American reacts to 40 COMMON GERMAN PHRASES

Thank you for watching me, a humble American, react to 40 MOST COMMON PHRASES IN GERMAN LANGUAGE. Check out her channle : / linguamarina
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[@lphaetaamma291]

"I only understand train station" origins in WW 1, where many soldiers got traumatized and numb and the only thing they really cared about and waited for was someone telling them "go to the trainstation, you are send home"

[@FGotz]

I was today years old when I found out... Mir war gar nicht bewusst, dass diese Phrase (mit der man irgendwie aufwächst) so einen dramatischen Hintergrund hat. 😮 Danke, für ein wenig mehr Wissen 😊

[@JonathanMandrake]

@@FGotz Same here

[@hoernchenmeister3216]

Super interessant

[@Luziemagick]

@@FGotz me, too😊

[@jngrrt]

@@FGotz es ist hauptsächlich eine sache der Sprachbarriere der Deutschen Soldaten in Frankreich gewesen, in kombination mit dem Trauma... Es kahm vom Befehl sich z.b.: am "Bahnhof Charleville-Mézières" zur Abfahrt zu sammeln... und die Deutschen Soldaten haben dann unter sich gescherzt/gesagt "Ich hab nur Bahnhof verstanden"... FunFact... die Franzosen haben ein Wort für Dachfenster -> "Vasistas" kommt von den Deutschen soldaten die gefragt haben "Was ist das?" weil sie sowas nicht kannten, und die Franzosen haben das dann als Wort adaptiert.

[@marcomobson]

She should have mentioned that "geil" is very informal and actually means "horny". So for instance elderly people or teachers don't like it that much to hear from 2nd graders...

[@grandmak.]

true, she mentioned a few other phrases, too, that elderly people wouldn't like to hear ( "fett", "krass", "Bock haben" etc).

[@matsudoambition2509]

To say, technically "Geil" means Bountiful and comes from the agrarian sector, over time it was moved to other lifesittuations. But originaly could have called a good harvest an "Geile Ernte", but yes as remarcked we are long past that kind of ussage XD

[@badbedbat93]

@@grandmak. yes. "Fett" can also have the same meaning as the english fett, so depending on the context it can be very rude.

[@grandmak.]

@@badbedbat93 you mean the English 'fat'?

[@tanyaberling86]

@@grandmak. And also „was geht ab?“

[@redhead0122]

My absolute favorite German expression is „ Herr wirf Hirn vom Himmel“ It means „ Lord throw brains from heaven“ You say it when someone does or says something really really stupid. If your in a group someone might also follow it up with: „ oder Steine - Hauptsache er trifft“ Which translates to : or stones - as long as he hits the mark“

[@matzeberlin555]

No, not a lord shall cast the brain, but the god in heaven.

[@redhead0122]

@@matzeberlin555 i know - don’t they also say Lord to God in England / America ? 🤔 I mean in Germany we also say Herr instead of Gott sometimes.

[@matthiasernst2086]

ok den 2. teil hatte ich noch nicht gehört 😅

[@edgarwallmeyer6630]

My tutor used to say the 1st phrase

[@redhead0122]

@@edgarwallmeyer6630 sounds like you had a mean tutor. I am only used to hearing it in a circle of friends or from my family

[@marlar3774]

My all time favorite German word is „doch“. It doesn’t exist in the English language but it’s so so important. If you are in a disagreement with somebody and you told the other person something that he disagrees with and answers with „no“ you can say „Doch!“ like „I‘m right!“ It’s so useful and such a powerful word for an endless discussion :D

[@paddytutorials]

Thats missing in english xD

[@ames_virosa]

Nein. Doch! Oh

[@-.oOo.Tuluna.Falemunla.oOo.-]

With this little children can also save time while fighting XD Instead of ,,I'm right!",,no, you're not".,,yes I am",,no, you're not", they'd say ,,Nein" ,,Doch" ,,Nein" ,,Doch" ,,Nein" ,,Doch" ... XD

[@Dave-yp7vz]

What the person expected everyone to use it: er sah etwas, doch nichts war wirklich da (he saw something, but nothing was really there) What everyone uses it for: Ananas gehört nicht auf pizza! (Pineaple doesnt belong on pizza!) Doch! Nein! Doch! Nein! Doch! Nein! Nein! Doch! Du bist auf den trick reingefallen >:D Nein! Doch! ...

[@njordholm]

@@ames_virosa Nein! Doch!... Um die Diskussion am Laufen zu halten... Wieso/Weshalb/Warum? 😉

[@hannessteffenhagen61]

"darf ich mit Bargeld bezahlen" must be the most useless question, you can pay anything with cash. It's paying by card which you should ask about, because not every place takes cards and the ones that do don't necessarily take all cards.

[@karinland8533]

I went to Berlin and was at a Cafe were cash was only for tips!

[@ManuelRuiz-xi7bt]

We're on a tipping point there. :-)

[@karinland8533]

@@ManuelRuiz-xi7bt LOL 🤣

[@silkwesir1444]

yep, by law cash is the only form of currency you HAVE to accept. everything else is optional.

[@PPfilmemacher]

@@karinland8533 Sorry but as a Berliner living my whole live here (who also comes from a family full of small business owners) i don‘t believe you’re story of a „non cash Café“ First of all like the other person over me also have written its illegal to deny cash as a payment transaction in German and for cafes and corner shops (spätis) the opposite is actually way more common. There's even a plausible explanation why small businesses have chosen not to install a electronic payment device or that company only allows to pay digitally instead cash If the amount you pay exceeds a certain minimum amount (for example if you try to buy only a package of chewing gum per card the owner most likely will not allow the transaction for such small amount and insist that you pay with cash or choose more products till the total amount you have to pay is over a certain threshold worth to be payed per card) The reason why small german companies like shops and cafes or food stands still to this day making such a fuss about the possibility of using electronic payment or only excepting cash is because in Germany every single cashless transaction will be charged with a additional „handling fee“ for the shop owner (which is a holdover tradition from the past bevor digitalization, when paperwork like handling checks etc was way more Labor and time consuming for the bank and they charged a small fee to compensate the additional effort but even nowadays with changed methods and computer software doing everything automatically in a split second and without wasting storage space or additional labor, the german banks (regardless which on) have kept the fee for every single transaction). resulting in the fact that small businesses didn’t benefit from e-payment when the already small profit margin will even lesser because every customer pays cashless and the banks charging them with larger fees in total when the e-payment increase but if everyone pays per only with cash is nonexistent. For example, a customer pays 5 Euro/Dollar for a pack of cigarettes, (in german cigarette prices are highly regulated and taxed) so that the usual the profit margin for the store is only around 9 to 10 cents per package, which is not much and if the customer chose to pay with card, then the bank charges the store with the usual fee for a digital transaction, which is 5 cents, so the store’s profit on the customer is only 4 Cent which nothing especially when you have to pay rent, electricity, etc

