If English Were like German 2! - Funniest German Idioms

German is a funny language. German idioms are even funnier. I wonder what it'd be like if German idioms were in English...
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Thank you so much for watching! Hope you enjoyed it! I definitely spent well over 50 hours working on this video which is why I should really try and start working on giant videos like this for longer than under 1 week. YIKE.
If you're new to my channel and videos, hi! I'm Evan Edinger, and I make weekly "comedy" videos every Sunday evening. As an American living in London I love noticing the funny differences between the cultures and one of my most popular video series is my British VS American one. I'm also known for making terrible puns so sorry in advance. Hope to see you around, and I'll see you next Sunday! :)
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#EvanEdingerman #IfEnglishWereLikeGerman2

[@evan]

Hope you all like this video! I spent ages on it and I love it lotsss :)

[@rebekahl840]

Yes, I was so funny and I love it :)

[@Bastion90]

Great video, Evan, it was fun to hear all these different idioms. BTW 'The cat is out of the bag' comes from a time when farmers would sell their livestock in a sack. If they were dishonest they would instead put a cat in it. If the buyer checked what was inside then the cat would jump out and 'be out of the bag' and the secret/dishonesty would be revealed.

[@lucie4185]

I loved the sneaky "die wurst" pun. 👍

[@PaperbackTherian]

Lol great video. Some of my family just moved to Germany 🇩🇪 so I’m trying to pick some stuff up before going to see them^^

[@janani1826]

Loved it!

[@pfennigschmidt3444]

Not only is the german word for having a hangover to have a "Kater", but also, if your muscles are sore, that's called a "Muskelkater"

[@DieAlteistwiederda]

And that is why I, a person with three male cats who are Kater, can make a whole lot of stupid puns all the time. I prefer the fluffy Kater over the headache ones.

[@PaperbackTherian]

Makes sense

[@meikke1118]

Is it just not that the word "Kater" has two meanings?

[@conni5179]

@@meikke1118 basically yes

[@sgeurekav.2658]

(Muskel)Kater is closely related to the word "catarrh", which is an inflammation of body cell parts. The Spanish have their "catarro" for a cold.

[@mg7094]

"Wo sich Fuchs und Hase gute Nacht sagen" is the oldfashioned nice Version. Most people say "am Arsch der Welt"

[@Nynelyne]

M G Oder JWD: Janz weit draußen! 😉

[@phillipgerecke4299]

Haha so true tho

[@flammifera__]

@@Nynelyne Berliner zumindest xD

[@Nynelyne]

flammifera__ Oder Rheinländer 🙂

[@gdanitz92]

Came here to say this :D

[@mstone4677]

In my German class in high-school we learned "es ist mir Wurst" which roughly translates to "its all sausage to me" which is just another way to say "I don't care". Like I don't care its all sausage to me.

[@TheUnillustratedChaos]

Jep, das sagen wir so

[@twincast2005]

Presumably because to eat sausage you generally had to not care what sorts of meat (and/or other animal parts) were in it. And it's a rare case of an irregular adjective in German in that it can't be inflected and thus can't be used attributively. In fact, I'd therefore argue that despite usually not being capitalized, it is (still) a usage of "Wurst" as a mass noun. Anyway, in case you do want an attributive adjective (or an adverb), there's the derived "wurstig" ("sausagy"), but it's exceedingly rare in my experience. (Come to think of it, though, it is quite a bit more common as an adverb than it is as an adjective.) ... To finally arrive at the point behind this whole paragraph, there's a fairly common - and very fun(ny) - derived noun, "Wurstigkeit" ("sausaginess"), which means "state/act/degree of not caring". Gotta love it IMO.

[@Ultraporing]

@@twincast2005 Thanks for reminding me why I hated German class, and I'm German.

[@frostyblade8842]

I snorted my water I was laughing so hard at that. That is gold

[@mangmangmangobri]

Omg I love that.

[@jean-lucwalker3690]

"Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof" comes from the impossibility of trying to understand Public Service Announcements due to terrible speakers in train stations

[@evan]

Hahahha

[@helloweener2007]

LOL, funny but not true. Actually it is a term from World War One. The soldiers that had the end of there time in the army near or a furlough used it. The train station was the point where they started their travel home. So this was all what they have been interested in.

[@Ausecko1]

@@helloweener2007 yeah I was going to say, isn't it the first thing you learn in a language, so you can ask where the station is? like the song, where he can ask for a sandwich in seven different languages...

