German idioms you really shouldn't take literally | Meet the Germans

From offended sausages to tap-dancing bears - these idiomatic expressions bring a little poetry to the German language.
Rachel Stewart is on a mission to investigate the quirks and idiosyncrasies of daily life in Germany. Every two weeks she explores a new topic - from beer to nudity to complicated grammar - and heads out to get some tips from the Germans themselves.
Rachel moved from the UK to Germany in 2016. As a relative newcomer she casts a fresh eye over German clichés and shares her experiences of settling into German life. You'll find more from Meet the Germans on KZbin or at dw.com/MeettheGermans.
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#MeetTheGermans

[@Craysus]

Not sure why I am watching this. I am German and I know how the rabbit runs. But I like it

[@maryjayne9700]

Lmfao. Same!

[@Claude_van_Kloten]

Dir gefällt wahrscheinlich die hübsche Sprecherin.

[@martinaherold465]

Ya

[@unclejoeoakland]

Do you fellows really like apple sauce on your pancakes? Or- and this is critical- have you had an opportunity to try out some real maple syrup?

[@K4lzifer]

@@unclejoeoakland yep we do

[@mrclean2538]

Now we have the salad!

[@paulgoogol2652]

good one haha

[@carl-marvin]

your english isn’t really the yellow from the egg. But sponge over.

[@GMSryBut]

@@carl-marvin I think I spider. His english goes very well.

[@azzteke]

@@carl-marvin - of the egg-

[@onlytheartofliving6936]

There goes the dog in the pan crazy

[@oliverludwig6148]

Do you have tomatoes on the eyes? I only understand train station.

[@DioBrando-nb7yz]

I only understand train station and baked potatoes

[@pseudohai9006]

You seem to have beans in the ears

[@loucrazy8104]

This is for the cat...

[@paulallen1019]

"I'm into you" is also a bit weird to be fair

[@ashmonkey2572]

thats what he said later that night

[@guepardo.1]

Ich bin in dir.

[@Claude_van_Kloten]

Guepardo Guepárdez Ich bin grad in Dir drin.

[@theunicorn1167]

Cosmo Karma **insert lenny face**

[@stephanweinberger]

but it's completely logical: you gotta stand first

[@muffigaming2787]

My english is neither the yellow of the egg nor is it one-wall free.

[@Tina-zc5mb]

My favorite is still highest irontrain

[@TheGukos]

My english on the other hand is first cream!

[@nickyliu8762]

Einwand translates to objection. Literal translation would be 'in-turn'.

[@literallyadorito8197]

Me dont sagen english wary wel

[@VArsovski10]

Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof :D Think that's my favourite IMO, has a nice ring to it, makes sense, but always sounds weird 😁

[@kedarpaulCogitoErgoSum]

"Not my beer" has an English cousin, "Not my cup of tea" .

[@SchmulKrieger]

The national drinks. 😉

[@mareike8244]

but the meaning is different, right? "Not my cup of tea" is more like "that doesn't really appeal to me/ I don't really like it"

[@kedarpaulCogitoErgoSum]

@@mareike8244 I think it depends on the person listening or speaking but the meaning is similar. But full disclosure, I am not a native English speaker though.

[@paraescucharrap]

No, it's not the same. "Das ist nicht mein Bier" -> I am not responsible for that/not of my business "Not my cup of tea" -> Not of my taste/I don't like it that way

[@jackkruese4258]

“ not my cup of tea” bedeutet, dass etwas nicht nach meinem Geschmack ist. Ich hoffe mein Deutsch ist hier richtig.

[@niki-yq1oo]

"Holla the forest fairy!" is one if my personal favorites

[@wulpinaga4155]

One of my favourites: "Da wird ja der Hund in der Pfanne verrückt!" Means: "That'd crazy/unbelievable!" Literal translation: "The dog in the pan is gonna get crazy"

[@leopoldschmidt6884]

Denken eigentlich nur chinesen

[@shadowwolf6205]

Das Huhn in der Pfanne verrückt.