[@dolefomi]

The best German word the English language doesn't have is "doch". It's like when you tell a friend something, he doesn't believe you and answers you no you can respond to him with a simple doch and it means something like yes, the thing I've told you is true

[@NicolaiCzempin]

The closest in English would be "actually yes", "actually it does", "actually it is" and so on. Happy that for once, our version is simpler. "Nein!" "doch!" "nein!" "doch!"

[@kunei1996]

@@NicolaiCzempin Nein, doch, oh

[@Bunny99s]

@@NicolaiCzempin Well, "actually yes" is much more polite and would more equate to "eigentlich schon". So we have the same / similar phrase in german. "Doch" is much more certain and if someone would disagree and you said "doch" it would be more like "but it is" or "no, that's true".

[@wezerd]

I would define it as an inversion of something that was said previously. You can use the word in a sentence and it intensifies that you're saying something that defies the previous statement. In an interesting way, it could also mean that you DO agree with something, but only in a situation where something was stated, someone rebutted it, then someone else rebutts the rebuttal, and then you could say doch in a strongly intoned way, to say that the first statement is actually true. Example: Person A: I thought 2 + 2 equals 4. Person B: Yes, 2 + 2 equals 4. Person C: No, 2 + 2 equals 5. Person B: No, if you count two fingers on each hand, you get four fingers. Person A: so 2 + 2 DOES equal 4. The DOES being the equivalent to doch here. Sorry for that confusing mess of words, I thought this would be simpler to explain, "doch" is doch a pretty complicated word.

[@ni5287]

I missed "doch", too, in this video.... - As I grew up in a mixed family (German/English), I remember trying hard to find a fitting word in English as I was a child...

[@karinaburana562]

My favorite German idiom is really hard to describe in English because it's a pun. When someone has an utterly stunned expression because something unexpected happened, you can say: "Ihm sind die Gesichtszüge entgleist" == "The trains of his face have derailed" It relies on the word "Zug" having several meanings. "Gesichtszüge" is actually the "lines of a face" coming from "Linien ziehen"/drawing lines, in this case of a face. Meanwhile, "ziehen" also means "to pull" which is why the word for a locomotive, Zug, is derived from it. And suddenly the lines of your face have become the trains of your face, and when your expression slipped, they derailed.

[@t.a.yeah.]

Never thought about it like that, haha.

[@ChRW123]

Well explained

[@smeeAndyEN]

I never heard that one! I would understand, but I would probably laugh way too much. Thanks for the warning, LOL

[@r3Try0]

ich bin deutsch und ich habe das noch NIE gehört XD

[@antonk3533]

@@r3Try0 maybe it’s something regional. I hear that expression sometimes in Berlin.

[@CHarlotte-ro4yi]

A lot of the idioms she mentions are actually very informal or outdated teenager slang that some carried into adulthood (Was geht ab? for instance). Also the na/ne thing is rather regional dialect. I’d really recommend to watch such a video by a native speaker because they will probably give more sound advice…most of the things she mentions are true though.

[@annikaParnda]

Plus she mentioned that it had been 8 years since she lived and 5 since she visited Germany. Thats long enough for language to evolve :D

[@njordholm]

"Was geht ab?" ist meiner Erfahrung nach einfach nur noch weiter verkürzt worden in "Was geht?" eine typische und immer noch verbreitete Begrüßungsformel (informell) auch bei Jugendlichen.

[@hans471]

​@@annikaParndaagreed 😂

[@xyungeloest]

Small hint: "jmd" is not a word, but the abbreviation of "jemanden" its the same as "smth" for something. It shows you how a word or phrase is used grammatically.

[@Yvory99]

Hi, wen du schon die Grammatik erwähnst, dann solltest du auch „jemandeM“ schreiben. Die Abkürzung ist ja schließlich nicht „jmd“, so wie du es geschrieben hast, sondern „jdM“, damit dieser Unterschied eben deutlich wird. Vielleicht hast du dich auch einfach nur vertippt, trotzdem wollte ich dich drauf hinweisen :)

[@Limonenmixgetraenk]

@@Yvory99 Hab's gerade nochmal nachgeschaut, weil ich noch nie jmd "jdm" schreiben sehen habe :) Scheinbar gibt es beides? Jdm habe ich aber wie gesagt noch nie gesehen.

[@Limonenmixgetraenk]

Sorry, ich hatte übersehen, dass du dich auf den Text im Video beziehst und nicht allgemein auf oft verwendete Abkürzungen

[@Yvory99]

@@Limonenmixgetraenk Achso ok, dann passt alles

[@WillisKeeper]

The German equivalent to "Hot coffee!" would be "Vorsicht! Heiß und fettig!" meaning "Caution! Hot and greasy!"

[@NicolaiCzempin]

And not literally referring to coffee, of course 🙂. More like a, I don't know, Schweinshaxe?

[@badbedbat93]

Or a hot pan of anything

[@Penqvino]

I never saw a coffee mug with "Vorsicht"! Heiß und fettig" on the Lid. Rather "Vorsicht! Heißer Inhalt" in both german and english.

[@WillisKeeper]

@@Penqvino Why should that be printed on a mug? It is something Germans say occasionally when trying to walk across a crowd so people give way.