[@crystalwolcott4744]

@@Ausecko1 oh well that's depressing

[@mariadaveyan1778]

Man sagt "Ich versteh' nur Bahnhof" wenn jemand etwas sagt und du es nicht verstehst. Aber "Ich versteh' nur Bahnhof" wird nicht so oft in der Deutschen Sprache verwendet.😄 Glaube ich zumindest 😂

[@kreiseltower]

As a German you're not really aware how absurd some of these things must seem to a not native speaker.

[@DrZalmat]

"I think I spider" is the purposely wrong translation to sound funnier. "ich spinne" is a verb and means "i am spinning (yarn)". The idiom comes from the fact that You have to totally frazzle and tangle the strings of wool together to get yarn, not being able to pull one single strand out again. Die Spinne, the spider, has her name in german because she is spinning her web, similar to "Der Spinner" as a name for a group of moths (most famous member the silkworm) that spin really big coccoons. Der Spinner or Die Spinnerin is also the occupation of a spinner or spinstress, but also, just like "ich spinne", means a weirdo or oddball. The translation of the idiom as "i think i spider" is wrong on purpose, it is a long "tradition" by comedians in germany to completely mistranslate sentences since Otto Waalkes' skit "English for runaways" - "Englisch für Fortgeschrittene" (Fortgeschritten means advanced)

[@jessica4656]

Oo I don't know if this is related but I think there's an English phrase to spin a yarn means to tell someone a made up story

[@Saiyaaaaa]

@@jessica4656 Yes I think it is related. In German we say to this "Seemannsgarn spinnen" (to spin sailor yarn) as sailors are famous for telling invented adventure stories from their trips to impress people.

[@sophiphia3137]

My favorite one is "Klugscheißer" A Klugscheißer is a person who always knows everything and likes to show to people how smart they are. And I think the English translation is even better: A SMART-SHITTER 😂😂😂

[@lrose1310]

Lol a smart-ass is probably the english equivalent

[@jrmsgl5069]

"Du nimmst mich auf den Arm" (Literally translated: "You take me on your arm") actually means "you hold me like a child". So actually it is pretty close to "You're kidding me". Just wanted to add my mustard.

[@jesslipinski6166]

My favorite idiom in German is “Es ist noch kein Meister vom Himmel gefallen” I find it a lot more motivating than the English version of “practice makes perfect” although both imply hard work to be “perfect”, but as a kid you’re always told “nobody’s perfect”. Just a thought.

[@florian-schaefer]

"practice makes perfect" also has an equivalent in German: "Übung macht den Meister" The English equivalent to "Es ist noch kein Meister vom Himmel gefallen." seems to be "No one is born a master.", though I don't know how commonly that is used.

[@MrWhangdoodles]

@@florian-schaefer Pretty common if you play an instrument.

[@thecyberwarrior4284]

Ich glaube ich spinne does not actually mean "I think I spider" "spinnen" is a verb that means "to be crazy" so it simply means "I think I'm crazy"

[@StevenFox80]

Also, 'spinne' doesn't come from Spinne (Spider) but from 'spinnen' (garn making). Probably because it was such a monotone work, or because people told a lot of gossip and stories while doing it.^^

[@kehax]

@@StevenFox80 Was looking for this and I don't even speak german.

[@andygrichting]

@@StevenFox80 second that, so the correct translation would be like "I think I spin" ;)

[@thecyberwarrior4284]

@@StevenFox80 yes but the modern interpretation is "I think I'm crazy"

[@lenerdhuhn]

@@StevenFox80 it could also come from the expression "seemannsgarn spinnen" (to spin sailors yarn) which means to tell tall tales or to over exaggerate or to lie to get a better story

[@nerothething]

Actually there's a very fine line between the translations of "Ich spinne" Since it's not capitalized it comes from the verb "spinnen" which means to weave or spin thread If it would be capitalized, it would indeed mean "I spider"

[@PAVx_]

I was thinking the same. Given the meaning, it makes more sense that it would come from the verb "spinnen" rather than from the noun " Spinne". Although the meaning might be slightly different, the English idiom "my head is spinning" sounds familiar in a similar context.

[@hAbIrAbI]

The problem is that people from Germany meme the I spider translation but non natives have no way to know that the word for spider is derived from the same verb. Once you know it means to weave the etymological origin of the word spider is very clear.

[@tiorthanquickstep1981]

It's actually an idiom that was origincally common to English and German. In English it's "spinning a yarn". In German the yarn was lost and from telling lies the verb "spinnen" changed meaning from telling lies to speaking crazy things to being crazy.

