5 German Words that DON'T EXIST IN ENGLISH

[@MorliHolect]

Fingerspitzengefühl

[@Ercarret]

I love that word. We have the same in Swedish: "fingertoppskänsla".

[@Ercarret]

I love that word. We have the same in Swedish: "fingertoppskänsla".

[@Ercarret]

I love that word. We have the same in Swedish: "fingertoppskänsla".

[@Matzes]

+theWolvesbane no

[@Matzes]

+theWolvesbane give an example please

[@elfee7981]

Native German, never heard of Treppenwitz before :"D

[@nadiahouben4010]

Too :D

[@vika3192]

Same here xD

[@monsieurcamembert5223]

+ICH BIN YUNA ich auch ^^

[@Lemireyha]

Doch, natürlich! Ich kenn das Wort!

[@Nofacejeong]

same

[@TheKeks1313]

The best german word is "doch"!! I do really need it in english or other languages :D

[@stefantherainbowphoenix]

Renée How about "yes" if used in the right context? Here's an example: person 1: "You don't have to do that." person 2: "Yes, I do."

[@suryarohrig4199]

How can you even live without doch?? No discussion is fun😂 In Germany some discussions are just like : nein, doch, nein, doch, nein, doch😅😅

[@eisblatttonks7156]

no one Yup, you're right *thinking about Nein! Doch! Ohh!

[@blade4240]

Twitter @derLehnsherr: Natürlich ist "dohoch" ein deutsches Wort und ein valides Argument in jeder Diskussion.

[@katipeaches2000]

Omg ich vermisse das Wort so sehr!!

[@Lisaa556]

The best word eveeeer: „doch“ I don’t know how people can live without it 😁

[@hanshansen7546]

Ich hab das Wort Treppenwitz noch nie gehört.

[@ArielVHarloff]

Gut ich bin nicht die einzige 😁 Ich dachte vielleicht ist das was süddeutsches?

[@lillyl6901]

Also ich komme von der Ostsee und kenn das Wort auch, im Kontext von 'Treppenwitz der Geschichte', als zum Beispiel Hitler im 2. Weltkrieg die Kapitulation von Frankreich in genau demselben Zugabteil unterschreiben lassen hat, wie die deutschen ihre Kapitulation im 1. Weltkrieg. Also eine Begebenheiten mit viel Ironie, die eigentlich schon lächerlich wirkt.

[@cenlilith8308]

Ich auch nicht 😂

[@mcdoogle274]

Stell Dir mal vor, da gibt es Worte aus Deiner Muttersprache, die Du nicht kennst. Dabei gibt's das Wort Treppenwitz im Deutschen laut Wikipedia schon seit mindestens 1882.

[@totallyasmr]

Sagen wir es mal so, das Wort Treppenwitz ist inwischen etwas wenig gebräuchlich und gerät gerade bei der jüngeren Generation, die durch mordernere Sprechgewohnheiten geprägt ist, eher in Vergessenheit. Stattdessen hört man heute halt eher die Umschreibung dieses Gefühls, dass man in einer Situation nicht schlagfertig genug war und einem erst zu spät die passende Entgegnung eingefallen ist.

[@lmn6023]

what about “doch“? always missing that word when speaking english :/

[@christophhoelbarth217]

Yeah!! That is so.. bad always :D

[@whatthehellisthisname]

Yeah I hate that I can't use that in English

[@milahastings1108]

i feel you😩

[@rexodexo56]

+05r13539 Not in this context

[@KilianMuster]

+05r13539 It's used when you disagree, so "but" is not the same (that'd be "aber"), it's to negate a negative. Didn't you read that? - Doch! (Yes I did!). I guess you can't speak French? Doch! (Yes I can!). You're not taller than me. - Doch! (Yes I am!)

[@tinas_hotdog_sophie]

I never heard the term Treppenwitz tho it's the one I could use the most. thanks! 😂

[@pygmypuffdraws2753]

Same😂

[@danielklumpp5963]

Me too.

[@darkIkarus]

The usage of the word has changed though. Today you say it to describe a surreal situation, kind of like "Ironie des Schicksals".

[@ClickItYT]

I always thought Treppenwitze are jokes about staircases. :}

[@dertischhd3556]

Same

[@maritta2504]

Well, Speck not only means bacon. It's also a colloquial german word to describe beeing chubby. If someone tells you that you have a "Speckbauch" that means you have a chubby belly. So "Kummerspeck" acutally refers to the weight you put on while you are griefing.

[@louibeans]

I was looking for that comment. Bump!

[@c4sh3w]

Exactly - the word Speck would translate to "blubber" in this context.

[@SweetExtace]

but in the video she said that it refers to the weight

[@maritta2504]

Tancat Yeah well, translating "Speck" with bacon in that case is not correct.

[@DajanaDarling]

Also, chubby people also refer to their extra pounds as leftover "Babyspeck" sometimes, indicating it's going to go away eventually as they grow out of it.

[@Minty1313]

I love the German word "schadenfreude" but the English translation isn't so good "pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune."

[@DMSG1981]

They use the word as well: Schadenfreude - schadenfreude There you have it.

[@turkeybowlwinkle4440]

I believe 'schadenfreude' is acceptable in English. I've even seen it in English dictionaries. Probably because there is no word or phrase close to it in English.

[@jojokunstart3768]

Ohrwurm - ear worm If a song is repeat the complete time in your head :D

[@SKYMEMiC]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jomndp-rZ999qNU&t=200

[@jonas8718]

Blindgänger= a Bomb that doesnt Go off or a joke wehre no one laughs

[@regenorakel]

Or for the joke you could also say "Rohrkrepierer".

[@chloefxg]

Noch NIE gehört!

[@dirkbaldorad3634]

+Andrea Zuerner Rohrkrepierer originally describes a bullet that doesn't leave the weapon. It dies (krepiert) on the way.