[@strenter]

​@@NicolaiCzempin ...or a pot full of hot oil that you could use to fry french fries in. 🤗

[@meganoob12]

the best thing about the German language are those idiomic words that simply don't seem to exist in other languages. Some examples are: Drahtesel = wire donkey = bicycle Männerhandtasche = a man's purse = a sixpack of beer Schnutenpulli = sweater for your mouth = a (covid) mask Nervensäge = nerve saw = a really annoying person Also some other funny idioms are: Butter bei die Fische = put some butter to these fish = Let's be serious/sincere/honest geh dahin wo der Pfeffer wächst = go where pepper grows = piss off Ich glaub mein Schwein pfeift = I think my pig whistles = an expression of disbelieve Jemandem Honig ums Maul schmieren = to smere honey to someones mouth = to praise someone in a slimy way (bad connotation)

[@caobita]

"Schnutenpulli"... LOL that's a good one. I didn't know this one which may be because I left Germany years before covid. I know those masks as "Gesichtswindel" / "face diaper"

[@nataliefunbox670]

Actually we have in polish also geh dahin wo der Pfeffer wächst, we say: uciekaj gdzie pieprz rośnie Honestly I never heard a German say that before so I thought they don't have it

[@JosefTiberius]

Another one is: "...so wird ein Schuh daraus..." Which means: "...that makes it become a shoe..." Usually used to point out a good plan or solution...

[@ninchan3]

​@@nataliefunbox670 it's a bit old fashioned 🙃

[@stevenvanhulle7242]

In Dutch we also have "boter bij de vis" (Butter bei die Fische), but it has a completely different meaning here. It means that you have to pay cash (figuratively speaking) to avoid problems.

[@rakat2746]

One warning letter: If you say "Wie gehts" to a german, who knows you longer, he WILL tell you how he is really doing. Also, if his dog dying or he hate his boss, he will tell you. ^^

[@futurefox128]

2:30: You absolutely nailed it. You actually explained it better than the girl. "Es geht" is usually more on the negative side (kinda saying "I'm ok, but things could be better"), but obv sounding much more neutral than saying "schlecht"/"I'm bad", which would likely invite (maybe unwanted) questioning. But the meaning can also differ somewhat with your tone of course. Also a common variation of this is to append a "so" at the end: "Es geht so", which should be translated to "It's going so so", which means exactly that.

[@1983simi]

i love literally translating german idiomatic phrases to English. my husband is not German and English is our lingua franca between us. every time i hit him with one of those literal translations he looks at me like i've lost it and more often than not he has no way to guess what i actually mean. goes to show how much cultural and linguistic context is actually needed to grasp idiomatic meaning.

[@marcomobson]

Sounds funny! 😂

[@stefanw7406]

Yeah, so walks the rabbit.

[@Mighty_Samurai]

My dear mister singing club!

[@MrHouser79]

With u is no good cherry eating 😁

[@Patti_-ns3qt]

my favourite one is "du gehst mir auf den keks"..... in (US)english it would be like "you go me on my cookie" 🤣 i like that one a lot

[@Shikaar]

While the meaning for "Der Zug ist schon abgefahren" really is "that ship has sailed" she didn't say the literal translation which is "the train has already left".

[@mrsmess7806]

I was looking through the comments to see if someone else said this, I’m just learning German and didn’t think the translation was “literal” because Zug means train, right?

[@Licw-Luxus]

Not providing the actual literal translations of the phrases ruins her video, it's quite frustrating, tbh.

[@LorenzJahn]

​@@Licw-Luxus I thought the same.

[@TomWaldgeist]

Train station The saying comes from the end of the First World War. At that time, the soldiers were very tired after the long battles and just wanted to go home. And they went home from the train station. So they connected the idea of ​​the train station with the journey home. Then, when someone asked them something, they would reply, "I only ever understand train station" - which meant they didn't want to talk about anything other than the journey home. And when they were asked about other topics, they couldn't say anything more because they didn't know anything about the subject and only understood the word "train station".

[@kovi-kovi]

This was never explained to me. It's fascinating.

[@Photatum]

Interesting, I didn't know that. My guess would have been the terrible speakers (half not working, the others with static) on trains and mumbling train conductors (not so much nowadays but very much so in the past) that usually left you at a complete loss as to what was the next stop and 'Bahnhof' or 'nächster Halt' was the only thing you could make out.

[@MichaEl-rh1kv]

That is only a guess, even if you can find that guess also in the Duden root dictionary. This guess is founded mainly on the time the saying came into fashion: the 1920s in Berlin.

[@MrOrmanley]

Interesting. I figured it came from post WWII, with german-stationed american soldiers trying to navigate with their broken english, and the only german word they knew was bahnhof, so german natives would respond with "I only understand train station", as the rest would be broken german or english, a language germans didn't speak commonly as they do now, 70+ years later.

[@Photatum]

@@MrOrmanley That sounds kind of reasonable either way. Not wanting to sh*t on anyone, but I grew up in the suburbs of Heidelberg where the US-Headquarters was located, so running into Americans was quite common, but they really didn't bother to learn german. I even had one ruin my first car by wrecking it while it was parked, doing a hit and run when I've actually seen him. Heard the military is quite strict with drunk driving so my guess he was shipped back home in not the nicest manner. Good riddance, f*ckhead! I never understood this. If I was living in a foreign country, no matter if it was just for a year or two, just out of interest and in order to get around more easily, I would do my best to learn the language.

[@HalfEye79]

When you are in a group of friends and you are sitting, then there is one german action, which shows, you want to leave: Clap your hands once on your thighs and say: "So"

[@alexradojkovic9671]

Yeah... but with a German accent... Zo. 😁 And then stand up.

[@thorstenbrandt6256]

Jein is a perfect word. You can use it like she said if you're not sure if you want to do something. You can use it if you agree, but have some doubts. And my favorite: If someone ask you a question and you know there a several possible answers, but you are quite sure not one of them is what the other party would like to hear. So it can be used as a "Yes, but..." (Which is perfect if you work in customer service, cause if you say Jein they know you have an answer, but they will most certainly not be happy with it).

[@RareSushi]

Or if someone asks if something is possible. You can say Jein. Like technically it's possible but there are too many downsides to make it viable. It's like "well yes but actually no" in short.