[@sonjaheinrichs1780]

I didn’t saw yours I just wrote the same😂 that Spinnen is more spinning than spider because like a spinningwheel you can also „durchdrehen“

[@florian-schaefer]

Yes, it originates from the German verb "spinnen", which has the original meaning of spinning thread. My guess is that over time it gained the meaning of "to concoct" or "to make stuff up" or "to fantasize". From there it's not far to being mad/nuts/mental/crazy. By the way, the English word "stuff" can literally mean clothing fabric, so in a way you are "making stuff up" when spinning thread. It's also used in sayings like "the stuff that dreams are made of" or "der Stoff aus dem die Träume sind"

[@justelliot4870]

3:15 "My mom always said that my hearing was die wurst" Jesus Christ that's a level of dad joke I did not expect from you.

[@Leo-ri6qg]

XD

[@OntarioTrafficMan]

When it comes to dad jokes, this is the Wurst Käse Scenario

[@pupyasko1233]

Other words for "Kater" in context of Hangover: -einen Schädel aufhaben (to wear a skull) -Brummschädel (humming skull)

[@zam1am]

Also ugs Lederallergie, "einen dicken Kopp haben" and in low german "hey licht int saolt" (er liegt im Salz)

[@ladorablemonsieurolivierur9224]

5:14 there is also the saying "das kommt mir spanisch vor" which translates to "that sounds spanish to me" 10:41 in English it would be "leave the church in the village" or "don't make such a fuss"

[@kaylajorden1075]

But the saying "das kommt mir spanisch vor" implies/dictates a tone of mistrust. You do not trust whatever sounds spanish to you

[@lordteensie6156]

I'm glad someone else caught the church one, I can rest now.

[@SomethingStupide]

The English equivalent to 'Das kommt mir spanisch vor' would be: That seems Greek to me.

[@silviasanchez648]

I always imagine someone taking the church under their arm, ready to leave the village (without the church).

[@sayuriando3379]

@@SomethingStupide Instead of 'greek to me' you can use 'this is odd' or 'something isn't right/something is wrong' since it's from a spanish king Karlov the fifth or so becoming the german king and the court between those were so different that it came to be because of him using spanish court protocol in the german court. There is a rudeness implied.

[@SomethingStupide]

A little nitpicking because I can't help myself. 'Du nimmst mich auf den Arm.' more like: 'You're taking me onto your arm', which means, you're picking me up (like you would do with a baby). 'Murmeltier' is 'groundhog', not 'woodchuck'. You don't have 'a pig', you just have 'pig' - simply: 'Du hast Schwein gehabt', no indefinite article. 'die Kirche im Dorf lassen', no negation here -> 'leave the church in the village'. Still, brilliant video. As a native speaker, you hardly ever realise that many of the things you grew up hearing are objectively funny if you think about it.

[@catibia55]

another one for middle of nowhere in the UK is "Timbuktu" even though it is a physical place, i spent most my childhood thinking it didnt exist thanks to the expression "nahhh its in the middle of timbuktu"

[@regenbogentraumerin]

I had the same problem with Wallachia :D 'It's in the middle of/ somewhere in Wallachia' is much more common in Germany than 'where the fox and the hare say goodnight to each other', especially as the latter doesn't really mean 'in the middle of nowhere' even though Evan said so. It took me about 15 years to realize Wallachia is a region in Romania and not some fictional place :D

[@spriddlez]

I've heard Timbuktu used this way in Canada as well. Not super common but I too did not realize it was a real place for a long time.

[@ninan9650]

An alternative in German would be „Jottwede“ (JWD). This is the abbreviation for a sentence in Berlinian slang „janz weit draussen“ ( Highgerman: Ganz weit draussen, English: very far afield)

[@jenaparsons]

USA uses that phrase too. I think Edgar from The Aristocats says it :) As soon as I read it in your comment I did so in his voice. My family also describes things that are far away as “where Jesus left his sandals”. I have absolutely no idea why.

[@davidnotonstinnett]

This is a pretty common one in the US too. Not so much anymore, but it was kind of a stand-in for ”far away non-European place” in Looney Toons cartoons.

[@Liba_Elena]

Czechs too hold their thumbs for good luck, burry dogs and kill flies insted of birds. Neighbours, you know.😅

[@pantoffelhexe8632]

the best thing i’ve ever heard was “da wird ja der hund in der pfanne verrückt” which translates to “ the dog in the pan is going crazy “ it is kinda concerning where this came from...

[@Paula-xq2pp]

my math teacher always used this when we didn't know the answer to an easy question

[@patrickkeller2193]

it goes back to an old fable: Till Eulenspiegel (a rascal that likes to take things literally) hired in a brewery that had a dog called "Hops", so when the brewer told him to cook the hops, he threw in the dog.