[@armadspengler2717]

Blindgänger = dud, pl. duds

[@Zeit_waise]

+Andrea Zuerner I would say you could translate it with "misfire" in this content.

[@Ercarret]

That's what I love with German! There is a certain ingenuity in its vocabulary. :) We Swedes have a lot of those words as well. One that I really like is "solkatt", meaning "sun cat". It refers to the little reflection of the sun that can appear on the ground if sunlight hits a nearby wristwatch or another reflective (and moving) surface. Just a little figure of light that darts over the ground like a kitten playing with a ball of yarn or something. It's such a weird yet strangely beautiful expression.

[@EddiePhoenixArt]

oh thats kinda cool! that would´ve been useful in my days as student when we tried to "sun cat" our teacher :D

[@sabine0910]

How sweet! How is ist pronounced? Like soul cut?

[@Ercarret]

+sabine0910 Hm, that's a little hard to describe. I guess "sol" would be pronounced "sool", while "katt" would be pronounced with a short A and a little sharper T (compared to the longer A and somewhat smoother T in "cat"). I hope that explains things...to some extent. Pronunciation is always hard to spell out correctly. :)

[@Ercarret]

+Eddie Phoenix Haha! For extra meta fun you can always try to get an actual cat to chase after a solkatt. They seem to be very fond of them. :D

[@manta4077]

Nice one. In Czech, we call that "prasátko", literally "little pig". So, when you have a pocket mirror, you can throw piggies around.

[@lukasvanvanilly3074]

What's about "Ohrwurm"? I'm so glade to have this word in german^^

[@eg.3949]

this is a German word

[@xoxo7630]

we use the term 'earworm' in english

[@misshonest941]

This is by far my favourite word 😂 It's like I use almost it everyday 😂

[@crazygermangirl3083]

Oh ja;D

[@juliaseilert2354]

im Englischen sagt man "earwig" :)

[@sjokomelk]

I like the German word "überfragt" when you don't know the answer or being asked something that you really don't know.

[@TheItalianoAssassino]

"Da bin ich überfragt." "Now I'm overasked." Klingt nicht so gut. ^^

[@eisblatttonks7156]

Jo

[@eisblatttonks7156]

TheItalianoAssassino 😂😂

[@mountainman8775]

Overtaxed is a good translation

[@SnorriSnibble]

These are actually slang words, or at least I think they are. I am missing "Schadenfreude" in this list

[@neonfarbenrausch]

I think she tried to focus on words that have not been adapted by English speakers.

[@Xa_WEh]

+neonfarbenrausch Schadenfreude has been adapted by English speakers?

[@neonfarbenrausch]

Yep.

[@Xa_WEh]

+neonfarbenrausch k

[@arnoldhau1]

No that are not really slang words, some perhaps a bit collquial, especially verschlimmbessern but most are normal German words, propably not suitable for a formal business context (dont tell your German business partner you meet last week that his proposal is a Schnapsidee - that may not improve your negotiations) but used in normal conversation or in written form where appropriate.

[@alcar32sharif]

"Fremdschämen": The feeling of shame for someone else who has done something extremly embarrassing.

[@Esther_Herbst]

I think "cringe" describes it very well

[@alcar32sharif]

+MindOfTheMadHatter The word itself describes only that someone feel shame or is embarrassed. I found the words: vicarious embarrassment or empathic embarrassment journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0018675

[@n.a.2329]

I miss Ohrwurm and Muskelkater in English

[@julians7058]

Muskelkater= Muscle ache

[@SHARPxOix69]

* muscle male cat

[@Dudecake03]

+Vizeax PvP es gibt kein Wort wie Earworm, das haben die nicht die sagen wenn dann a song stuck in my head

[@armadspengler2717]

+Vizeax PvP musclecater??! Dein/e Englischlehrer/in bricht zusammen, wenn Du das einmal im Unterricht bringen solltest... :D

[@pygmypuffdraws2753]

+ArmAd Spengler Wie wärst mit muscle-tomcat oder muscle-hangover? :D

[@tubekulose]

Actually the German word "Heimat" is something very special, as it not just means "home".

[@mortaniusdernekromant7288]

Wie wäre deine Reaktion eigentlich auf Worte die es sowohl im Englischen als auch im Deutschen gibt aber ganz andere Bedeutungen haben z.B. Gift.

[@Winterlandschaft]

Oder stapler ;) .

[@mortaniusdernekromant7288]

Ist auch ein gutes Beispiel. Aber ich meinte eher Worte die auch gleich klingen.

[@MT-gu9nt]

🇩🇪Dieb - 🇺🇸thief 🇺🇸deep - 🇩🇪tief

[@flexr2284]

is there a word for "Schadenfreude" in English??

[@Kalobi]

I think they actually use the German word.

[@WantedAdventure]

+Kalobi yeah, that's true!! :D

[@referredtoasChile]

Some words come very close, though: spitefulness, glee, gloating

[@observe2suspect]

leo says "schadenfreude" on first place, too... - the British do not have their own word for that? british humor is based on it! :-D i just wondered when i heard "Weltschmerz" in an interview about Audrey Hepburn...

[@eluimik]

it's cringeworthy

[@teckyify]

Also great words: Haarspalterei, (Sahnebutter-)hupfdohle, Fremdschämen, Torschlusspanik, Scheinheilig, Fingerspitzengefühl, Fernweh, Dornröschenschlaf

[@eg.3949]

fernweh = Heimweh (bin deutsche)

[@SaRah-21532]

Für Fernweh gibt's ne englische Übersetzung: wanderlust

[@Eco_Sarah]

Dort sind sehr wirre Wörter bei :D - unsere Sprache ist schon mysteriös. :)

[@crappiefisher1331]

+Miss wealthy - lol fernweh ist bestimmt nicht heimweh.. fernweh ist genau das gegenteil von heimweh.. heimweh bedeutet sich nach zuhause zu sehnen, wenn man woanders ist.. fernweh bedeutet sich danach zu sehnen auf reisen zu gehen

[@ohnealles]

+crappiefisher13 Ich glaube sie wollte die beiden Begriffe als Gegensätze gegenüberstellen ;)

[@hobbitilius]

I love "Tohuwabohu". It's a Hebrew word that was used in the bible to describe the state of the earth before "there was light". It could be described as a big disorganized disorganization or "die unordentlichste Unordnung" in german. In general, gemans use it to describe a total chaos.

