor beans have anything to do with what is really being expressed! This week's new Yabla video, the film trailer from "Frau Müller muss weg," contains a number of colorful German idioms:


Das ist die Realität. Aus die Maus.
That is the reality. The mouse is out [idiom: It's over and done].


Although German idioms often don’t have a direct English equivalent, a more literal translation might be: “The game is up."


Fassen Sie sich gefälligst an Ihre eigenen Nasen.
Kindly grab your own noses [idiom: mind your own concerns], please.


The English idioms "keep your nose out of my business" and "mind your own business" have similar meanings.


Wenn's um Konflikte geht, wird das hier immer unterirdisch.
Whenever it's about conflicts, it always ends up underground [idiom: things become abysmal] here.


Yabla German always provides you with a direct word-for-word translation as well as the direct meaning of the phrase to help you better understand these idiomatic expressions.


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Grilling Season

With summer just around the corner, it's time to dust off the grills and get ready for some delicious food. Although you may not be vegetarian or vegan yourself, you probably know somebody who is.


Die Eltern vom Nachbarn, die grillten allerdings auch Sojawürstchen.
The parents of our neighbor, though, they also grilled small soy wursts.
Captions 21-26, Konjugation: Das Verb „grillen“


So don't forget to pick up a few veggie wursts before your next grilling party, and be sure to get some advice from some vegetarian friends as to which veggie sausages taste better, and which ones taste... wurst!


Ich bin Vegetarier, also außer Fisch, den esse ich natürlich.
I'm vegetarian, well, except fish, I eat that, of course.
Caption 27, Thomas D: Ärgernisse


So although eating fish may actually disqualify you as a vegetarian, a lot of people are trying to be more conscientious about what they eat, and buying some non-endangered fish for the grill might even be a healthier option for some meat eaters.


Enjoy the summer with some delicious and ecologically correct grilling!


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Tying the Knot

Summer is soon approaching, and with the arrival of June, the wedding season (die Hochzeitsaison) will be in full swing. So whether it's a friend's wedding or maybe even your own, beware: you're going to need to expand your vocabulary if there is any German involved!


No-one is going to get married if a marriage proposal doesn't happen first:


Der Fluch ist gebrochen! Ich möchte dich heiraten.
The curse is broken! I want to marry you.
Die Prinzessin nahm seinen Heiratsantrag sofort an.
The princess accepted his marriage proposal immediately.
Captions 86-88, Märchen, Sagenhaft: Der Froschkönig


Nor would a groom (der Bräutigam) be complete without a bride, at least in a traditional wedding!


So sieht eine Massai-Braut aus.
That is what a Masai bride looks like.
Caption 50, Rat für nachhaltige Entwicklung: Mode gegen Armut


And after the wedding comes the feast:


Es war gleichzeitig auch das Hochzeitsmahl für das junge Paar.
It was at the same time the wedding feast for the young couple.
Caption 90, Märchen, Sagenhaft: Dornröschen


Further Learning
Look up the meaning of any marriage-related words on this list that you may not be familiar with, and see if you can find some of them used in context on Yabla:


das Bankett, das Hochzeitskleid, die Brautjungfer, der Brautschleier, das Ehepaar, der Ehering, das Eheversprechen, der Festsaal, die Feier, der Fotograf, der Gast, das Geschenk, die Heirat, die Heiratsurkunde, die Hochzeit, der Hochzeitsempfang, der Hochzeitskuchen, der Hochzeitsmarsch, die Hochzeitsreise, die Kirche, die Kirchglocken, das Konfetti, die Liebe, der Priester, die Rede, das Ringkissen, der Schmuck, die Trauung, der Trauzeuge, die Verbindung, der Zeuge


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Stop the Exploitation!

In the latest installment of the Pfefferkörner television series, Themba is angry because he feels that the soccer match has been fixed, and he says:


Ich lasse mich für so was nicht benutzen.
I won't let myself be used for something like that.
Caption 22, Die Pfefferkörner: Eigentor


The English verb "to use" can be defined as "exploiting someone to one's own advantage," and the German verb benutzen can be utilized in a similar context. The more direct German verb for "exploit" is ausbeuten, in its adjectival form ausgebeutet:


Mittelfristig will ich, dass wir eine vernünftige Infrastruktur kriegen, in der wir weniger ausgebeutet werden.
Mid-term, I want us to get a sensible infrastructure in which we'll be exploited less.
Captions 28-29, Rhein-Main-TV aktuell: Occupy Frankfurt


So let's hope that instead of being used (benutzt) or exploited (ausgebeutet) that we all are properly appreciated (geschätzt) for what we are:


Das wird vor allem von den jüngeren Gästen geschätzt.
This is especially appreciated by the younger guests.
Caption 41, Reiseland Deutschland: Vielfalt im Herzen Europas


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Two-way Prepositions







Der Spiegel hängt an der Wand.
The mirror is hanging on the wall.
Caption 34, Deutschkurs in Tübingen: Mehr Wechselpräpositionen




Sie gehen an die Arbeit wieder.
They're going to work again.
Caption 29, Der Struwwelpeter: Hans Guck-in-die-Luft




Wie war das Konzert auf dem Mond?
How was the concert on the moon?
Caption 8, Undertube: Peer erzählt einen Witz




Wir gehen auf die Straßen.
We’re going on the streets.
Caption 34, Blumio, Rappen für gute Unterhaltung




Further Learning


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