[@pantoffelhexe8632]

Patrick Keller oooh

[@matthewg6011]

One of my favorites is "du gehst mir auf den keks"

[@Saiyaaaaa]

...or "Du gehst mir auf den Sack!" 😂 Both mean "You are falling on my nerves" Literally: "You go me on the Cookie/Balls"

[@malzgullie9851]

"Du spinnst" comes from spin, like a spinning a textil. I think it comes from Old woman talking gossip when sewing. You can compare it with the expression, "Er redet(Er spinnt) Seemanngarn" Which comes from Seemann, Seaman, and Garn, Yarn. Like if a Seeman comes into his Pub and talks about beeing swallowed by a giant Squid, he is talking Seemangarn, aka er spinnt, aka hes crazy

[@aswinsenthilkumar1497]

This video is sooooo good. The editing, colour, camera, wow

[@evan]

Thank you!

[@TheMaximusprime09]

my grandad was well known for his 'unusual' idioms, one of my favorites was that you could 'kill two birds with half a dozen bricks'. used in the same context as the original but with more confused reactions.

[@simongromann3091]

i was looking our for " my lovely mr. Singingclub " - Mein lieber Herr Gesangsverein :D

[@dylandatta834]

I'm fluent in German but I haven't heard most of these, my most used one is probably "Ich glaub' ich Spinne" but my favourite is definitely "Jetzt haben wir den Salat" (Now we have the salad)

[@vornamenachname8381]

Von wo bist du denn? Ich kenne alle davon und bin aus der Schweiz 😊

[@dylandatta834]

@@vornamenachname8381 Ich wohne in England, meine Mutter kommt aus Bremen

[@markusschafer9572]

Also ich hab so ziemloch alle schonmal gehört. Mag wohl daran liegen, dass du nicht in deutschland lebst, dass du die noch nie gehört hast.

[@guzziwheeler]

Which means "now we have maneuvered us into trouble"

[@snakelemon]

The word “Meal”: *exists* Evan: “Abendessen means Evening Food.” The word “Meal”: TRIGGERED

[@patrickkeller2193]

Meal is almost the same word in german though: Mahl. Food is the correct translation for Essen.

[@snakelemon]

@@patrickkeller2193 not only almost the same word. Meal and Mahl have the same origin. Food is the literally translation. In the context of the word Abendessen, quite inaccurate though because "Essen" here more refers to meal than food in general.

[@cthrivevideo]

@@snakelemon I would translate Essen to "the eats" if you really want to know where the origin is. Food has Futter as origin I think.

[@stayingmyself]

Your original German is weird video was the one that made me subscribe back in the day. It made me laugh a lot because it pointed out so many things I had never thought about as a German native speaker. :)

[@mollyhilding4615]

I’m studying to be a German teacher in Sweden and it’s really helpful that many of these idioms are the same in Swedish

[@portablejamie2788]

That last one is the wurst

[@salalal7491]

10:42 is actually wrong. It should be “Now leave the church in the village”, without Don’t

[@z3ejay]

8:26 I love that even Evan bashes on the Saarland.

[@Nynelyne]

11:19 I see what you did there in the subtitles, Evan! 😏 Also, this video made me realize that we do have an alarmingly large amount of idioms about sausages...

[@sayuriando3379]

Because Sausage is easier to storage and can be made from every part of an animal (parts you don't use for other cuts aren't wasted) and possible able to storage for a longer time. It's also a favourite (not mine) for meat especially for children.

[@ninao8460]

4:20 Doesn't "lies have short legs" just mean that the truth can run faster and therefore will always catch up

[@laninaextrana6460]

I think the expression "da steppt der Bär" (the bear dances there) comes from the fact that people back in the days used to train bears to make them dance to music. Mostly in Zoos but sometimes you could even rent them for a party

[@ladyclovenstone]

My late Nana used to have a saying "all good things come to a an end except a black pudding that comes to two" love this video amazing work thanks goes to your friends for their parts too. Xxxx

[@ipponippon2592]

Austrian for having a hangover: restfett

[@leeane3124]

or fetzen

[@christinakohl6111]

Warum fett? 😆

[@leeane3124]

@@christinakohl6111 vl wenn man fett ist kann man sich nicht bewegen. XD

[@christinakohl6111]

@@leeane3124 hat doch aber dann nix mitm alkohol zu tun🤷‍♀️

[@leeane3124]

@@christinakohl6111 naja, das sind österreichische Redewendungen. Z.b. wenn man Angeheitert ist. Schwimmt man in da welle. Es ist einfach schwer warum und weshalb Österreich anderes redet wie Deutschland spricht.