[@louibeans]

I love that one!

[@armins7340]

Nobody actually uses it and for at least 99% of the Germans haven't ever heard about it.

[@louibeans]

Armin S My mum uses it, I grew up with it. Maybe it's a Bavarian thing.

[@forkeke]

Nope, heard it in deep North German countryside quite often too. So, I guess, someone is just making assumptions from his own experience ;) at least his "99 %" seem unconvincing in more than one way :D Great word, interesting etymology - thumbs up!

[@armins7340]

+forkeke may be. So I have to take my 99% presumption back. But I'm quiet sure that at leas t in the state NRW 99% haven't heard about it or use it. If you use it in the north or south then I might have generalized it too much. But I'm sure that the majority of the Germans don't use it or have heard about it and as a conclusion of that it can't be said that it is a typical or common German word. If you don't think so, feel free to express yourself

[@BerrySwingslow]

I as a German do have contact with English speaking people and I transladed verschlimmbessern to optiworse. This has been optiworsed.. as optimized and making it worse.. now you got a word for it ;)

[@SchmulKrieger]

Eigentlich ist verschlimmbessern nur ein Synonym dafür, etwas schlecht gemacht zu haben. O.o Genauso wie die Redewendung Mehr Schlecht als Recht. Das Wort verschlimmbessern ist recht nutzlos.

[@arnoldhau1]

Als für mich heisst das eben nicht einfach etwas schecht gemacht zu haben, sondern eben genau wie im Video erklärt, etwas schlechter gemacht zu haben beim Versuch es besser oder perfekt zu machen. Sonst würde man ja nicht verschlimmbessern sagen, ein anderer Gebrauch ist mir noch nicht untergekommen.

[@yanislirir1833]

+ShadowKeyKnight - nee, die Bedeutung von "verschlimmbessern" geht über die Bedeutung von "etwas schlecht machen" hinaus, bzw. spezifiziert sie ganz deutlich. allgemein formuliert: Bei "etwas schlecht machen" war vorher nichts da (existent) und das, was gemacht wurde, ist nicht gut geraten = schlecht gemacht. Bei "verschlimmbessern" war vorher schon etwas da, was mit der Absicht, es besser zu machen bzw. zu verbessern, bearbeitet wird, das Ergebnis ist aber noch schlechter, als das, was vorher bereits da war.

[@eisen.dieter]

+ShadowKeyKnight / die ea sports fifa Fußball Reihe wird jedes Jahr verschlimmbessert. ebenso wie die em mit nun 24 teams verschlimmbessert wurde.

[@tomo0086]

That's an awesome word!

[@ThePerfectRed]

Bierleiche : )

[@ArielVHarloff]

Das heißt bei uns Schnappsleiche 😆

[@f0st3r]

Dann wohl eher Schnapsleiche...Bier haut doch keinen Deutschen um :)

[@gory89]

Ich frage mich wie jung die Leute hier sind, dass so oft in den Kommentaren steht, dass "schunkeln" unbekannt sei ^^

[@solunasunrise]

weils keine richtigen schlagersendungen mit heerscharen von omas und opas mehr im TV zu sehen gibt

[@MeliCBR]

+solunasunrise doch ich glaube schon, aber welcher Jugendliche sieht heute noch fern?

[@MPnoir]

Musikantenstadl gibts doch immernoch?? Gut, guckt zwar keiner unter 80 Jahren, aber das gibt es immernoch.

[@semurobo]

+solunasunrise Das hat weniger mit Fernsehen zu tub, sondern dass es immer weniger vom Land gibt. In den Städten gibt es eben nicht so viele Volksfeste die in Zelten abgehalten werden, da ist man meistens eher auf der Straße zwischen zig Fahrgeschäften und Buden unterwegs.

[@snezzzen]

so true! :)

[@JustFreddi]

German has surprisingly many words/verbs for sounds and we're really able to disinguish them. E.g. rascheln, rauschen, surren, summen, säuseln, zirpen, knirschen, pfeifen, zwitschern, poppen, knistern... In my native language, French, there aren't that many verbs for those sounds. I think it's really bizarre to hear that many new words, Dana, but let Mr. Germanman try to explan those sounds to you, that could be really funny :)

[@JustFreddi]

Here some more examples: Grummeln, blubbern, knallen, knarzen, quietschen, klappern

[@neonfarbenrausch]

I think most of them came from the Donald Duck comic translations by Erika Fuchs :D

[@avissilber]

If you're reading a horror book and there is "Irgendetwas klapperte..." You just know that it's a skeleton for example :D

[@LaMiriabelle]

That's why l love our language!

[@LaMiriabelle]

Dannix The 90ies called. They want their word back :P

[@HavyrlValdoria]

We hav'nt enough words... i'm going with Snowden: "There should be a German word for being completely unsurprised by government, but disappointed nonetheless."

[@antrazitaj5209]

Not really a fit, but kafkaesk covers a part of it

[@mythologiefan]

How? What does a sense of impeding danger have to do with this? (I have to say that I didn't read Kafka's books yet, so I cannot say anyting about that meaning of the word)

[@SchmulKrieger]

Politikverdrossenheit. xD

[@antrazitaj5209]

while impending danger is a factor it's more about being stuck in a bleak bizarre world and unraveling in it mythologiefan

[@mythologiefan]

+antrazi taj I am curious about the books I will go and see if I can find them somewhere. hopefully I can read them in the original language (always the best, right?). that way I can really get the feeling coming with it. I still don't see how it fits with the discription above though

[@2406Mellie]

so what about Feierabend?!? Very important word! It's that time of the day when all duties are done and you just drop dead on the couch with your glass of wine/beer. Literally it's something like holiday evening.