[@njordholm]

Sehr gute Erklärung/Umschreibung!

[@lanka7177]

My favorites: Der Drops ist gelutscht - the candy is sucked = it‘s over, i will never do it again (Just like der Zug ist abgefahren) Ich glaub dein Helm brennt - i think your helmet burns = when someone does (or wants to do) something risky and maybe dump, you ask them if their helmet burns Schnapsidee - Liquor idea = idea that is not overthought at all and ends up to 90 % in a desaster Um die Häuser ziehen - to move around the houses = go out drinking Du bist mir nicht ganz unsympathisch - you‘re not that unsympathetic to me = i like you (a lot) Der Apfel fällt nicht weit vom Stamm - the apple does not fall far from the tree trunk = someone is very similar to their parents (but not in a good way) and the funniest of all if you think about ist: Du guckst wie ein Auto - you look like a car = you look like a deer in the headlight

[@Julian-re2ey]

„Geil“ does not simply translates to awesome 😂 it has to do something with sex. It’s kinda hard to translate properly. It is kinda interchangeable with some English words like „sexy“ and „horny“. But also „beautiful“ and „awesome“. It depends on the context a lot! -> Even Google translator, translated it to „hot“. But yes, MOST of the time these days, it means simply just „awesome“. Same with „bock haben“. It basically means you like to do something (like wanting to eat something or you want to go somewhere). But context again is important. You have to clarify what exactly you wanna do in the same sentence, because if you just say „ich habe Bock“, it usually means „I want to have sex“ and by looking at someone, this phrase can mean „I want to have sex with you“.

[@silkwesir1444]

Most literal translation is "horny", but it quickly came to mean also "sexy" (which is kinda effed up the more I think about it, actually...) and eventually just "awesome" in general.

[@marlenehibiskus]

geil has something to du with being heavy/full of sweetness or fat. then came the sex thing, and then the being cool thing

[@RealConstructor]

Geil means horny in Dutch. So one of the meanings is the same as in German. The word has no other meaning than that in Dutch..

[@rosshart9514]

Wenn eine Pflanze extrem austreibt, geilt sie aus.

[@xunvenile]

@@RealConstructor most of the time geil means awesome but in a informal way. like "this song is so good" we would say "der song is geil" its more used as a slang. but geil can be horny too

[@CatzHoek]

Jein is like "yes and no" or "yes but also no" .. like if someone guesses something correctly but also has one important secondary element wrong or the guess is technically correct but also doesn't really convey the gist of it. Like imagine you go to Hawaii on vacation and have your friend guess where you'll be going. If they guess the USA it's technically true but to be hinest, it's not really paying it justice. There's also a very sucessful german hiphop song called jein from fettes brot about the limbo between yes and no.

[@badbedbat93]

And "Naja" is used when you want to disagree, but are too polite to do so upfront. Like when your friend thinks it would be a good idea to go bar hopping on Sunday night and you know if you do that you will both be totally wasted on Monday morning when you have to go to work.

[@BlueFlash215]

I love your efforts speaking German. It's crazy how you sound. Even when you try to pronounce it normally you sound so angry 😂

[@kovi-kovi]

Yes, this is very funny and entertaining to me

[@oelboy]

"Es geht," at least in Northern Germany, is more akin to a sigh rather than anything along the lines of "It's going well." Also I'm pretty sure I've never heard someone reply to "Was geht ab?" with "Es geht."

[@thomasl.7700]

Was geht ab?/What goes off? - Wasserfabb/Watercolor Was bleibt dran?/What remains? - Edding Mann/Edding dude

[@bibiblocksberg990]

"Es geht" is "could be better" for me

[@____________________5680]

was geht? Alles was Beine hat

[@caobita]

@@bibiblocksberg990 yes, for me too. But I rather say "geht so" instead of "es geht"

[@sigridholzner2807]

Same in Southern Germany. When I say 'Es geht' it means 'it could be better' but I don't want to talk aboit it.

[@lptimey]

7:53 think of it as being translated to yesn‘t. 10:00 imagine having a common cold, in which your nose may be blocked. You feel tired and don’t want to do anything. 11:55 they do most of the time, but if you tell them you have a problem (without descriptions) or they see you wandering around and think your lost they may try to offer help. 15:40 it’s translated to „all of the best for your birthday“ you can also just say „alles gute“ (all the best).

[@timefliesaway999]

“Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof” would word to word be translated to “I only understand train station”, without the “the”. 7:46 that would be like “yesn’t” 10:07 this just means that you’re motivated to do or craving sth. The eating was just an example, as she said that it comes with the preposition “auf” in German. “Ich habe Bock auf essen” -> “I’m craving food” “Ich habe Bock einen Film zu schauen” -> “I want to watch a movie” (“I’m motivated to watch a movie”) 10:33 “jdm.” is just an abbreviation for “jemand” or in this case “jemandem”, like you use sth for something. Generally if a word has a dot, but you don’t write in cap the next word, then it is an abbreviation. Like “etc.” or “e.g.” 10:51 “Augenblick” would kinda translate to “blink” like you said. There’s not really a word for it. “Auge” means eye and “Blick” means look or glance. So when you say “einen Augenblick”, it just means it will take as long as you need to look/glance at something, basically.

[@chrisrudolf9839]

About "Jein": No, it's not the same as maybe (which would be "vielleicht"). Maybe is what you would say if you aren't sure or are undecided about something, "Jein" is what you would say to someone who either just said something that is partially right and partially wrong or has asked you a yes or no question that you really can't answer with just yes or no without giving the wrong impression. It's usually an introductory word to be followed by an explanation. "Not quite" or "Not really" would probably the closest English equivalents, although the first one would probably be leaning more towards "I almost agree, but not fully" while the second one would be "there is a little bit of truth to this, but really no", whereas "Jein" is in between, respectively it can mean the whole spectrum of partially yes, partially no.

[@brucemcpherlain1903]

The phrase "ich verstehe nur Bahnhof" translates not so much to "I understand only the train station", but more to "I understand only "train station"". If you learn a new language, one of the first phrases you learn would be "where is the train station", so "ich verstehe nur Bahnhof" means that the other person is speaking on such an advanced level that you feel like a beginner in comparison.