[@IsaLevens]

You’ve heard of tomatoes in your eyes, now get ready for something I didn’t hear because I have kroketten in mijn oren.

[@walterpost9073]

As a German you don’t really see how absurd some of these are. I like „Da wird doch der Hund in der Pfanne verrückt - The dog in the pan becomes crazy“ when something is ridiculously crazy. And „Mein Name ist Hase, ich weiß von nichts - My name is hare, I know nothing“ when you pretend to not know anything about a problem, but you surely do. And „Ich glaube mein Schwein pfeift - I think my pig whistles“ when you mean „I cannot believe this“, alternatively „My pig whistles „Lapaloma“ backwards“ or „My pig farts Lapaloma“. Only when others show it, a German can see how wonderful the German language is. Yes it is. Don’t argue.

[@lisa3965]

the westentasche idiom had me incredibly confused as a child, for some reason i thought it was westen as in western and always pictured a cowboy being really familiar with the contents of his bag

[@sophiebach2834]

Same!

[@sayuriando3379]

Well the cowboy should be.

[@madsclausen00]

in danish when you have a hangover it's called tømmermænd or directly translated carpenters, when you have a hangover you have capenters

[@paperwitch83]

Well at least that makes sense because of all the hammering going on in the head with a hangover. You‘re „hammered“ ;).

[@christiansrensen5958]

My father is from Jutland, and in northern Germany and Jutland we also say 'en smed' a blacksmith. But it's uncommon and mostly old-fashioned.

[@Kinurina]

Greetings from the place, "where the fox and the hare say good night to one another", apparently also known as Saarland... Nice video, great way to learn some english idioms :)

[@jamesporter628]

i genuinely think this is one of your best videos. It's a shame it's not hit the algorithm as you can tell how much effort has gone in!

[@lama-chan]

THIS VIDEO IS EYEOPENING! I've always known that some idioms are similar/the same in different languages, but what has shocked me is that in polish we say "Mam kaca." for "I have a hangover." and never in my life has it crossed my mind that "kac" comes from the german "die Katze" (they are pronounced almost exactly the same). I've always thought that "kac" is the literal definition word for "hangover", but it was taken from an idiom and changed slightly... :o

[@bscott6451]

The Australian version of “the middle of nowhere” is “woop woop”

[@Lexor888]

I thought that's the sound of da Police.

[@DieAlteistwiederda]

In German you can also sometimes hear That someone lives in Kleinkleckersdorf, klein means small, klecker comes from spilling something but can also mean that there is only a really tiny and basically meaningless amount of something (for example if you have like 2 cents left it's a "Kleckerbetrag" or meaningless amount of money) and Dorf just means village. Kleinkleckersdorf doesn't exist but it means you live in such a small village or place that it doesn't even show up on a map. So also "middle of nowhere with no one around".

[@barvdw]

And in Flemish you could say 't Hol van Pluto (the Hole of Pluto).

[@Bacopa68]

In the southern US "middle of nowhere" is "Bum fuck Egypt". No idea why we use the UK term "bum" there and I think this term may be military slang dating back only to the seventies. The phrase is often shortened to "BFE".

[@nordwestbeiwest1899]

Or in German : " Am Arsch der Welt ." (In the ass of the world ),Isn't Australia like the ass down below ??? Head scratch ........

[@rebekahl840]

The funny thing is, the only thing my mum knows in German is : Where is the train station. Irony on so many platforms.

[@phillipgerecke4299]

I see what you did there😂

[@mangmangmangobri]

I'm sure getting that pun out of your system really helped you let off some steam.

[@rebekahl840]

@@mangmangmangobri Oh my! Indeed, I couldn't be derailed so soon

[@rebekahl840]

@@phillipgerecke4299 thank you :)

[@mangmangmangobri]

Rebekah L I'm glad you couldn't lose your train of thought so soon.

[@Ekami-chan]

"That's where the dog's buried" is interesting, because that expression also exists in Finland, but it means there's something suspicious going on :D

[@DieAlteistwiederda]

Here in Germany it kind of had two meanings. One is the "it's so rural nobody fucking lives there" but also "that's the cause of the thing/problem". For example people talk about how one friend is always tired, then she talks about how her partner also snores really loudly. The other friend would then say "Da liegt der Hund begraben" with the meaning of "Well there is the cause of your issues". Idioms are weird sometimes especially that one with the two different meanings.

[@GraupeLie]

Hahaha, as a native German I LOVE this!!! Although, as a sidenote: "Ich glaube ich spinne" doesn't refer to the animal "spider" (Spinne), but to what you're doing at a spinning wheel.