[@theINsaintOFme]

I missed 'fremdschämen' in this video. I like that word so much =D

[@cestlavi]

theINsaintOFme isnt it cringe?

[@eduardstolz9334]

Mothership yes

[@ЛюбаХворост-ъ1н]

Wer kommt auch aus Deutschland?:D

[@ЛюбаХворост-ъ1н]

+Teddy :D geil

[@AntiAllesAusPrinzip]

hehe :D ich^^

[@frauentausch4941]

Ich.

[@HesseJamez]

Ich

[@libacooli]

Ihr habt immer noch nicht bemerkt, dass dieser Kanal nur für Deutsche geführt wird?

[@HannoBehrens]

“Fernweh“, which means literally ”far pain“ but means ”the longing for being far away“, which you might feel if you are standing at rail tracks that vanish on the horizon, watch ships drive out of the harbour and travel to foreign countries or watching planes go off. Kept back by your ordinary life, then you are feeling ”Fernweh". It’s usually not felt when you see a bicycle.

[@cheesyrobman]

So I guess the closest English translation would be 'wanderlust' - the desire to roam?

[@cheesyrobman]

Yes, but also an English word - probably a third of English is German anyway, the rest is Latin, Saxon, French and goodness knows what else :)

[@krisbaeyens4214]

In Dutch it is "heimwee" the longing for home : "wee" = pain like in "de weeën" = the signs that a women is going to give birth to her child & "heim" is old Dutch/German for home

[@grimmbartaffe]

the funny thing is: the english speakers preserved the german word Wanderlust because hardly someone uses it in german anymore- its from the 19th century romantic era and sounds very nostalgic.....

[@Metatr0n]

Another funny fact: A big part of the English language is based off of the northern German dialect called "Platt" in combination with Dutch. Best example would be the number 36. In Platt it's called Six'n'Dördich, which transformed to "Six and Thirty" and due to the different number-convention into Thirtysix.

[@Andeavor]

From the top of my head I can only think of one Swiss German term that is unique to the language (and probably overall customs): Znüni and Zvieri are the quintessential snack times of the Swiss work and school force at 9am and 4pm.

[@lionmori]

well, brunch or Brotzeit etc is the same

[@MsPollyjo]

Interestingly, there is "elevenses" in English --> a mid-morning snack.

[@ozdergekko]

We have "Jause" or "Brettljause" in Austrian German, but it's mainly used for an afternoon meal.

[@SiggiNebel]

A bit like the names of monks' prayers.

[@MsPollyjo]

SiggiNebel Exactly so. That's where the word "Vesper", which can refer to either dinner or evening prayer, came from.

[@Felix1000XD]

Most important german word that doesn't exist in english: Doch!

[@xLittleulipx]

Geborgenheit - one of my favourite german word.

[@Nikioko]

The english word for "verschlimmbessern" is to disimprove. And the most important German word that doesn't exist in English is "doch". If you say something, the other disagrees and you want to insist in what you said in the first place, in German you just say "Doch!" or "Wohl!".

[@LosAnggraito]

Nikioko we actually have a word in English that's almost the same to verschlimmbessern. "Botched", to repair or fix something poorly or inadequately.

[@Karlimoor]

I'm surprised by how many of my fellow native German speakers don't know about these words. Whilst for the most part not used in daily conversations, they are pretty much a part of the standard (or slightly extended) vocabulary. Bin überrascht wieviele hier diese Worte nicht kennen. Sie werden - zumindest nach meiner Erfahrung - im alltäglichen Leben zwar recht selten benutzt, gehören aber mMn dennoch zum (leicht erweiterten) Standardvokabular.

[@leDespicable]

Same here...habe nur von Treppenwitz wirklich vorher noch nie gehört, zumindest kann ich mich daran erinnern es je aktiv gehört zu haben.

[@nollywhite2610]

Bacon is the wrong translation here. The word "Speck" also has the meaning "body fat" which is the translation to go for here. There are other combinations: Babyspeck, Winterspeck etc.

[@louibeans]

Bump

[@drunken_sailor9131]

It's what she explained

[@yanislirir1833]

+drunken_sailor - yes, her explanation was right, but the literally translation was wrong, bcs "Speck" (in this case not meaning bacon) translates to "flab". Another great word roughly in this context would be "Hüftgold" or "Hüftengold" :D

[@drunken_sailor9131]

Yanis Lirir es sollte auch die wörtliche übersetzung und nicht die sinngemäße übersetzung sein, um zu zeigen, wie seltsam sich das im englischen anhört

[@louibeans]

drunken_sailor Beides ist wörtlich, auch Speck = blubber. Ihre Wahl der wörtlichen Übersetzung war in diesem Fall nicht die richtige.

[@gerhardhader6331]

The word "Konterbier" describes a beer that you drink in the morning after you were drunk to cure the hangover.

[@WantedAdventure]

Sounds like in English "hair of the dog that bit you"

[@galfyn8575]

+Wanted Adventure Hi schunkeln is a bavarian Word spezificlly (i m german)

[@changeofkey7281]

I personally love the word "Trugschluss", English kinda lacks a word that has the same shade. "Fallacy" is rather "Täuschung" in German - a "Trugschluss" however is when people tend to see connections between literally everything and then their brain just shares some great conclusion. But you know, that in fact what they just said or did is just completely wrong or dumb or even both and you are just like:

[@kentix417]

butt-antlers is great :)

[@DMSG1981]

+K Fallacy is the word for an invalid deduction. = Trugschluss

[@lindaplayspiano]

I've never heard about this even though I'm German

[@becmunro]

I love the german phrase "allgemeine Aufbruchsstimmung", it describes the weird energy shift in a room when everyone is getting up and packing up their stuff to leave

[@louibeans]

Yes! I think you can even leave out the "allgemeine" and it stills means the same.