[@stevenbartel5008]

Ich kenne das nur mit huhn

[@DioBrando-nb7yz]

@@leopoldschmidt6884 hahahahah

[@hanswerner8253]

Funfakt, die letzte Hundeschlachterei in Deutschland hat 1980 geschlossen . Funfact, the last slaughterhouse producing dogmeat in Germany closed in the 1980s

[@4everBeaconman]

You don't have all the cups on the cupboard = you're crazy

[@jakethesnake95]

In English we'd say "you've got a screw loose".

[@Blaarkable]

@@jakethesnake95 We also say that, "Du hast doch ne Schraube locker". They mean the same and can be used interchangeably.

[@curlyy6]

Isn't "I have such a tie" supposed to be "Ich hab so einen Kragen", meaning "collar"?

[@RachelStewart04]

There seem to be lots of variations on this one - also "I have such a throat" (Hals)!

[@luziferkupfer]

Auf österreichisch gibt es noch "Då kriag I soichene Kabön!" "Da krieg ich solche Kabeln!" (mit Griff zu den angeschwollenen Halsschlagadern). In Austria some say: "I get these cables!" with a hand gesture to their swollen carotid arteries.

[@hughjazz4936]

Im Pott kannst auch "so 'ne Krawatte, wa?!" haben. Ist regional unterschiedlich, nehme ich an.

[@pezze8543]

Dacht ich mir auch.

[@GenericJohnDoe]

I have such an throat/neck/scrag *makes gestures around that bodypart such as it would be very swollen and will soon burst violently in an explosive eruption. But the facial expression is utter mad and this time the spelling is really mad angry german* every german jumps behind cover when someone makes this. Especially if you are a husband or a boyfriend and your partner is the one which is going berzerk in the next moment...

[@danielbastidas2223]

Imagine terminator saying: Aus die Maus Baby!!

[@connectingwings7212]

German movie translations in a nutshell..

[@IchhabezuvielYoutubegegucktO_o]

@@connectingwings7212 Most of the time german movie translations are pretty good.

[@connectingwings7212]

@@IchhabezuvielKZbingegucktO_o Well, many Jokes can obviously not be transferred to German, and that kind of ruins it - or at some German subtitles you just think - how tf can someone translate this to that..

[@IchhabezuvielYoutubegegucktO_o]

@@connectingwings7212 Sure but they manage to do a pretty good job compared to the translations in other languages.

[@connectingwings7212]

@@IchhabezuvielKZbingegucktO_o The only other subtitle language apart from English that I'm able to speak and understand is Portuguese. However, as you can imagine, not many movies distributed in Germany have Portuguese subtitles, which leads me to having to admit, that I don't know many comparisons so that I cannot draw a conclusion about that..

[@kiddythecat8890]

That guys smile really was sweet as a honey pie!

[@Anonymous-cn6zl]

He's so damn cute 🥰

[@williameason1194]

An American smile if ever there was one.

[@beneskoo_3]

Ehm.. thank you ! 😅 I found that video today for the first time and I am really nervously excited 😳😲

[@Anonymous-cn6zl]

@@beneskoo_3 wow, was that you?

[@beneskoo_3]

@@Anonymous-cn6zl yesss 😇

[@thetabulator851]

Friede, Freude, Eierkuchen describes mocking about the fact that circumstances seem too sugar coated. In the sense "Come on, don't exaggerate! This is not totally all love and peace!"

[@irisbrux6003]

"Aus die Maus" refers to one of the most popular german TV program for children. The "Sendung mit der Maus" started broadcasting in the 70's and was the only program watched by children. Every episode ended with the sentence "aus die Maus" as a short form for "Die Sendung mit der Maus ist jetzt zuende." and it also defined the end of the TV session for the kids especially as back then the episodes were broadcastet at half past six on thursday evenings and after that the kids had to go to bed. So "Aus die Maus" stood for the end of the day.

[@gulhanyanar5286]

Ich glaube nicht dass die Sendung das erfunden hat

[@birgerr.2506]

@@gulhanyanar5286 According to the Duden, they did.