[@Grace-uo2qn]

I love all the little shorts Evan!! I really love seeing how much effort you put in and it’s really worth it 💜💜

[@sonjaheinrichs1780]

I always thought that the „Spinne“ of the sentence: „ich glaube ich spinne“ comes from spinning ... so like a spinning wheel „drehst du durch“ you spin around“ (durchdrehen=going crazy)

[@annahank4053]

Im only watching this to see how other people react to german idioms necause they're just normal to a native speaker like me. And I love your pronounciation, its not how a typical native would pronounce it but I love it damn And "spinnen" is a verb either meaning to weave or is just a synonym to being crazy. So even if "Spinne" as a noun means "spider" , "Ich spinne" is just the conjugated version of "spinnen" so its really just "I think I'm going crazy"

[@threeleggedcat]

The ‘two flies with one clap’ one is also what we use in Norwegian !

[@truejasmin4157]

We also have "Nur einen Steinwurf entfernt sein" which has the same meaning as "Nur einen Katzensprung entfernt sein"

[@tinnagigja3723]

In Icelandic we have "walking like a cat around hot porridge" (fara eins og köttur í kringum heitan graut) for 'beating around the bush'. When you're hung over, you're "thin" (þunnur) - sometimes even "thin as a shell" (skelþunnur) or "thin as glass" (glerþunnur) or "thin as a ghost" (draugþunnur). You can also be "drunk as a ghost" (draugfullur).

[@themaggattack]

Wow. That hangover was one dark interlude! 😂 "A fish on the dry... sounds like a Saturday night out, am I right, ladies?"🤣🤣 You're killin me!! 💀

[@ivy6662]

this is so damn professional it could be a BBC show

[@LadyQAB]

This video shows me how similar German and Dutch are. We have almost all the those idioms as well and the 'kater' (male kat) one is a very commonly used one in Dutch as well. And I think your right that it is the only way to say you are hungover

[@ichmemyself6098]

You could also say "I am having a Brummschädel" for "I am having a Kater'.

[@zoefischer7885]

I'm not sure if it has been mentioned in the comments already, but "die Kirche im Dorf lassen" or "nun lass mal die Kirche im Dorf" as you put it, means "leave the church in the village" and not "not leave the church in the village". It basically means that the argument you pulled is exaggerated, and the other person is like "hey, calm down there". Something like that. I mean, at least me and my family have never used it in a different context. A it's still a lovely video and I love how excited you seem about our language. :)

[@paulafilzwieser1993]

Well... in Austria we say: "I bin so Restfett" for I've got a hangover. Literally that translates to I'v got some leftover fat. 😂

[@melanievuga7926]

I'm from Slovenia (bordering Austria to the south) and it's funny to see how many idioms have been translated directly into Slovene :D

[@marjeusw.9819]

Another bear thing is "Jemandem einen Bären aufbinden" - to tie a bear on someone - which also means to pull someones leg And here two more with ears: "Schreibs dir hinter die Ohren" - write it behind your ears - meaning memorize it thoroughly "Du bist noch grün hinter den Ohren" - you are still green behind your ears - which means you're still inexperienced and have a lot to learn

[@merrui3415]

I just want to drop here that one of the expressions in spanish for saying "in the middle of nowhere" is "Donde Cristo perdió el gorro" or "Where Christ lost his hat" Also instead of selling like hot cakes we say selling like churros

[@lilliehokanson5517]

This video is amazing!! Just everything is professionally done!!

[@Leenapanther]

The "weggehen wie warme Semmeln" is interesting, because in Switzerland we use Wegglis instead (Weggli are softer than Semmelis) "Das Leben ist kein Wunschkonzert" (live is not a wish concert) and Das Leben ist kein Ponyhof (Life is not like a pony farm). Means life is not fair and easy "Es schüttet wie aus Kübeln" (It pours like it comes out of buckets) It rains a lot Berge versetzen können (to move mountains around) - someone does extraordinary things. Blau sein - (to be blue) to be drunk (Swiss) Du kannst nicht den Fünfer und das Weggli haben - You can't get everything. Crossing your fingers and hold them behind your back means you lie to the person you are talking to.

[@paperwitch83]

Actually there is an extended version of „Da steppt der Bär“: you add a „da boxt der Papst im Kettenhemd“ xD which literally translates fully to „Where the bear tap-dances and the pope is boxing in chain-armour“ aka „that‘s where the real crazy parties happen“ xD The image of a tap-dancing bear might be funny, but imaging the pope(s) pulling some punches too at the same place. 😂

[@Saiyaaaaa]

Funny, never heard of the one with the pope 😂 where in Germany are you from?