[@ArielVHarloff]

+Svenja M. Yeah you could but it's not as intense then. For me allgemeine Aufbruchstimmung is the thing that happens when at some kind of party someone leaves and suddenly everybody starts leaving. So it's rather negative. Aufbruchstimmung for me can also just be when you want to go somewhere with other people and it's right before you go. So it's more positive

[@ArielVHarloff]

+Svenja M. Yeah you could but it's not as intense then. For me allgemeine Aufbruchstimmung is the thing that happens when at some kind of party someone leaves and suddenly everybody starts leaving. So it's rather negative. Aufbruchstimmung for me can also just be when you want to go somewhere with other people and it's right before you go. So it's more positive

[@WantedAdventure]

+Bec Munro ooooh!! That is a great one. I didn't know it, thanks so much for opening up my world to that word. Yeah, true, there's definitely that moment when the energy shifts, and everyone just kind of feels it all at once without anything needing to be said. really cool :)

[@stefans4562]

many people don't know: there are many words used in mathematics the english language has no word for. so english people use the german word.

[@schiggi1988]

Really? Sounds interesting! Do you have any examples?

[@AranoRecreant]

Eigenvektor, Eigenwert, Eigenraum

[@stefans4562]

Nullstellensatz, Ansatz, Hauptvermutung, Freiheitssatz, Verschiebung, Möbiusband, Entscheidungsproblem.... Some of them do have a translation or are slightly altered to fit the English language better but they can still be found in English literature. Most common are "Eigen-" and "Neben-" and "-satz".

[@stefans4562]

There are even some abreviations. Z (ganze Zahlen) and K (Körper) are used a lot.

[@gdhdddhdhdh6269]

+Stefan Schönhärl Mandelbrot

[@StollixP]

does the german word "Jein" exist in english? :D

[@WantedAdventure]

+StollixP *gasp* no, I don't think it does!! yeah, that's a great one too :)

[@tinas_hotdog_sophie]

nes? yo? 😂

[@eg.3949]

jein gibt es in. Deutschen nicjt

[@eg.3949]

+Miss wealthy im* nicht *

[@dandelionprpht]

+Miss wealthy Aber es ist umgangssprachlich und wird wirklich seeeehr häufig benutzt, deswegen war die Frage nicht wirklich unnötig ^^

[@Aircoookie]

I am probably stupid since I am German but never heard 3 of the 5 words...

[@Bomot_241]

Never heard all of the words except Schnapsidee in Germany 😂😂

[@marcexner1631]

One of the most useful words only existing in the german manguage is "doch".

[@moritz1932]

it's also existing in other languages, e.g. in France it's "si"

[@jessali_]

It exists in Danish as well: "jo". But in the case of English you would say "yes" where you'd use "doch" in German.

[@360Freaks]

Not one to one translated. But yeah, in some cases you'd use an enunciated 'yes' for doch.

[@uwehaleksy]

I think Marc Exner means the one meaning of "doch" which in French is "au contraire". And that is missing in English.

[@SchmulKrieger]

si hat im Französischen mehr als nur die Bedeutung doch, es kann auch wenn heißen, oder falls/im Falle von. Im Englischen existiert das Wort though, was etymologisch dasselbe Wort wie doch ist. Auch die Bedeutung ist nicht sehr unterschiedlich geworden, nur benutzt man das Wort im Deutschen lediglich für einen Widerspruch, aber nicht im Sinne eines Satzes, sondern der Einstellung zu dem vorher Gesagten.

[@lionmori]

Fernweh my absolute favorite one

[@MermaidSystem]

My best storry vor verschlimmbessern was my first Computer. It was a litte bit to slow for my newest computergame , so i go to the shop and bought a new memorystick and installed it. But there was something wrong and the computer was slower than befor. I has searched in the Internet for this problem and downloded some tools for diagnostics and one of this tools was a Virus. Than i had found the problem to the town again and a new memorystick again. removed the old and instaled the new one. And oops, the mainboard was still on power and the magic smoke came out. Ok, replace the mainboard was too dificult a i has taken the whole pc and to the shop again for repair. The result was all datas lost because every data was infected with the virus and the pc was completly damaged. there was only one way. a complete new pc. But it was fast egnough for my new computergame.

[@WantedAdventure]

+JetGirl ooooh noo!!! sorry about that, but it makes for a perfect verschlimmbessern story!

[@rf574]

So lustig sich dass als deutscher anzuschaun

[@itsAmpere]

Diese Wörter benutzt kein normaler Mensch.

[@heiligershit]

I'm german and i've never heard Schunkeln and Kummerspeck 😂

[@YaraKoro]

ich auch😂

[@laurah.2267]

+Coldbane_GER ich wohne auch in bayern, und habe die beiden noch nie gehört :D

[@heiligershit]

***** Ich wohne in Bayern :D

[@jimmyspliff88]

Komme aus dem Bereich NRW und schunkeln ist hier nicht ganz unbekannt ^^

[@McChicken637]

+James Hemp also schunkeln kenn ich (schunkelwalzer...), aber kummerspeck? Treppenwitz?

[@annikathegerman91]

I didn't know the last two words. :D Is there a english word for 'Kopfkino'? You know, when your friend tells you something strange or sexual and you say: "Oh, stop, I see it right in front of me(?)." In German: "Jetzt habe ich ein Kopfkino." Or simple: "Stopp, Kopfkino!" For example: A: "Was wenn Tom versuchen würde dich zu küssen? Ich wette er steht auf dich. (scherzhaftes Augenzwinkern) B: Toll, jetzt habe ich ein Kopfkino! Danke! (Ironie)

[@louibeans]

I don't think there's a good word for it, but "picturing something (in one's head)" could be used to express it.

