10 German sayings that EVERYONE should know

[@Alexthegiant96]

Hey Silas, I am a German living in the us. I just graduated college as a D1 swimmer in Charlotte NC. And I remember following you when you first got to Germany I think it was 2017 I even went to one of your games at that time. I always looked up to how you enjoy life. Kinda lost track of you ever since then went to the us to experience the college athletes side as a foreigner fell in love with the country and even found a job here. Today I stumbled over your account again and I started watching all your videos. And now I feel I have to text you. Something interesting happend to me a few weeks ago and I feel like you can relate to this. I found my way back to Jesus. I always was a believer but I never really lift like it yes I went to bible study and all but partying was until a few weeks ago a big part of my life. Now my whole life is upside down I realize all my sins and confessed those to my closest friend which I met here in the US a pro swimmer who had some struggles as well until he found Jesus. Hearing you talk about him and me finding back to your Chanel feels like gods plan. I don’t know if this comment will get a reaction but I would love to have a conversation with you about my experience in college doing Covid and with the US in general and also would like to hear more about your story finding to Jesus.

[@Schon1Kevin]

My Grandpa always used to say: Wer früh vögelt, den wurmt nichts.

[@claudiaberger9639]

1:28 The Long Bench, which used to exist in courts, is best known for the idiom "putting something on the long bench", which is derived from it. The idiom means delaying a (possibly serious, momentous) decision for as long as humanly possible. But... postponed is not canceled. Therefore, only the devil benefits.

[@claudiaberger9639]

postponed is not canceled = Aufgeschoben ist nicht aufgehoben.

[@aglandorf75]

Oh, interesting, I heard a different explanation which I put into a comment here. But your explanation also make sense to me.

[@SilasNacita]

Thank you!

[@McGhinch]

Eile mit Weile: If you're in a hurry, do it slow. -- If you're hasty, you will make mistakes and errors.

[@heideschloegl7016]

You explained and translated these proverbs perfectly. You are so good in German, unbelievable how you learned it. I like you and your friendly way of communicating. Respect for everything!

[@Schon1Kevin]

a few of his interpretations werent 100% correct, but they came pretty close. in the end its all about metaphors which can be interpreted differently, but some of them are commonly used in another context as he described them.

[@chrishunter1109]

....there is some room for improvements :-D Aller Anfang ist schwer... German is not that easy.

[@pultforce124]

"Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund" is pretty compareable to "The early bird catches the worm" which is "Der frühe Vogel fängt den Wurm" as well.

[@uliwehner]

i say this often: the early bird catches the worm. What if you don't like worms?

[@andreasklein2811]

@@uliwehner and the early cat catches the early bird.... so better stay in bed😁

[@Nightwing2769]

And the answer to "the early bird catches the worm" is, "der frühe Vogel kann mich mal" (I dont'care on the early bird).

[@Araknalam]

​@@uliwehnerand what if you are the worm? 😁

[@AkiWetzels]

Der frühe Vogel fängt auch nur den frühen Wurm.

[@Schattenspieler1982]

Excellent! plus: "Kleinvieh macht auch Mist." can also mean something along the lines of "even (a lot of) little things can amount to quite a big bunch". As in a penny isn't worth much by itself, but a hundred pennies amount to a dollar ... or one mosquito is not much of a pest, but a couple of dozen of them can be quite annoying. Also: It can be taken literally as stating that small animals take a shit from time to time, too, and (at least as an owner or caretaker) you have to take that into consideration. So basically: Even minor things might add up to something major.

[@MrDesertbook]

Hochmut kommt vor dem Fall. / Es ist nicht alles Gold, was glänzt. / Der Apfel fällt nicht weit vom Stamm. / Ausnahmen bestätigen die Regel. / Wer rastet, der rostet. / Der Ton macht die Musik. /Kindermund tut Wahrheit kund. /Eine Hand wäscht die andere. / Was du heute kannst besorgen, das verschiebe nicht auf morgen.

[@16andy91]

Thank you for taking a picture today at the end buddy!! You all were AMAZING #GoGuards !!