[@meaganmw1205]

Totally random comment but I've just noticed your signature in the corner of the video and I love it. The little details make it classy. You a classy man. A++. Also thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences with the German language, the whole point of the video haha.

[@simoneferstl3901]

You’ve put so much effort into this 👏 loved hearing a non native speakers take on our idioms!

[@leone6888]

You know he's a true Aleman when he starts making jokes about the Saarland :'D I got another Redewendung: Etwas unter den Teppich kehren (to sweep something under the rug) which means to hide something or to do as if a problem isn't as big as others try to make it (but it acctually is problematic or even against the law). Or when you trust somebody very much you'd say that you could steal horses with him/her (mit jemanden Pferde stehlen). I can imaginge that creating such videos is really hard, but it is so much fun to watch it! And you are totally right, poeple are always happy when a nice dude is learning their language :D

[@charliesghost]

The production value is so high :o This is really great! (Btw I hope that you help to spread those idioms so that people won't look so confused when I mix up german and english idioms - which I do all the time, well, most of the time I use english idioms in german...but thanks anyway)

[@szendeti]

okay, so I loved the video especially the part with Phoenix's alcohol problem and I had to write down a few Hungarian idioms, cause we have some of the equivalents of the German ones, so here we go: "kerülgeti a forró kását" - circles around the hot porridge "a hazug embert hamarabb utolérik, mint a sánta kutyát" - it is faster to catch up with a liar than a limping dog "úgy ismerem, mint a tenyeremet" - I know it like my palm "itt van a kutya elásva" - the dog is buried here "egy köpésre van" - it is a spit (length) away "két legyet egy csapásra" - two flies with one hit(? clap? idk) "malaca van" - has a piglet

[@milotj4866]

that dutch angle was perfect

[@evan]

Ah thank you I really liked it

[@jlynct]

This is one of my favorite videos you’ve ever done. Thank you for all you do to create quality content.

[@humanight7572]

Actually, "Ich glaub, ich spinne" doens't really translate to "I think I spider", since "spinne" is a verb in this context. Instead you could say that it translates to "I think I'm spinning", like in the sense of spinning silk or sth, or it simply means "I think I'm crazy", since "spinnen" doens't only mean spinnjng, but also being crazy. :)

[@lauraregen]

We need more!! It was amazing! Sehr unterhaltsam :)

[@laceym314]

Ich mag deine video! I'm counting it as my German lesson for the day. Excellent work by all of your flatmates and your editing was phenomenal too! These would be great about once every six months just to mix things up.

[@AlixLeFay]

"Lies have short legs" and "to know someone like the inside of your pockets" are both expressions we use in italian too, so interesting!

[@JuMixBoox]

I've never heard Extrawurst with gebraten. Also, it's "seinen Senf". Did you know that there is also Muskelkater? As in muscle hangover, it means your muscle are sore the day after. It's actually the verb spinning, not the spider. Berlinians actually have a bear as their animal, so the pun wasn't even necessary. Aren't your ancestors from Saarland? Semmeln are not really my kind of bread roll.

[@catibia55]

oh the traffic cone to represent being drunk 😭😭 I miss those times when we were allowed out properly

[@dancarnell5938]

You put so much effort into this so underrated

[@roseforeuropa]

I just discovered your channel after trying to get more insight on Duolingo and CEFR, binge watch a few vids, and end up on this gem right here 5:19 . You killed me with that one!

[@trivia-love]

The way you made fun of Saarland like we do. Now that's some niche german humor!

[@BQD_Central]

You would usually use the deep east (Tiefer Osten, oder Dunkeldeutschland) for that these days.

[@nathilienilathone8268]

At " Da steppt der Bär", I felt " wie der Ochs' vorm Berg". I never heard that phrase😂

[@laurabritspaniard]

I LOVED this video Evan. All your videos are great but this one as a person learning German is....14/14. Very entertaining and educative! (Might have to watch part one oops)

[@tzmtzt]

7:12 i think the originin lies more with "spinnen" or to spin, or to make yarn (textiles). It comes from seafarers tales (seemannsgarn), if you believe it or not. Spinning was a hated punishment for sailors and they brightened it up by telling fantastic stories.