[@SaheeliRai]

Fremdschämen

[@sdcair]

I also miss "Gesundheit" in english, when someone sneezes. I know there is "bless you", but I always feel like I'm a priest when I say it.

[@WantedAdventure]

+sdcr we say gesundheit in the U.S. too, actually! :D

[@vollonovo3395]

+Wanted Adventure i.live.in. germany

[@xanmarc1354]

+Wanted Adventure wieso machst du keine deutsche Videos?

[@davee.4847]

+Wanted Adventure really? O.o

[@xanmarc1354]

+Dave E. what?

[@sinisternightmare]

There is one particular english phrase, that I always think about, when this topic comes up. It has no german equivalent, despite it being a pretty common idea: *"to wish upon a star"* - You can only paraphrase this in german. And there is another phrase, that I'd like to establish in german: *"scraping the bottom of the barrel"*, which would be *"am Boden vom Fass kratzen"* in german. - It is used, when people desperately try to make a point, so they have to use their silliest arguments as a last resort. Oh, and I love the english saying: *"Even a broken clock is right twice a day."* - The closest german equivalent would be *"Selbst ein blindes Huhn findet mal ein Korn."*, which literally translates to *"Even a blind chicken sometimes finds a corn."* But I find the english version to be much more clever, so I prefer to use that one.

[@yanislirir1833]

hmmm .... aber "am Boden vom Fass kratzen" hab' ich irgendwo schon mal gehört, glaub' ich ... zumindest so ähnlich ... nicht ganz treffend, aber nahe d'ran wäre evtl. "argumentativ auf dem letzten Loch pfeifen" ...

[@andreasbraess3759]

Ist eher gemeint "dem Fass den Boden auskratzen" oder habe wir hier zwei ähnlich Redewendung mit unterschiedlicher Bedeutung?

[@Edigrieg]

dem nahe käme eventuell auch 'nach jedem/dem letzten Strohhalm greifen'. Aber ... nee, das trifft's auch nicht richtig.

[@HesseJamez]

"blowing on last whizzle" (auf der letzten Pfeiffe blasen) wird im Englischen verwendet und hat in etwa diese Bedeutung.

[@Hitomi905785]

You misexplained the word "Treppenwitz". It actually refers to a joke that is either so hard to understand or so lame that you can only laugh about it minutes or hours later, when you have finally figured it out. Good and interesting video, though. Some of those things never occured to me.

[@tenmataro7171]

I've also heard that English-speaking people literally use the German words "Weltschmerz" and "Doppelgänger"... while talking in English

[@julians7058]

also Poltergeist and Kindergarten

[@SnorriSnibble]

Wanderlust

[@Jacy_-nn1hr]

ich hab noch nie von dem Wort weltschmerz gehörrt...

[@ozdergekko]

There are quite a few German words in English. Most famously Sauerkraut and Kindergarten. Or partial German/partial Englisch words like "Eigenvalue" (Math). I'm sure I've heard others which I can't remember.

[@neonfarbenrausch]

They also use "mensch", "spiel" and "hinterland" but in different contexts.

[@JazzminLa]

Schadenfreude is the best

[@suziewoo2820]

eierlegende Wollmilchsau

[@bl8757]

i like "backpfeifengesicht" but i dont know if germans still say it. In America i've also heard ueber used a lot ot emphasis something. Tchatchkie is also a fun one. not sure if it exists in standard German, i know it as a Yiddish word. In the USA a lot of hochdeutsch and Yiddish words have been adopted into east coast and Midwestern slang without most people really realizing where they came from. Now i live on the west coast and i totally have to avoid them because people often get confused when i use these words.

[@CandraJade84]

I'm Geran and I actually didn't know "Treppenwitz". Oh, I love "Verschlimmbessern". I use - and unfortunately do - it a lot. There are some amazing words in the English language I miss in German, too. Maybe you could make a video for that? "Solitude" is one of those words that come to mind. In German there is no word for being alone without being lonely. Or "girlfriend"/"boyfriend". How often have I experienced awkward situations in which a friend introduced a friend of the opposite gender to me and I didn't know if they were just friends or dating. Other words I need a whole sentence to get the meaning along in German are "commitment" and "tranquility". You probably know more words you use in English and couldn't find a proper German translation for.

[@kentix417]

This comment was interesting.

[@lindaplayspiano]

Auch bei Cringe :D

[@lindaplayspiano]

Google Übersetzer macht daraus "zurückschrecken", was allerdings nicht immer so ganz stimmt

[@PiratDunkelbart]

I miss "convenient" in German. ^^ You have to say 5 German words to describe it. ^^

[@lingling820]

What about "praktisch" ?

[@PiratDunkelbart]

Kommt dem wohl am nächsten ran, aber deckt zB "bequem" nicht ab.

[@Baschdl578]

Praktisch?

[@KeksUndStiefel]

How do you need 5 words to describe "convenient"? You only need one, it just depends on the situation which one you would use. Not having a word at all for a certain situation and having to use a whole sentence to describe it, feels a lot worse in my opinion xD

[@stbufraba]

There is a reason for 5 different words. Having only one will miss something in the end.

[@Tommiboy193]

Du bist großartig! Es macht echt Spaß, Dir zuzuhören!

[@Mamaki1987]

Mischief. There is no word in German that says exactly that. You have about five or six different words for it that don't exactly describe that word itself (the more funny and the really bad meaning of it)

[@JohannLudwigEdel]

Its the same as saying water when you mean the ocean instead of a puddle or lake or river, its not wrong but its simply not precise enough.

[@Mamaki1987]

Exactly that :-)

[@FloIstMoep]

The funny and bad meaning of mischief could be translated to "Unfug". I don't know if that is exact enough though.