[@RomeeRaven]

You weren't all that far off with the second one. "Etwas auf die lange Bank schieben" (to slide something onto the long bench) means to procrastinate. And the devil likes that because it keeps you from reaching your goals and dreams.

[@liamberlin6413]

great description

[@boelwerkr]

"Des Teufels liebstes Möbelstück ist die lange Bank" means "The Devil is a fan of you procrastinating" It's a derivation of "Etwas auf die lange Bank schieben" meaning "to procrastinate" "Bank" here means "Werkbank" (working table for craftsmen) So the longer the table of a craftsman the more projects he can start without finishing them.

[@ralfhtg1056]

About number 2: you totally nailed it. It is about procrastination and not picking up things you ignored for so long.

[@Irobert1115HD]

can we get him pinged under this comment?

[@summersun6536]

4:20 That's a really good interpretation that applies well. But commonly the saying means something different: Don't mix your job life and your private life under any circumstances. Even if you make friends with colleagues, don't let that influence your professional relationship for the good or the bad. It particularly applies when it comes to love. Related to love the English equivalent would be: "Don't dip your pen in the company ink."

[@Jan2O41]

Holy smokes, just rediscovered you after watching your early videos from GFL back in the day and I gotta say your German improved so incredibly, like I'm losing it. I know Germans that dont speak the language as well, much respect to your efforts! And a favorite saying of my grandmothers: 'Wer schön sein will, muss leiden', translating roughly to 'It takes suffering to be beautiful' (dont think she meant hitting the gym but who knows...)

[@usbxg3474]

2:13 could also mean "Stop and smell the flowers"!

[@emblaxd227]

But my personal favourite is: Humor ist, wenn man trotzdem lacht - Humor is when you laugh anyway. So no matter how bad the situation, look at the bright side and smile. :)

[@parabenstv]

bzw. "Tumor ist, wenn man trotzdem lacht ..."

[@pultforce124]

"Etwas auf die lange Bank schieben" means to put off activities you don't like everytime you have to do them. For example to clean the kitchen or to take out the litter. And if you put off those activities everytime things are getting worse and worse. And that is what it means that the devil likes it. Another example is home work in school for example to read a book. If you postpone it up to the last second this usually resulted in a bad grade.

[@butenbremer1965]

Beautifully observed! Don't be shy speaking GER, you're far better at it than you think, and Übung macht den Meister.... 🥰

[@GermanwithHosna]

Thank you 🙏💐✨️.

[@ThomasRenneis]

"Langsamer ist manchmal schneller" ( slower is sometimes faster ) meaning; taking things slowly is sometimes better and faster than hurrying and rushing things, and in the process messing it up. And as a result eventually have to start all over again.

[@desastermaster2010]

Putting things on the long bench means: when you decide to do urgend issues sometime later, knowing these issues will only grow bigger. You don t see the forrest for the trees , matches the "hidden in plain sight"-saying.

[@smolli91]

Fvorite of may granpa sentences was "lieber arm dran als Arm ab. Arm (=arm), arm(=poor). So it literally means better to be poor thand your arm is cutting off. It only makes sence in german 😅

[@christiankastorf4836]

"The early bird catches the worm" comes close to the "Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund" saying, but it has nothing to do with competition against others (hungry birds). It has to do with psychology and comes near that "do not wait until it is too late" meaning of the "long bench". The earlier you get started with your paperwork , the sooner will you see that you might have even finished it before lunch or in the early afternoon, which leaves you the chance to enjoy the rest of the day, making you work even more concentrated, instead of facing an entire night at your desk, which demotivates you, resulting in getting nothing done at all, because you have "pushed it along the long bench."

[@troxcis6394]

So glad to see you back on the German content, it seems like you're glowing up again. Keep it up and good luck with everything!

[@emblaxd227]

Or similar to the devils long bench: Was du heute kannst besorgen, das verschiebe nicht auf morgen. Which translates to: If you can do it today, don´t wait until tomorrow.

[@isana788]

Haha, that was so good. I swear, the sayings are better in english :D. And the end of the video was great. It touches my heart because its so true. when you have compassion, you play in the upper league of the most valuable people. You don't need more in life.

[@astrid801]

Kaum zu glauben, dass du nicht schon als Kind mit Liebe überschüttet worden bist…! Natürlich bist du „genug“! Du bist absolut liebenswert!