[@NicolaiCzempin]

The first part is correct. She mistranslated it and sent Ryan off on a wild tangent. "All I hear is 'train station'" would have been a better translation of the original meaning, which includes the (unproven) hypothesis that it was WWI soldiers longing for home. So the old meaning includes "I don't wanna hear this" (it used to be "nur Bahnhof _hören_"). Nowadays it's only used with "verstehen" (to understand) and means "I don't understand anything" or, as an idiom, "It's all Greek to me". I'm not aware of any connection to learning German.

[@brucemcpherlain1903]

@@NicolaiCzempin I didn't know the connection to WWI-soldiers. The connection to not so much learning German but learning any foreign language is just how I always understood the phrase, I don't claim that it is the one and only correct understanding. Thanks for your feedback.

[@brucemcpherlain1903]

@MantisToboggan I'm German too, "Bruce McPherlain" is not the name in my "Personalausweis".

[@6666Imperator]

@MantisToboggan I doubt anyone consciously thinks about the origin of the phrase when using it today so it's not surprising that you don't hear melancholy or defeat when it is used now. It does sound plausible that it might have a military background though as trains had a huge influence in troop relocations in both world wars so for soldiers they would be probably ordered to go to a trainstation in both situations: draft and release/vacation.

[@rosshart9514]

Was versteht man unter einer Bahnüberführung? Gar nichts, wenn gerade ein Zug darüber fährt.

[@BlackSimorgh]

Hey Ryan, you should watch the phrases video on the channel "Feli from Germany". In one of her videos, she explains also the meaning behind "ich verstehe nur Bahnhof" I understand only train station. Unfortunately, I can't remember which video it was, but I believe you can find it if you look for her phrases videos. Besides that, she has a lot of other interesting videos about the differences between the US and Germany.

[@patiplatsch83]

„Na“ is something meaning like „hey“ „Aller Anfang ist schwer“ is also Like „dont worry, you can make it. Everyone struggles when learning new things“ „Geil“ means „horny“ but it is used as awesome

[@alexa4194]

"Alles Gute zum Geburtstag" is pretty long, but you can also just say "Alles Gute". Generally that means something along the line of "congratulations", so in the context of a birthday it's perfectly fine! :)

[@silkwesir1444]

or just "Herzlichen Glückwunsch!" which is the most common phrase. Just means "cordial congratulations!" (or to translate less literally and more of the attitude "most cordial congratulations to you!")

[@m.h.6470]

"jdm." is just an abbreviation for "jemandem", it is the equivalent to "so." in dictionaries, which is short for "someone".

[@oliheg9230]

The common german language (that german people speak) is full of phrases. I am german and still learning new phrases from every part of germany

[@jan-lukas]

It's surreal, half of the things mentioned in the comments here are completely new to me, a native speaker. But after some time, you can understand some of them at least partially

[@stevenvanhulle7242]

Isn't every language full of phrases? I always say a language = vocabulary + grammar + idioms.

[@marshall1982a]

Okay @12:25 is absolutely nonsense :D Germany is a Cash Nation and the question would be "can I pay with debit card?". You can pay everything with cash, everywhere in the world. But if you go to a cornershop in Germany, it is not guaranteed that you can pay by card...

[@Licw-Luxus]

Ich hab noch nie in meinem Leben gefragt, ob ich wo bar bezahlen kann.

[@landrover4284]

Don´t worry, Ryan... you just learned "Aller Anfang ist schwer". It´s always fun to watch your videos. You seem to be a very nice guy and whenever you feel "Fernweh" and finally surrender to it you are more than welcome in Germany or elsewhere.

[@voidclay4985]

i love how you try to pronounce everything LMAO

[@forceberlin]

…the moment when u relax on the couch enjoying another video of ryan an there is this cute girl misinterpreting or misunderstanding expressions of my language and I can‘t interrupt this vid to explain that all properly to you guys… 😅 her video was hard for me to watch I do not agree with the most of it but I def appreciate her interest and the effort she put in this ♥️

[@majav.4887]

Exactely my thoughts.Dankeschön

[@Licw-Luxus]

Because the video is poorly made and she fails to provide numerous literal translations of the phrases. If you don't know the phrases already you'd assume if she doesn't give an alternative literal translation it's the same. This is how you end up with all sorst of frustrating mistakes and misunderstandings. Many times it was infuriating to watch, because he wants to genuinly learn or understand something and gets presented and implied wrong ideas which is the worst thing one can do in teaching.

[@M1ch4ln0w1t5ch]

In Germany you don't have to ask if you can pay with cash you just say "Ich zahle in Bar" I pay with cash All stores in the EU are obliged to accept cash by EU law

[@hundertsachenachtzig622]

Your understanding of the meanings is amazing.

[@Luci151085]

German is a language were you have to be very imaginative: "Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof" -> imagine you are standing in the train station, a train comes by and somebody asks you a question at the same time. Same as with "Nase voll haben", imagine your nose is blocked and you just want to have the blockage/nuisance gone. For Birthdays: you can also just say "Herzlichen Glückwunsch" (congratulation) you don't have to specify it's for his/her birthday.

[@galenmarek3907]

Actually that frase dates back to world war 1; the soldiers mostly used the train to go back home, after endless battles they just understand train station in conversations cuz they wanted to go home badly

[@Patti_-ns3qt]

for birthdays you can say "alles gute". the Person who who have birthday, know whats going on.

[@badbedbat93]

@@Patti_-ns3qt yes, though that only works on their actual birthday, ore when it was just mentioned anyways. Also, in Germany you have to wait for the actual day or after, as there is a strong superstition that it's bad luck du congratulate someone on anything before the fact. Along the lines of "Don't count your chickens before they hatch".

[@aglaiacassata8675]

Hey Ryan, it would really help your future trip to Germany if you started to study German now! Even just very basic knowledge of the German language would really make your trip much more fun.

[@kenhenderson1762]

There is a fun podcast (also available on YT) with a German expat living in the US and an American expat living in Germany called "Understanding Train Station". They discuss cultural differences between the two countries. It is done (mostly) in English.