[@charliemarlie1994]

Rule Number on of learning German: Don‘t play the offended liver sausage

[@SpandauJerry]

*one

[@NachoMan154]

ohh, you green nine, this Video is under every sow. I mean it's for the cat! I tought it all would be in the green area or at least in butter. But you've driven me at the nose and danced on it. I think i have drawn the arse card. Ash on my head. Next time i have to go on number safe. Then i will be floating on cloud seven. :D Yes, i shaked that out of my sleeve. xD

[@prinzchen17]

i think you spider!

[@larsw.3240]

Off goes the mail!

[@dontpanic9772]

To much of the good

[@Mi-qg4dm]

That was like the yellow from the egg. But Hola the woodfairy, you are on the wood way... But sponge over and enjoy your life in full trains!! 😂

[@pezze8543]

You have something on your pipe,

[@alexbenavidez4500]

Where is "now we have the salad!" That's my favourite.

[@misterports3995]

No wonder why Oscar wilde said "life is too short to learn German"

[@thecommunist8050]

Russian: am I a joke to you?

[@penguin7017]

@@thecommunist8050 Почему?

[@penguin7017]

@@thecommunist8050 Почему?

[@steffenrosmus1864]

A true one: everything has an End only a sausage has 2😁

[@andyhx2]

Respect to Germans knowing their own idioms, if the similar quizz'd be done in my country half the people would have answered incorrectly.

[@defense9989]

Weirdest German idiom when taken literally (imo): "to throw an eye on somebody/something" "ein Auge auf jemanden/etwas werfen" It means that you have an eye on sb./sth. but I find it quite funny that we actually throw the eye in Germany.

[@KaeptnTerror]

Tja ich war mal beim Angeln, als ein Kumpel sein Messer nahm, das Auge eines Alaska Seelachses entfernte und mit genannten Worten auf seinen Bruder warf. - Und das nüchtern! 😂

[@dansattah]

I feel like "werfen" in this idiom has more to do with "to project". The German for a spotlight is literally a "beam projector" (Scheinwerfer).

[@gkoknok6076]

I’m going to incorporate “I know how the rabbit runs” into my everyday convos

[@wiemisstmaneigentlicharmla1394]

u are heavi on wire mate

[@HarryGuit]

That‘s really hard to know, as rabbits are known for suddenly changing direction when hunted.

[@uplink-on-yt]

"Peace, joy, pancakes" - you know that's right

[@probablygraham]

One of my favourites doesn't have a perfect translation. If you go somewhere and there is absolutely nothing happening, you say it is "tote Hose" (literally "dead trousers"). A long running punk band from Düsseldorf are called die Toten Hosen (the dead trousers) :-) There is also a long list of words used to tell someone that they are getting on your nerves, all beginning with "Du gehst mir auf.......". Literally translated they are quite funny: Du gehst mir auf den Keks (you are going on my biscuit). Du gehst mir auf den Wecker (you are going on my alarm clock). Du gehst mir auf den Senkel (you are going on my (boot)lace. Du gehst mir auf den Geist (you are going on my ghost/spirit). Du gehst mir auf den Zeiger (you are going on my (clock)hand. There are others, but I won't type them here as it might offend somebody :-) I also laugh when I hear Germans making a comment about a woman with big boobs, namely "Sie hat viel Holz vor der Hütte" (or dialect in South Germany "Holz vor der Hüttn". Literally it means "She has a lot of wood in front of her hut/cabin" LOL.

[@ericthered2963]

"The bear tap-dances here." Actually sounds quite nice in english :D

[@Sadowsky46]

Eric The Red or even better if the bear tap-dances in chain-mail 😉

[@0cer0]

Never heard »Ich hab so eine Krawatte«. Usually it's »Ich hab' so einen Hals!«

[@pami333]

Oder "Ich hab so 'nen Kragen", different variations on the theme dependings on the regions and dialects, I guess.

[@cnordegren]

That was amazing DW! Very cultural while being entertaining. I always look for DW content! If its from Germany it must be good.

[@gibtsnochnnamen]

"I think I spider" and "You can say you to me"

[@michaelt.5672]

"I think I spider" is a deliberate mistranslation though.