[@worldhello1234]

@0:52 Yeah, but something is easy to learn and hard to master. It also could be a waste of time. @3:45 What if the horse really sucks? 😂 "Ein Dackl ist kein Rennpferd!"

[@yoxyz]

Love that you are posting videos again! Unfortunately I get extremely distracted by the background music

[@summersun6536]

5:45 by going on duolingo in the bathroom while having a (you know😀) you literally brought this saying to life. 😂😂😂

[@Angel-of-God]

Wie man in den Wald ruft, so hallt es auch zurück. The way you shout into the forest, the forest will shout back to you.

[@sus829]

My Mom always said "Wenn Eine eine Reise macht dann kann er was erzählen which means "when one goes on a trip then you have a lot to talk about". Keep up the good work with Deutsch. It's a hard language to learn. My parents are German and all my relatives are in Stuttgart and the only way I learned to speak fluent German was when I lived with my Aunt and her three little kids for two years and we only spoke German so my one year old cousin and I were learning at the same time. We spoke some German at my home when I was little but then my brother's Kindergarten teacher said my parents should only speak English at home so we did. And I always wanted to be bilingual so I could speak to my relatives. I still have a hard time to this day with the grammar. But just keep it up and find Swiss and German friends to keep up your conversations. I've watched you since the last time you were playing football in Germany. Great to see you again!

[@latinbob6431]

very bad advise from the kindergarten teacher. I have two grandsons that are trilingual and get excellent grades in every subject. Again almost all Europeans speak multiple languages and they are not scholastically deprived in any way. I believe being multilingual actually improves your ability to learn all things.

[@sus829]

I know! That was a terrible thing to tell my parents. This was in the late 50's That is why I had such a need to learn German and took it in high school and when I was 18, went for 2 years and lived with my relatives to get to know them and my mother language., I know lots of Asian, Italian, South American and Mexican families who's children are bilingual and have no problems at all.

[@Blurom666]

Steter tropfen höhlt den Stein constant dripping wears away the stone It means that perseverance is often better than a one-time attempt. A drop of water alone cannot damage a stone. But if it drips on a rock for a long time, a hollow will gradually form.

[@perrychills]

Your german is improving by every video man. No joke. Keep it up

[@tomtom2806]

Explanation for "lange Bank" in German Wikipedia: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lange_Bank

[@harryamus9147]

Tja Silas. Ich verfolge dich auch schon eine ganze Weile. Es freut mich das wieder in Europa bist. Besonders freut es mich das unsere Sprichwörter benutzt. Ich selbst benutze diese Sprichwörter auch. Also, liebe Grüße aus dem schönen Aschaffenburg.

[@anjaconstantin873]

Dein Deutsch ist sehr gut. Vorallen was du am Ende sagst, finde ich toll. ❤ Du bist großartig, ein geliebtes Kind Gottes, wow. Ich finde dich toll 😊 Liebe Grüße 🙋🏼‍♀️

[@Wonzling0815]

"Lange Bank" is basically "the back burner"

[@Innocentforscratcher]

Für Nummer 7 gibt es eine Alternative, die sich direkt übersetzten lässt. Feste arbeiten, Feste feiern -> work hard, party hard!

[@maxwilli3718]

God bless you!

[@RandomHero.13]

Most important one for me is "Was du nicht willst das man dir tut, das füg auch keinem anderem zu". I like to one two things to your "i am enough" that is the difference between culture based on honor and dignity, you have to earn honor but you have dignity from the beginning.