[@paperwitch83]

Some of my other favourites are: „Ich glaub, mein Schwein pfeift“ => „I think my pig whistles“ for a situation that is completely unbelievable, outstanding or outrageous „Geh mir nicht auf den Keks“ => „Don‘t go/step on my cookie“ for „Stop annoying me“. which stems from from using ‚Keks‘ als a synonym for head/mind so it means „stop messing with my head/stop confusing/annoying me/my head“ „Ich hab die Nase/Schnauze voll!!“ > „I have the nose/mouth full!“ aka „I have enough/enough is enough!“ „Das kann/darf man nicht über einen Kamm scheren“ => „You can‘t/mustn’t only use one comb with your scissors“ meaning one should look at a situation more diversely than just with stereotypes. Idioms right from the hairdressers ;P

[@paperwitch83]

Hairdressers is my suspect for the source of the last one... could actually be sheep shearer too? Like not using the same tools for different sheep? IDK, just speculating here. 😆😆😆

[@PS3GamingScotland]

These skits are brilliant. You should make a short film. Great video!

[@jonas39328]

Fun fact: "ich glaub ich spinne" does'nt mean "i think i spider". "Spinne" is a konjugation of "spinnen" which means spinning or to spin. "Ich glaub ich spinne" means something like, i think my thoughts got so complicated or confusing like the process of spinning or weaving an delicat fabric or something ;)

[@christiansrensen5958]

Am Ende, "ich muss diesen Kerl abonnieren" sehr gut gespielt!

[@hannahbee567]

Addition of the skits really makes this different ^^ Gonna have to note these, naturally, the last one has a special place in mein Herz 🥰

[@beccaf3255]

Lol, ich spreche seit 21 Jahren Deutsch und mir ist nie aufgefallen, dass so viele Sprichwörter mit Essen zu tun haben 😂 Super Video Evan, liebe Grüße aus der Nähe von Stuttgart! ✌🏻

[@carysp6173]

Rebecca Felchle ich studiere seit 4 Jahren Deutsch! Ich habe Glück weil ich dein Kommentar verstanden.

[@zxcv6428]

"spinne" in "ich glaube, ich spinne" is the verb "spinnen" (not a spider, which would have a capital) which can mean "to be crazy". Also, "Spinner" means "a crazy person".

[@libraryofthoughts0]

That cover your laugh with fake cry was brilliant!

[@user-es7ui5mc1m]

I think you mixed up the church one or am I dumb? The English said not to leave the church in the village but it's supposed to be to leave the church in the village?

[@evan]

Ooooopd

[@miriambe7150]

Kranke Scheiße, Digga. Ich hab dich schon abonniert!

[@matthiasausfrankfurt]

Evan ist als Bergarbeiter tätig?

[@lydiamaps2658]

Loved this video the funniest video in ages and loved all the clips too

[@HerrMisterTheo]

Little nitpick, but "Hast du Tomaten auf den Augen?" is usually asked as a question or when it's a statement, you'd most likely hear it as "Du hast doch Tomaten auf den Augen!", with the "doch" acting as an intensifier, sort of (honestly, you could make a whole series with multiple seasons explaining German intensifiers, modal particles and what have you). I don't think I've ever heard it being said as a simple statement like "Du hast Tomaten auf den Augen". It doesn't sound quite right.

[@Brian-eh1xj]

Aww the way you pronounce german words especially with the r is very cute, nice video btw

[@stephaniesteel5854]

Growing up my grandpa always used to say “morgen morgen nur nicht heute sagen alle faulen leute” the English equivalent is don’t put off tomorrow what you can do today but it literally means tomorrow tomorrow but not today say all the lazy people and I like that more as it’s more poetic and blunt calling people lazy

[@inekemarie]

To make it more poetic in english you could say "tomorrow tomorrow, not today. That's what all people say" so there's a Rhyme 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@SomethingStupide]

'Tomorrow, tomorrow, not today, That's what lazy people say.' ...to make it even more pleasing to the ear metrically. ;)

[@julianeh.9963]

I mean he's right. Was du heute kannst besorgen, das verschiebe nicht auf morgen! 😌 It basically means don't procrastinate

[@h077y]

love love love the video evan! But I have to correct one thing - 'Spinne' isn't actually referencing the noun spider, it's a verb. This was actually one of the only phrases I recognised! - although from a different form: "spinnst du?" was something I heard a lot when living in austria - the verb spinnen means 'to go crazy'. ( so "spinnst du" meaning 'are you mad/crazy?', the same as "bist du verru:ckt?") such a cool presentation of all these awesome phrases though, I loved it!

[@8386charlie]

Loving the acting and editing!!

[@malinp5510]

Another fun one is "So, Zeit die Hühner zu satteln!" - "Alright, time to saddle the chicken!" Its used to express that its time to leave or that you have to go home😅

[@Saiyaaaaa]

Interesting, I don't know this one 😃🤔 where in Germany are you from?