[@BillCipher1337]

@@michaelt.5672 you dont say

"Don't play the insulted liver sausage" And "Peace, joy, pancakes" can also be very sarcastic…

[@mikebaginy8731]

Watching one of Rachel's videos makes my day. Rachel, that makes you so easy nobody after!

[@pkorobase]

Who's curious about "Aus die Maus": it is citing Armin Maiwald, the inventor and editor of the "Sendung mit der Maus", who said this often at the end of the program.

[@superleisie]

When I was a little boy in the sixties I heard my grandparents using this idiom. And that was long before the "Sendung mit der Maus".

[@chrisrudolf9839]

I think it is just due to the rhyme and isn't supposed to make any sense beyond that. Similar to phrases like "Ende Gelände" or "Hätte, hätte, Fahradkette". Or the english "to may to, tomato"

[@samsam.03]

you are walking me on the cookie

[@jazzg.6771]

Freshly Brewed Covers 😂😂😂

[@NickDoyle]

As an Australian who lived in Germany and dated a German, I thoroughly enjoy this whole series, it gives me a little see-search 😌

[@newheavyion]

"Ah, now, I´m in picture"

[@nessajax]

My lovely mr singing club! I only understand trainstation. Maybe im on the woodway.

[@MrReese]

I have never heard of "ich habe so eine Krawatte" - this should be "ich habe so einen Hals"!

[@calledmoe]

I've heard both. But I understand why you thought that a horse is kicking you!

[@Fallonmoon]

idioms are such a funny thing you get to know while learning a new language. I also really enjoyed learning some of the english idioms :)

[@nawaladawe1640]

wait what language is your native language and where are you from?

[@David-in1fh]

"Aus die Maus": When a famous Kids-TV-Show named "Die Sendung mit der Maus" ended, a lot of people always said "aus die Maus" . That's were it comes from.

[@niki-yq1oo]

Ah didn't know that, but it makes sense now😄

[@neravarmemesandareumadbro9790]

Haha "I know how the rabbit runs" brings up "This ain't my first rodeo"

[@martinguerre8220]

Brilliant video. The best I've seen. Well done, Rachel.

[@thedirewolf5535]

I love these videos! Rachel Stewart does such a good job.

[@RachelStewart04]

Thanks! :D

[@09ashcraft]

Thank you so much for your videos! I am learning a lot before going to Germany. 😌😊

[@davidsradioroom9678]

I never learned these expressions in school. thanks for sharing.

[@waldos97]

I really love Deutschland!

[@metttestsc8099]

Hier steppt der Bär

[@summersun6536]

Eben translated word by word is not "beaming like a honey cake horse" it is "smiling like a gingerbread horse" or very similar in English: "to grin like a Cheshire cat" 😉

[@OLee82]

1:23 There's another one: "Ich bin sauer" - "I am sour"

[@niki-yq1oo]

I think it is translated as "being salty", right?

[@O_Lee69]

"With him is no good cherry eating." "Mit dem ist nicht gut Kirschen essen." Be careful, this guy is strong and tends to be brutal.

[@smaragdwolf1]

or better meaning: This one had a really bad Day, leave him alone.

[@maradorgold5596]

Or even better interpretation. It's hard to come to terms with him/her.

[@niki-yq1oo]

And the opposite: "mit dem kann man Pferde stehlen"

[@leafm1181]

if it weren't for youtube I feel like I would never have learned this... and I've been to Germany

[@mrpickenz7760]

Well, now the dog is going crazy in the frying pan

[@DKofDAH]

To quote Lothar Matthäus: " I think I spider".

[@willshedo]

Der war gut!

[@skewbcuber3468]

I know where the hammer is hanging

[@derek8482]

i really like german, its nice to hear these idioms ;)

[@cobalius]

I'm german and understand only train station And where are those classics like the bucket rain or the crazy-fried dog? Or the appleing thing?

[@poojithaiss9467]

That grin guy

[@ialpha6431]

I love how many phrases have food or beer in it.

[@marshal1808]

I love it, thank you DW.