[@tomekk895]

Every German heard that one from Family, Teachers, Bosses etc.: "Was Du heute kannst besorgen, dass verschiebe nicht auf morgen." = "What You can finish today, don't postpone until tomorrow"

[@Elholz]

Because we have so many well fitting idioms or common metaphores and many people actually use them we also like to base jokes on them. Sometimes people will cange a word to direct reference the current situation the idiom is being used for or they'll restructure the ideom or add parts from other ideoms to make them nonsensical in a funny way. A few rather common examples of the last two are: Wer andren eine Grube gräbt sollte nicht mit steinen werfen. and Reden ist Schweigen, Silber ist Gold. We also like making up ideoms that fot the situation but the advice is questionable at best. For example yesterday a group of people and I had to put some things away before it started pouring so everyone started saying speed related ideoms amd I hit them with "wer später bremst bleibt länger schnell" which means"he who breaks later stays fast for longer"

[@Araknalam]

"Do, wat du wullt, de Lüüd snackt doch!" Das ist ein plattdeutscher Spruch. Ich verstehe den Dialekt zwar nicht gut, aber den Spruch liebe ich. It means something like do whatever you want to do without thinking about what people will talk about you while doing something because they always will talk about you, no matter what you do. If you only understand train station that's because my english is not the yellow from the egg 😁

[@Herzschreiber]

Den gibt es übrigens nicht nur im Plattdeutschen. Meine Mama hatte so ein Küchenbild mit Spruch. "Du kannst tun was du willst - geredet wird immer!"

[@Araknalam]

@@Herzschreiber Ist bestimmt übersetzt und geklaut 😉

[@emblaxd227]

Wer anderen eine Grube gräbt, fällt selbst hinein. Meaning: If you are setting a trap for someone, you will be the one ending up in it.

[@hdlink]

"Kleinvieh macht auch Mist" means that even if it is only a little, it is the quantity that makes it. For example, if I earn only 10 cents on something, but sell it 1 million times, I am also rich. Mostly, however, it means that you should save something. It can be in shopping or something else. If I save 20 cents on each item because I don't buy the most expensive one, that's 10 euros I've saved at the checkout. "Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund" - "The early bird catches the worm." "Wenn der Reiter nicht taugt, ist das Pferd schuld." Also "Wenn der Bauer nicht schwimmen kann, ist die Badehose schuld." The proverb is used when someone is looking for excuses for something and puts other things forward. "Was Hänschen nicht lernt, lernt Hans nimmermehr" - You have to learn carefully at the beginning and correct mistakes. Once the mistakes are there, you can't get hardly rid of them.

[@martinkasper197]

Der frühe Vogel fängt den Wurm... The early bird catches the worm... Means: The sooner you start, the more success you will have...

[@santaclaus0815]

"Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei": There is a song with these lyrics as the title. I don't know if the song is based on the proverb or vice versa. In any case, the song is about the end of a love relationship. So the singer tells his lover that the relationship has ended.

[@silviaoberle7861]

Very good, you got it👊🤙

[@HenryAusLuebeck]

Dein Video sollte ein Beispiel für alle Migranten sein! "Was Du nicht willst das man dir tut, das füge keinem Anderen zu!" "Don't do to others what you don't want done to yourself!"

[@kriz5005]

My mother Todd me An apple a day keeps the doctor away.😮 And… The early Bird catches the worm.-but i dont Reallohn like Worms so i sleep langer. What a nice guy y are. God bless you. Regards KriZ

[@holger_p]

The first two mean almost The same. It's just getting up from the sofa, getting startet, do the first step. Devils long bench we would call procrastination today. The ' lets do it tomorrow' instead of now.

[@dakdf]

1Gut Ding will weile haben ! 2Was du nicht willst was man dir tut das füge auch keinem anderen zu ! 3was der Bauer nicht kennt das frisst er nicht!

[@alexamurawski4524]

if anyone follows rule number 2, there will be peace on earth :"don't do anything to anybody, you don't want anybody to do to you" - simple saying whith big meaning, my Grandmother teached me

[@JIM4644]

Prima - und mehr bitte!

[@Mumbamumba]

Wer sich nicht selbst befiehlt, bleibt immer ein Knecht. He who does not command himself, always remains a servant.

[@martinkasper197]

Lieber den Spatz in der Hand, als die Taube auf dem Dach....It's better to have the sparrow in your hand than the dove on your roof... It's better to have a little thing achieved than longing for the big one...

[@arnodobler1096]

You are great!

[@CandyLicker81]

My favourit is: Was du nicht willst das man dir tut, das füge keinem andrem zu.

[@bubalusarnee6325]

Silas, Du bist großartig!

[@andreasarnoalthofsobottka2928]

Das Kleinvieh hat ein englisches Äquivalent: Everything counts in large amounts.