[@Mamaki1987]

yeah, but "Unfug" itself is not bad. Maybe "Verderben" or "Unheil" is more of a bad thing

[@whytho5843]

In Harry Potter it's translated to "Missetat" (when they're saying "Mischief managed")

[@steamingheartbeat]

What about the word "doch"? Is there an aquivalent? Maybe "indeed"?

[@cestlavi]

You just say "yes it is" or "yes I have" instead of saying "doch" I think.

[@romy4777]

I'm from Germany and I absolutely love the word "butterfingers". I didn't even know that this word exists, but while I looked after a word in the dictionary, exactly this word suddenly appeared in front of my eyes and since that moment I couldn't forget it. I think I like it that much because I am a butterfingers to be honest😅😂

[@WantedAdventure]

+Romy RoLou haha yes!! you're right, that's a great word :D I can picture exactly what it means from the word.

[@alexdois3574]

Schadenfreude, also a special German word.

[@WantedAdventure]

+Alex Dois we've actually started using that word in the U.S. too :)

[@TieMaxx]

lol thats cool!

[@amirh1901]

+Wanted Adventure im german and I didn't know this words

[@amirh1901]

Ser Davos yes

[@eisenfell]

Google "Vorderschaftrepetierflinte" :-D

[@エルフェンリート-l3i]

Ja, das ist halt 'ne Shotgun.

[@eisenfell]

Pumpgun. Shotgun umfasst ja alle Flinten (auch Doppelflinten und so). Ich fand es nur witzig, was für ein bescheuertes Wort wir für "Pumpgun" haben... typisch deutsch

[@エルフェンリート-l3i]

+Let's Shoot Vorderschaftrepetierer kenn ich ja aus CoD ^^

[@eisen.dieter]

gucken überhaupt US Amerikaner diese Videos?

[@ingridroyle1333]

eisen dieter .ja !!

[@Voxyspielt]

Did someone say 'Weltschmerz' already?

[@jf8442]

3:46 eigentlich heißt es nicht "bessern", sondern "verbessern" Und Treppenwitz habe ich noch nie gehört...

[@simonfuhler9120]

"verschlimmbessern" is same as "kaputt reparieren" xD

[@MissStayingStrong]

"Verschlimmbessern"? Wer benutzt sowas? xD

[@EleNa-fq3vj]

einige :D

[@mako7395]

Lehrer machen das ganz gern ;)

[@lesnyk255]

I've always been fond of _Schadenfreud_, that guiltily pleasurable feeling we might get when someone we despise suffers some kind of misfortune.....

[@TBFSJjunior]

Brexit... and then the UK is becoming a trade partner like Norway Same fee, almost the same rules/regulations but no representation in the EU government. Verschlimmbessern is the perfect description, if this happens

[@bauchbart]

I fucked up my parents BMW recently XD My mom parked it somewhat odd and the residents there complained, so she got back in the car (it was parked sideways in an entranceway to a house on a rather steep descend to a parking lot), turned the car to the right to drive down to the actual parking space and got stuck on a low and long concrete bollard she didn't see. She didn't quite know what to do, so I said "Where's the problem? You hit the break, press the clutch and put in the reverse gear, turn the steering wheel as far clockwise at it will go and back off by releasing the clutch and gently stepping on the gas the moment you lift your foot off the break." Looked good in my head, but she wouldn't dare to try it, so I took it upon myself. I got behind the wheel, pressed the clutch, took a deep breath and said to myself "Release the clutch, step off the brake and hit the gas gently" before the car went on to make a huge leap forward, completely fucking up the left side of the car and throwing over the entire 200kg bollard by doing so, because I forgot to change the gear to reverse and was still stuck in 1st gear. If that's not the best example for Verschlimmbesserung there is, I really don't know what else is XD

[@99xara99]

Der innere Schweinehund? :)

[@trjnheargsafy]

I’m native German, and I do know all mentioned terms. What’s about the list below, as far I know there is no English equivalent. Backpfeifengesicht Brückentag Dornröschenschlaf Dreikäsehoch Dunkelziffer Erbsenzähler Erklärungsnot Fernweh Fingerspitzengefühl Fremdschämen Geborgenheit Geschmacksverirrung Innerer Schweinehund Ohrwurm Pantoffelheld Schadenfreude Scheinheilig Sturmfrei Torschlusspanik Torschlusspanik Verabredet Weltschmerz Zugzwang

[@lukasitsez9795]

ich komme aus Deutschland und es ist witzig das zu hören^_^😂😂

[@qlwl8721]

Oh ja

[@danbergen5002]

Bielefeld? Does this city exist? 😂 I am from this city 😂 Am I existing?

[@AccidentalLyrics]

I have a word that I made up, and I always wondered if other people have made up the same term. The term is "brain fart". It describes the moment when you say something inaccurate or nutty, but not on purpose, you know, accidentally. The concept is that of a fart coming out of your mouth. This happens to me when I think people are discussing a certain topic, so I make a comment, and find out that there were talking about something else entirely.

[@kentix417]

Brain fart exists in English but usually means a failure in your thinking process - like you say you'll see someone on Tuesday and they say, "But today is Tuesday." You might reply that you had a brain fart (because you forgot what day it was).

[@Kleo3392]

I've got three of them: Kummerspeck = sorrowfat Treppenwitz = staircasewit Verschlimbessern = forslimbetter

[@thomasf.9717]

Kleo3392 your third word translated back into german means "Fürschlankbessern".

[@kevinzacharyschuler1595]

I like the term Verschlimmbessern even I am an American born raised here I actually never heard it before (maybe it is used only in bavaria) ...that term is really awesome :-)

[@Jana-em7mw]

Kevin Zachary Schuler we use the word in Berlin too

[@GTvehicle]

I'm Dutch and I used to be pretty fluent in German. Already knew schunkeln and Schnapsidee, but I absolutely love to find out about verschlimmbessern through your vid ! Reminds me of the (British ?) english expression 'same difference' BTW.