[@erikstolzenberger1517]

Well, actually answering "es geht" can often mean that it's not all great...depends on context, of course ;)You got that instinctively

[@NicolaiCzempin]

Especially "geht so". Add a "naja" and a sigh and people will get worried.

[@Kath2378]

My go to answer is "es muss", which is also not really positive

[@PlanetofmyDreams]

Same for "Muss ja"

[@badbedbat93]

@@Kath2378 as someone loving puns and sitting in a wheelchair my go to answer is "auf rädern", so "on wheels" ;D

[@SennaHawx]

@@badbedbat93 "es rollt"

[@magnusthiel6065]

I've been binge-watching you since yesterday. :) This vid is my favorite. Absolutely hilarious!!! You're nailing it speaking after her. You're on point. Das ist sehr beeindruckend. (That's very impressive.) Greetings from Germany.

[@jenserxleben837]

Your German is pretty good for not having anyone to talk to in German and fix your mistakes ✌️

[@natsukiilluna6324]

Ryan your face at Jein* told me: User just left the chat 😂😂😂 It's a bit like if you are asked: Did you do all the stuff I told you to? In English: Yes and no... I did about half of it In German: Jein... die Hälfte vielleicht Oh and if you translated 'Bock haben' literally it would be something like 'have a buck/he-goat/ram' (there are different meanings for 'Bock' you can mean animal or a piece of wood the ram open a door or something different. Personally I'd tend to animal (ram) when I hear just 'Bock'... They leave you alone in supermarkets but a bakery, when you go to the counter they ask you what you want 😂😂😂 Oh and if you pay in germany and you have to pay 22€ you want to give them a 3€ tip and only have 30€ in notes, you hand them over and say: 25. They'll give you back 5€. Zug= train Schiff= ship * verbessert 🤦🏽‍♀️😂😂😂

[@NicolaiCzempin]

Jein*

[@lilith596]

My favorite German wird that doesn't exist in English is "doch". You can use it when someone disagrees with you and you say that no, your opinion is correct for example: "Berlin ist die Hauptstadt Deutschlands" (Berlin is the capital of Germany) "Nein" (No) "Doch" (Yes it is.) But you can also use it while arguing which can be pretty funny for example: "Nein ich habe das nicht getan" (No I didn't do that) "Doch!" (Yes you did) "Nein" "Doch"

[@le_gentil_lion]

As a french, i can say that there is an equivalent in french for "doch": it's "si" Usually, we say it twice in a row or with a longer "i" sound to emphasize it

[@fatc4t]

Sehr Unterhaltsam. Hat mich gefreut

[@zoivac1048]

Other idiomatic phrase in german for goodbye is "Hau rein" what directly translated mean "hit in" or "beat in it". But it means something like "see you later, have a good time" or "no matter what you do next, i wish you to do it well". It also is a phrase what you say to mates, it is very informal.

[@caobita]

Same as "Mach's gut" (do it well)

[@guzziwheeler]

German here: Never heard of this. At my place (southwest), "hau rein" (wulf down) means something like "guten Appettit" when someone is about to eat a huge, 600g (20oz) T-Bone Steak.

[@zoivac1048]

@@guzziwheeler I am from hess or more exactly from near Frankfurt am Main ^^ Here this is very common, but you are right, "hau rein" also means something like "lass es dir schmecken!" ("enjoy your meal") or "iss so viel du willst, es ist genug für alle da" ("eat as much as you want, because here it is enough food for all people")

[@jennymaier2538]

Jein is more „It depends“ often followed by an explanation

[@chaosdwarf2467]

I think a reaction to German Dialects would be funny...if there is even a video out there in English which compares German with different German dialects

[@frankenreggaede]

the yt channel "easy german" does have some videos about geman dialects an the translation and eplaination in english, too

[@shenjahofflin7675]

Hi, just wanted to say, I found your videos a little while ago and I love them so much! I mean, there are a lot of videos of people reacting to german stuff, but yours are just kinda special, idk 😅Also, I noticed your pronounciation is getting better and better, some of those were actually pretty accurate, keep it up! 😆

[@mihairadut7960]

It is just so funny how you pronounce everything a bit louder as if you'd be angry 😂🔥

[@alcar32sharif]

Hi I living in Germany Berlin. The favorite idiom here is "Tach" or "Tachchen" for "hello". It literally means "Tag" in Berlin accent.

[@Gaston413]

Difference to "How are you?" in germany's "Wie geht es dir?": We don't just mirror the question, but answer superficially with "good" if we don't want to tell anything, or tell briefly and superficially where the shoe pinches. Polite people only go into details when asked. So after a short answer we mirror that question too.

[@Razorsharp88]

Sehr gut ausgesprochen! Stark 💪🏻❤️

[@juleb.7163]

Wuuh, I am from Dresden :D the "Nu!" she mentions is a dialect and it simply means "yes". I learned a few years ago, that only people in Saxony can understand. The"na" is not really a word, I think you also could use "heyy". I use it, when I want to now some stories like "Naaa wie läuft es mit deiner neuen Beziehung? :D" --> "Naaa how is your new relationship going??"

[@FelanLP]

"Jain" mean something like "Well, yes, but actually no" or "you are not wrong but technically ..." or "- but in this case ..." and so on. But similar to "Na" is "Jain" a bit situation dependent. The counterpart would be another german word without an one to one translation: "Doch" And it means something like "actually, I am right and you are wrong"

[@stepomuk9783]

Weiter so! Keep goin in!! 😀👍 Das wird schon!

[@babsymu]

Your pronunciation of “ Der Zug ist schon abgefahren” got me like 😂😂😂😂 Sounds really funny. Greetings from stuttgart / southern Germany

[@strangegaybeing]

I had a calendar once with literal translations of those sayings to english and it was my favourite ever! It's so funny in english because it just doesn't make sense

[@drehendesMausrad]

My lovely Mr. Singing club, joke cookie and alike?

[@BlueFlash215]

It was a quick example but don't tip 5€ for a 20€ bill. 5-10% is OK.