[@colinlehmann6468]

We need the Swissbowl Video 🎉

[@janko07]

„Etwas auf die lange Bank schieben“ means to put something off and to procrastinate

[@Sergeant_chef]

I love your videos ❤

[@fairphoneuser9009]

I really enjoyed this video! 🙂 But you misinterpreted some sayings. For instance the saying "Was Hänschen nicht lernt, lernt Hans nimmer mehr" is about that your brain learns easier as a kid. And what you've learned as a kid mostly stays in your brain.

[@derycksummer578]

Meine Uroma sagte oft: "Jeder hat mit sich selbst zu tun." Und Mamas Kollegin sagte mal:" Auf dem Klo scheißen sie alle!" Ansonsten habe ich in meiner Kindheit oft gehört: "Der Ton macht die Musik", Wenn die anderen von der Brücke springen, springst du dann auch?" und "Was du nicht willst, das man dir tu, das füg` auch keinem anderen zu." Guckst du manchmal Filme auf Deutsch (mit Untertiteln), Silas? Das könnte dir vielleicht auch beim Lernen helfen. Schönes Wochenende.

[@falkozeughardt8248]

„Arbeit ist die wärmste Jacke“ … auch typisch deutsch.

[@philippbretzler7687]

Und kann der Bauer nicht schwimmen, ist die Badehose dran schuld. And if the farmer can't swim, it's the bathing suit's fault. A good saying for people who always blame others for themselves

[@seeechzig8213]

Manche von denen höre ich zum ersten Mal 😅

[@liamberlin6413]

ich bin 48 und kenne alle! Wie alt bist du?

[@312Annabella]

@@liamberlin6413 Ich bin 50 und hab' den Spruch von des Teufels liebstem Möbelstück noch nie gehört, zumindest nicht genau diesen Ausdruck.. Ich kenne nur "etwas auf die lange Bank schieben".

[@seeechzig8213]

@@liamberlin6413 den mit dem Schnaps kannte ich nicht

[@daybyter]

Dann hab ich auch noch 2 Sprüche : "Es gibt nichts Gutes, ausser man tut es!" "Der Weg zur Hölle ist gepflastert mit guten Vorsätzen"

[@beaucerongirlsjunaundgia563]

Never hear the phrase with the devil and the long bench. Maybe it's regional

[@Patrick-on2ty]

schönen Sonntag Silas

[@pultforce124]

"Kleinvieh macht auch Mist" even means that when you save money every penny counts to reach the final goal.

[@ullireusch12]

Aller Anfang ist schwer advices not to give up too quickly... " Etwas auf die lange Bank schieben" would mean , something , that could be done faster, took much more time as necessary... "Die lange Bank" in that vote refers to this ! Den Wald vor lauter Bäumen nicht mehr sehen means, someone is losing survey because of too much attention on details... Eile mit Weile, because if someone is hurrying too much, it may cause more damage than success... This saying about the horse I've just heared for the first time ! Dienst ist Dienst und Schnaps ist Schnaps... The more common version was : erst die Arbeit, dann das Vergnügen ! Duty first and then the pleasure... I'd rather translated "Schnaps" as "Brandy"...! Kleinvieh macht auch Mist, is about small things that may become big, if you think sth was too small to care for... Was Hänschen nicht lernt, lernt Hans nimmer mehr is an education advise... What you do not teach your young children, don't expect them to learn when they are older... If you always do, what they should be able to do for themselves... for example, they leave garbage just where it is, instead of putting it to the garbage can... It is not about things you may learn at school, more those things you should have been taught by your parents !

[@Schon1Kevin]

"Eile mit Weile" is actually the equivalent to the Navy Seals saying "Slow is smooth and smooth is fast". so do stuff with the appropriate amount of speed but dont rush anything because mistakes will happen which makes everything worse. you keep saying that many of these things wont make sense in englisch which is actually wrong. i mean you said it yourself with "Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund". If you think a second about it, its absolutely clear what it means and it makes a lot of sense for many people. it seems like you guys arent really familiar with the concept of metaphors. "Dienst ist Dienst und Schaps ist Schnaps" is kinda close tho. Its more commonly used as a reminder of seperating work and free time. things that happen at work shouldnt affect your free time and vice versa. germans are pretty strict about seperating those two things.