[@WantedAdventure]

+GTvehicle hahaha I had completely forgotten about "same difference" xD I haven't used that in a long time. Used to be a favorite word when I was in grade school, though.

[@niklash.5691]

l'appel du vide: it describes the feeling of wanting to jump of a high cliff, building or whatever knowing that it will probably hurt or even kill you. a word by word traduction would be sth. like "the call of the empty space". And there is Schadenfreude, but I guess you know that one. Rhett and Link made a pretty funny video on that topic. You should check that one out ;)

[@kentix417]

traduction = translation

[@jasminheidekruger4630]

You walk me animally on the cookie, they say.iam german☺😂

[@bloodsport9712]

ok i'm german and i'v never heard of treppenwitz xD more like "Flachwitz"

[@Madrinass]

Ich würde fast keine von diesen Wörtern benutzen

[@hagridkesha4296]

"Geschwister" means "brothers and sisters" so you can say I have 2 "Geschwister", a brother and a sister ^^

[@WantedAdventure]

+Hagrid Kesha in English you can say "siblings"

[@bliss448]

Verschlimmbessern? I never heard that one before. I bet you picked up your German in the south. They've got some funny ways of expressing themselves.

[@vbvideo1669]

Hahaha... At least in my part of NDS, it's very common to say "verschlimmbessern"! :)

[@YumiAyashiro]

Ich komm aus Bremen und kenn' das schon von meiner Bremer Oma Oo Dafür kannte ich Treppenwitz ziemlich lange nicht

[@chocipaw7558]

wow it just came to my mind that I had a conversation with a guy once in which I found out that there is actually no real word for "Ohrwurm". if there is, please tell me I would really appreciate it. :)

[@WantedAdventure]

I've heard people using the exact one to one translation, ear-worn for it :D But other than that, I'd say we just say we have a song stuck in our head lol

[@skaetzle]

ja, für das tier. für den song der sich aber dauernd in deinem kopf wiederholt funktioniert das nicht.

[@konydabig5390]

Fickwunschstrauß - literally (Fuckwishflowers) means to give flowers as a present to someone you want to have sex with. :D

[@arwenschild6406]

I am from Germay but never heared of this before 😮

[@lianhector9546]

I dont think that exists P.s.: im german so Yeah

[@mvxm5338]

stop

[@ronnyg.6265]

There is another German word for verschlimmbessern: kaputtreparieren! Like, trying to repair something and breaking ot in the process. It means the same thing. But, I think it is more of a regional thing; my grandparents always say that in their dialect and it sounds even better that way.

[@WantedAdventure]

+Ronny G. haha! That's awesome xD I like that word too! Thanks for sharing it :)

[@nicolaskunze6282]

+Wanted Adventure I'm german but i haven't herard the word schunkeln. I think the word you discribed was schlendern.

[@Spongebobfan1234561]

+Nicolas Kunze I'm german too and I've heard "schunkeln" before, seemed right to me :) schlendern is walking slowly when you're relaxed isn't it? :D

[@drunken_sailor9131]

+Nicolas Kunze dann bist du wohl kein Bayer, scheiß Norddeutscher

[@DubbingLevy]

Not exactly a noun, but I keep missing expressions for "Doch" in the English language... it's doable to express the same thing, but not without lots of grammatical loopholes… I remember once playing a game that had you pick options between Yes and No. I played the German Version of it, so when I was asked a question in the NEGATIVE, I would of course pick "No, I don't think so" because Yes would have meant I'd agree with what is said and "Doch" wasn't an option - but hailing from the English Origin, "No" interpreted my answer as a double negative, often times resulting in the opposite of what I was going for. It was... very weird an confusing.

[@johanna1758]

the two Most awsome english words are fremd and Boy/girlfriend befasse in german both is freund, that's so anoing

[@Relax_Night_and_Day]

Nice video ! I like it Love, Light & Peace Relax Night and Day

[@achtungcircus]

In French it's more staircase wit than staircase joke. It's a comeback, but not necessarily funny.

[@kenosama7527]

I dont think, that you find "verschlimmbessern" in a Duden.

[@Schlachtenhase]

it is in there :) at least in my duden (24th version)

[@apple_hd_3269]

Schlachtenhase wieso schreibst du englisch mit ihm...? er ist deutsch ✌😂

[@Schlachtenhase]

Apple_HD_ 1. Woher soll ich das riechen ob er deutsch kanm? Muss ich erst seine Lebensgeschichte lesen bevor ich auf seinen Kommentar antworte? 2. Er hat englisch geschrieben, also antworte ich auch so. Ist doch dämlich im Gespräch Sprachen zu switchen, mal ganz abgesehen davon, dass ich mein Wissen dem englischsprachigem Publikum ja auch nicht vorenthalten will ^^

[@sinaralp4453]

my English teacher in Germany say to me that the word " Doch " in England and American not exist :) english : -Nein -Doch ! -Nein ! -Doch! it means... in Germany... you speak like this: -no! it's not my apple -doch! it is... -no! -Doch! I think I explained a bit to complicated sorry ^^ I (verschlimmern bessern ) ; )

[@annikathegerman91]

Wait, I got a new one! What about the word "jain"? It's not a real word, but people use it as a mix of yes and no (ja und nein). You can use it if you are not sure or if things are not clear enough to answer them with yes or no. For example: "Do you love him?" "Jain." (=I'm not sure/Yes, but not like that)

[@marcelkirst]

Hi! Dana I really love your videos, I just want you to give a proposal, I think it would be good if you could make more german videos so German learners "like me" could watch interesting videos in German, and do not worry about your accent it is beautiful don't hesitate so much! Greetings from Guatemala🇬🇹!