[@BlackWater_49]

7:57 Jein isn't really a word but a mashup of ja (yes) and nein (no) and is typically used when someone says something that is partially correct but includes some misconceptions.

[@UnnormaI]

"Der Zug ist abgefahren" has nothing to do with a ship leaving port. Literally translated it means "The train has already left (the station)"

[@pyrex2177]

asmany already said, the "ich verstehe nur bahnhof" idiom has its origin in first world war. but a more modern meaning could also be, that understanding the speaker announcements in train stations (like "amtrack 95 from boston to ny arriving at platform 13, please be aware!") is sometimes really difficult :D

[@ChRW123]

"Jein" is sometimes more like a "Yes, I agree but..." or "You're somehow right but..." "geil" isn't just awsome it also means "horny". It could be misunderstood if used in the wrong context. "Alles Gute zum Geburtstag" can also be shortened "Alles Gute" is totally fine.

[@satsumamoon]

Jein could also be expressed as "sort of" .

[@ninieh5336]

I love hearing you speak German! You're really doing pretty well for an American😊😊

[@robfriedrich2822]

I only understand trainstation could also be related to the fact, that bigger train stations has an acoustic with long reverb, what makes announcements nearly inaudible.

[@Jakal_CH]

"Was geht ab?" is more like party mode whats going on. You dont use that often at work or with people you don't know.

[@harrylexx]

But you can use it at the beginning of your videos 😀

[@marcomobson]

Amongst 15-year-olds...

[@jasperzanovich2504]

Or "Was geht denn hier ab?" which is more an expression of bewilderment.

[@FelanLP]

This "na" in "na, alles klar" is basically a little question in itself and can mean "hey", "atention" and " How are you? Whate are you doing? Any problems with your task? Or are you doing fine?" all in one word. But "Na" can also be used as an expression of your own feelings. "Na also" means something like "finally", "Its done", "It works" or "I knew you can do it" for example. A double-Na ("Na na") for example can mean "I can image what you are going through" or "everything will be fine" and so on. "Na" is raley used on its own. It can be used as a place holder if you are not sure how to bring your thoughts across or as an ice breaker to inform the other person that you want a conversation but don't know yet how to start the conversation or if a conversation is wantet. And it can basically mean anything depending on the situation. I guess this covers the basics.

[@winterlinde5395]

Also: na na na Directed towards children: „I see you ! If you do that again, you are in trouble!“

[@FelanLP]

@@winterlinde5395 Oh, yes. True. I forgott about the tripple-Na. In your case a "hey, atention" become "Watch out.". But funny. Now that you metion it, the more "Na's" you add together, the more intense it becomes. Next level would be the quadruple-Na: "Stop!". Even thou that can also be said by a quick and single "NA!" with an intens stare afterwards.

[@NicolaiCzempin]

Naja...

[@Patti_-ns3qt]

yeah its more like an "Na? Wie geht's?"

[@FelanLP]

@@Patti_-ns3qt I guess it depends on how one is used to say it. "Na, alles gut?" is also possible.

[@TheWoblinGoblin]

Jein just is the equivalent of the phrase "Yes and no" e.g. when someone gives a statement in which you think one aspect is right and another is wrong. Bock haben often means to have a craving, but it can also mean to really want to do something (e.g. watch a movie)

[@lokes350]

Your pronunciation is getting better and better

[@lbergen001]

He Ryan, you German pronunciation is actually very good👍👍, you are a natural talent for German. 💪😁

[@galenmarek3907]

Maybe he just need to realize the little differences in the alphabet to become better 🤔 reverse pronounce on e and i, z is like the harsher version of the ts in Cats, ä ö ü is debated a lot to though. Maybe his next video is an alphabetical one 🤗

[@badbedbat93]

And the thing with the extension-h that just makes the vowel before it sound longer, like in "Bahnhof" (train station).

[@galenmarek3907]

@@badbedbat93 there is a lot of sounds in german English speakers are not used to. The ch and sometimes st are difficult to learn, but german is a beautiful language with a lot of grammar that even most germans don't fully grasp 😂 so...

[@badbedbat93]

@@galenmarek3907 yes. Even as a native german I sometimes joke that german is my first foreign language. ;D

[@galenmarek3907]

@@badbedbat93 exactly. I think at school we got 10 plus years of German, 5 plus years with English and your third language will be like 3 plus years. I always got better notes in english and russian myself, I hated german grammar....

[@tihja]

I like your vids more and more and it is stunning how good your german in the first tries is and also your intuition of the meaning. I am from germany though. Props out 👌🏻😎

[@satsumamoon]

use "attempts " not "tries" here.

[@satsumamoon]

Also you need to reposition "is" . Ie "good your German is in the first attempt"

[@namensklauer]

10:18 Jein ... its a bit stronger than that and its not neccessarily limited to foods. "Bock" can pretty much always be replaced by "Lust" (desire). so "bock auf" becomes "desire/craving for".

[@PodiPin]

She said, she has studied in Dresden. Coincidentaly I do live there atm. You have to check out this city. It's beautiful. I guarantee you'll love it.

[@armitage9204]

Die Nase voll haben = To have the nose full/loaded = To be sick of something Hot coffee, hot coffee, hot coffee = Heiß und fettig = hot & fatty Happy birthday = Heartily luck wish = Herzlichen Glückwunsch

[@NovaTheBuilder]

You wouldn’t know else but in German a lot of people( younger ppl) actually use a lot of English words. "Alles Gute zum Geburtstag" would be used if you speak with your grandparents( depends on your age) but most people would say happy birthday, just like in English

[@satsumamoon]

You wouldnt know OTHERWISE. :)

[@luisasky1207]

I would say the german sentence is used just as often as the englisch phrase. And not just to your grandparents, but friends too.

[@FelanLP]

"Bock haben" was explaind a bit wrong. "Ich habe Bock auf ..." Means "I'm interested in ..." or "I want to ...". I guess the best word to word translation would be "I have >a desire< >a lust< >an appetite< to chill" ("Ich habe >Bock< zu chillen"). This is a good example where I would answer with "Jain" if I would hear someone explaining it like in the video. Yes, it was technically not wrong, but no, it did not bring the point across.