[@albiceleste101]

This girl is great. Keep her

[@MrRedhondabadge]

What about Birds in the Head or Not all the cups are in the cupboard? Great video

[@Rosi_in_space]

Hast du 'nen Vogel?! - Do you have a bird?! (Are you crazy?) Mir schwillt der Kamm! My cockscomb is is swelling! (This makes me so angry.)

[@ja_u]

MrRedhondabadge I think by you its whistling

[@jasonirwin4631]

The bear tap dances here= party Well I guess those Germans know how to party bears and all.

[@marcuszaja6589]

"I only understand railway station" for "Ich versteh' nur Bahnhof" and "My lovely male choir" for "Mein lieber Herr Gesangsverein".

[@jsplit9716]

That one dude answers "Ich hab so ne Krawatte" with the phrase "Ich bin sauer" which means "I'm sour" in english xD

[@chestermicek]

Here are a few "southern fried sayings" which are ordinarily heard south of the Mason Dixon Line in the USA" 1) "That dog will hunt!", 2) "You must think I just fell off the turnip truck!", 3) "Bless your heart!", and 4) "This ain't my first rodeo!". In order, they translate as: 1) "That's a solution that will work!", "2) You must think me naïve.", 3) "Your brains are dog poop.", and 4) "I've seen that bull$hit trick before." Being Slavic, my all time favorite is "Pray for meat, but plant potatoes and cabbage."

[@dzertblue8015]

I'm really hesitant about who is the best? Rachel or the presenter of ICYMI channel?

[@piap.6266]

awesome video, you could have also blended in some english equvalents like Keda Paul said "not my cup of tea"

[@omegastorm2978]

My favourit: "Da boxt der Past im Kettenhemd!" "The pope is boxing in chain amour there" which means there is commotion somewhere.

[@chrisrudolf9839]

I have never ever heard that one and I doubt it is a common idiom.

[@mweskamppp]

@@chrisrudolf9839 Da boxt der Papst im Kettenhemd? doch, das gibts. Erinnert mich an Jugendsprache aus den 80gern. The pope is boxing in chain-mail.

[@chrisrudolf9839]

@@mweskamppp Ah ja, die sogenannte Jugendsprache aus den 80ern. Da gab's ja immer völlig verquere Ausdrücke, die man den lustigen Büchern über Jugendsprache entnehmen konnte, die aber kein Jugendlicher tatsächlich jemals gewohnheitsmäßig benutzt hat. Wie "Kopfgärtner" für Friseur. :-)

[@mweskamppp]

@@chrisrudolf9839 Ich hab da noch was anderes. De Koten pölen mitte Pille un eener sacht: "wat schmiecht de osnik?" "wat, all half sögen?" "ik mot dadür"! Ich nutze immer noch einige Worte, die in meiner Jugend gebraucht wurden. Selbst ein Vorstand eines Dax Unternehmens hat mal eines gebraucht in meiner Gegenwart. Na denn, alls jovel. Hamels Jonteff! Das ist ein Gemisch aus Hochdeutsch, münsterländer Platt und Masematte. Übersetzt etwa: Die Kinder spielen Fussball und einer sagt: "wie spät ist es"? "Was schon halb sieben"? "Ich muss weg"! Na dann, alles in Ordnung, viel Spaß noch!

[@thurianwanderer]

Someone will roast me a stork!

[@Hermetic_]

Awesome!

[@PanicPoE]

Great video overall, but the minor thing that bugged me was the lack of context for "Friede, Freude, Eierkuchen". It is usually used in a more negative context to establish some kind of contrast. Anyway, I'm drunk and germen. You're doing fine.

[@karmafairy351]

1:31 That guy is super cute. Great smile too.

[@yellowhmsconqueror]

Ja super schön 😍

[@johnson9768]

A real Honigkuchenpferd

[@beneskoo_3]

Thank you 😅😳

[@ksrnan4993]

"peace, joy and pancakes" was actually the motto of the loveparade in berlin. the "pancake" part was used to convince the authoriries about the seriousness of the project; being a political demonstration: Everybody should have enough to eat. It was approved.

[@IntyMichael]

The english version? Because the German version is muuuuuuch older than the love parade.