[@HorseloverFat1984]

4:08 - Hahaha, you absolutely nailed it 100% There's literally no possible better explanation for that saying 😄

[@silviahannak3213]

Lol .but you can only say Was geht ab if you are young and its your friend. Never say that to your Boss or elderly ppl. Comes across disrespectful. It is mire used by younger ppl, Students. But not by grown ups. It is a little bit messed up ..about when are you using which Phrase. Some Kind of Phrasen are just not used by Adults. Alles klar can mean also..did you get me not only hey whats up. We actually say..how are you ? (Like its a real question, not like in the US where it is not really meant as a question.) It could be answered as ..i am feeling okay or good or bad with or without explaining. Depends on the Relation to the Person asking. You won't tell a stranger such Personal things. Relationship is the term here. She is using lots of youth Language.Jugendsprache.

[@kBaylife_painting]

Das was sie als "Jugendsprache" nutzt ist auch nur Jugendsprache wenn man über 60 ist. Zumindest in meinem Umfeld nutzen wir diese und ähnliche Expressionen auch unter uns 30-40 jährigen noch, und demnach kann man es meiner Meinung nach nicht mehr als "Jugendsprache" abtun. "Umgangssprache" wäre der passendere Begriff. In den 90ern wars mal Jugendsprache, heutzutage sind wir aber auch halt schon alle über 30 und haben deshalb trotzdem nicht angefangen zu reden wie unsere Großväter...^^

[@redhead0122]

If you want to learn some more German idioms you should watch Deana and Phils videos about funny German phrases and idioms.

[@Patti_-ns3qt]

yes, they are really funny. i guess, its really helpfull for a not german native speaker to have a german native speaker and a english native speaker.

[@redhead0122]

@@Patti_-ns3qt I guess that makes sense- i am from Germany so I can’t really judge that. But I guess it would be helpful for pronounciatchen ( or however you write that word 😅😂)

[@knownothing5518]

German smalltalk be like: "Na?" "Na?" "Joa." "Mir auch." "Mhm."

[@Gaston413]

To tell "bock haben auf ..." is to tell about a strong desire to do anything, or to have anything. The phase is to animate friends to follow that idea.

[@bf2840]

For a person, who doesn't speak German, I actually think that you are very good, Ryan.

[@sirenlucy932]

When we say: „I only understand train station“ that actually means something is so complex and confusing that you don’t understand a single thing. Pretty similar to some loudspeaker announcements, where they just mumble their words or talk so fast you understand next to nothing. It can be used to ask someone indirectly to explain something once more in an easier or shorter way. Liebe Grüße aus Berlin

[@flenomusic]

14:41 😂☕ Guten Tag, was geht? 😎 Hi Rayn, as a German it's quite funny to know, how it's "the other way", as you show it obviously and openly to us. That's why I like your KZbin channel and I try to watch every content as possible as I can. I'm also happy about your predominantly funny efforts on the subject of German stuffs in general. Well, it really cool to figure it out, how someone else, is trying to learn another language or even as something is customary. You also bring a kind of a good attitude to life, that someone has forgotten over time but then, just to confess that we are not much that far away to the other side of the world. 🙂 Even if some or your comparisons sometimes say something different. Indeed, being completely curious as far as you are for another language or its culture... so you are apparently not alone with it. Well, thank you so much and please keep your special and simply entertainment in learning from "each other" up!🙃🥰👌Daumen hoch!

[@flenomusic]

17:44 PS: RYAN! I hope you'll come very soon to your first fresh, hot and soft "German Pretzel". Or even in general to original German food, if you once land here✈. Please, try to make it soon possible!

[@germankiwi4588]

Loved your tries at pronunciation. Greetings from a kiwi living in Germany.

[@nina_har]

Just because I’m interested. Why does someone from New Zealand decides to live in Germany?

[@germankiwi4588]

@@nina_har Hi Nina. That's a question I often pose myself.😬 It's because of my job.

[@nina_har]

@@germankiwi4588 thanks for answersing! I thought about that

[@guzziwheeler]

Gidday, mate! Nice to have you here!

[@The_Panther]

"Bock haben" means you are excited about something. Usually you hear "Ich habe Bock auf..." which means I am excited about ..." . This was on the fly translated so not sure if it I got the English phrase right

[@nellekeglansdorp1595]

I like the word “na”. It has so many uses. You can use it like “well?” or “WTF” (na, ja) or “well, alright then.” or “but of course” (na, klar) and so many more.

[@jurgenbaumann67]

I sawmany of your videos and like how you try to speak the german words, too. But would you remember them the next day? Or did you forgot them already after an half hour?

[@Biberboyy]

Jdm. ist just a short form for "jemandem" which means somebody. So "jdm. die Daumen drücken" means something like "crossing fingers for somebody"

[@Nika-en4cw]

better answer for "Was geht?": "Alles was Beine hat" (Everything that has legs)

[@Patti_-ns3qt]

In germany, "happy birthday" is a lot more Common for birthdays congratulations. "Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag" is a very long sentence, esecially for younger persons

[@christianwerthmann4646]

You nailed it Du hast den Nagel auf den Kopf getroffen 😉😉😉

[@arnoldmuller1703]

Ryan about the "h" pronounciation: I suggest if it comes easy for you then you prounce it, in case it doesn't just ignore it. Then "bezahlen" is prononced like "bezalen" (be [e like in *Ee*lse] tsalen") which is correct.

[@lamaglama6231]

As far as I know I only understand train station is from war time where soldiers were waiting for being able to go home which would have been by train.

[@TecSanento]

Train station thing comes from the military - if the sergeant tells recruits something they don't understand or want to understand, they responded with "I only understand 'train station'" because that meant they could go to the train station and travel home - so it doesn't matter what he said, they want to return home :)

[@_axxika_3715]

I love the way you actually try to talk German... it sound cute to be honest

[@pfelo]

10:30 jmd. is an abbreviation for the word "jemanden" or in this case "jemandem".

[@claudiabirken6952]

You‘re so sweet and funny guy xD I like your reactions about the german stuff. I‘m a german girl btw