[@ksrnan4993]

Nee, die deutsche Version: Friede, Freude, Eierkuchen! ;-)

[@dari1510]

In romanian, when someone is bad at doing something we say "you are cabbage" or "you are dust"

[@RakkiOfficial]

Holla die Waldfee! Das haut mich glatt aus den Socken xD

[@SomethingStupide]

One of my personal favourites: The pope is boxing in a chain mail shirt here. The meaning is similar to 'The bear tap-dances' :D

[@pulsierenderspeer2956]

hier kloppt sich der papst im kettenhemd oderwas soll das sein

[@wolfsden3812]

One of the more interesting videos on German I've found Das good! Lol

[@skewbcuber3468]

All paths lead to Rome.

[@Dankschon]

To Germany*

[@charleshamilton9274]

Isn’t this same premise literally the same for any language? Still, a charming video.

[@saklainalmamun1151]

I Love Rachel Stewart

[@rudilapa6569]

I'm am ABSOLUTELY going to use some of these auf Englisch!

[@BlazVeber69]

English: Not My Cup of Tea. German: Das Ist Nicht Mein Bier. Relatable.

[@karlwesaufski1713]

Das mit der Krawatte hab ich noch nie gehört

[@chr13]

"Ich stehe auf dich." is in accusative. If a German wanted to say they're standing on you, they'd say "Ich stehe auf dir." (dative).

[@silverstar4289]

I used the dancing bear reference in German, when responding to a group email that included a couple men with German wives. One of them said he laughed like mad. He asked how on earth I knew that phrase.

[@bobajff6170]

"She gave me a basket" ... Omg a friend really said that... seriously xD

[@MrAM4D3U5]

If more of these ever get made please include the German pronunciation of said idioms, thanks!

[@jackjordan7315]

Danke!

[@SL-hq7py]

Can we please get a full version of all the different expressions lined up like Hollywood Squares playing to that sick beat? / Können wir bitte eine Vollversion all der verschiedenen Ausdrücke die aufgereiht sind wie Hollywood Squares, die zu diesem kranken Beat spielen bekommen?

[@Haarknoten96]

That goes off like Schmitz cat 😂

[@MrPinoCavallo]

This video is absolutely under all sod!

[@JirayuChai]

More plss, danke

[@StarOnTheWater]

I knew I liked this even before watching. 👍🏻

[@taticaramico]

Du has nicht alle Tassen im Schrank! Hahaaah Love that one!

[@Linuxdirk]

My dear mister singing club! Did you know that “Friede, Freude, Eierkuchen” was the slogan of the first ever Love Parade? It stood for disarmament, international understanding through music, and equal distribution of food. They initially needed such a slogan so the Love Parade could be declared as demonstration and not a party.

[@HarryGuit]

Liver sausage gets dark and dried when it’s lying around. It doesn‘t look good soon. Some poetic mind must have called it „offended“ looking.

[@myeramimclerie7869]

I've never heard anyone saying "Hier steppt der Bär" and meaning it NOT ironically. As far as I know it's used to describe a really boring place... Also, "Ich krieg gleich einen Hals!" ("I soon get a neck!") means, someone is really angry and about to have a swollen neck due to increased blood flow to the head. Better run or explain yourself immediately.

[@madhushankar7117]

Das ist schon 👍

[@Orangecataura]

The two buys at 1:32 are such snacks my God 😍

[@calibrazxr750]

I have been here for 25 years and I have only heard maybe two of those.

[@Orsuss]

"Ich habe so eine Krawatte" ... also DAS habe ich noch nie gehört! Ich kenne "Ich hab so nen Hals!" aber das mit der Krawatte hab ich noch nie gehört.

[@lequack8861]

"I think my pig is whistling" is kinda of like "when pig fly"

[@Fallonmoon]

mhm not sure. "when pigs fly" is more of "yeah that never going to happen", while "pig whisteling" is more of an expression of suprise

[@yoooyoyooo]

If the pig whistles in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, did it whistle?

[@tookitogo]

What’s funny is that as someone who lives in the German speaking part of Switzerland (and learned German here), most of these expressions are completely unknown here!