[@Niels12345]

“Man soll den Tag nicht vor den Abend loben”😉

[@quentinmunich9819]

Ich hab mir gedacht, was zu dir passt ist: Wenn Dir das Leben Zitronen gibt, dann mach Limonade daraus!

[@L00ww]

auf die lange bank schieben means to not to do the thing you have to do, because it is easier

[@danielmatzner2507]

The "Devil's favorite piece of furniture..." means that you shouldn't put off something you're supposed to do because you might not do it.

[@foxithedaywalker]

Lieber den Spatz in der Hand, als die Taube auf dem Dach

[@aglandorf75]

1:35 Back in the days the kitchen was the main room in the house and it was usually the only room which was heated, mainly because of the cooking stove. The kitchen had of course a table and most of the time a L shaped bench and the long end of the bench was usually for having a nap after lunch. But back then having a nap was also considered as being lazy and being lazy was 'the devil's work' or along those lines.

[@georgmeyer7221]

Ja, aber die Musik ist zu laut

[@dcbsmt]

Do Americans not have the "forest for the trees" one? Brits certainly do.

[@herbie1219]

❤

[@Blurom666]

der Ton macht die Musik It's not what you say, but how you say it. how you say something can change what you say; a friendly tone sometimes helps

[@anna-ranja4573]

Möbelstück nicht Mobelstuck, Stuck ist Etwas Anderes als Stück

[@rogerblumenstein1238]

The long bench phrase means, to put something important on the long bench, you pushing it further and further away until it's too late - that's a thing the devil loves.

[@nurin1698]

What my mother often told us children was Morgen Morgen nur nicht Heute sagen alle faulen Leute. Which means that we should not keep postponing the work we have to do, but do it right away so that we don't have to do it at the very last moment and it might get stressful and we become inaccurate.

[@peterweiss123]

Ist das Pferd schuld ?! NICE😄

[@derkohler2380]

dear silas.. let's comment your valuable conclusion with an encouraging and multilingual proverb: "lieber spät als nie" - and in this context, less multilingual but analogously: "die letzten werden die ersten sein" (english natives: think of 'the tortoise and the hare'). best of luck against milano tomorrow!

[@Herzschreiber]

when you were quoting the "Kleinvieh macht auch Mist" saying, you seemed to be not sure how to pronounce "Kleinvieh" It is easy though: Just say "cline fee". *winks And no, you don't have to pay Kevin Cline a fee for my hint. *giggles

[@sandraoreski5542]

Keeps strangers 2m off house. Anproperty interducing is la fin laura kristy asholls.😊

[@Tobosaku77]

Müßiggang machts Leben lang:)

[@FlorianMuellerB]

"Allah unfungue east sveah" means that he cannot finish with sausage in the beginning without exersize.

[@SaschaAtrops]

Eile mit Weile is not about Work/Life-Balance it is about not wasting your time with hasty decisions. If you are in a hurrry, sit down, think and make a plan. Because the devil is a squirrel and power originates from quiescence. I don't believe in god. Who believes becomes blessed (which is meant sarcastic). But I believe you did already get a lot of dung with your German... well maybe this is not the best metapher to ride that proverb here. What about the way is the goal? You were easy to understand and a good thing wants to take a while. You never stop learning, Training makes the master. Where is a will, there is also a way. About love: You don't need to howl with the wulves.

[@JIM4644]

Hier sind - Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof, I only understand the trainstation- or actually more like - it makes no sense at all, und, Das ist nicht mein Bier, literal is that is not my beer, but actually would translate to that is not my business , or I don't really care. Have heard both of the idioms I added several times in Deutschland. Give us more idioms in the future. Alles Gute!

[@pultforce124]

"Was Hänschen nicht lernt, lernt Hans nimmer mehr." I think this is more about learning politeness rules when you're young. For example if your parents don't teach you to say thank you or you don't learn to close your trousers or that it is not done to fart in a crowded bus then you'll probable don`t even care when you're an adult and you will never learn to say thank you for example. In most cases it will be your mother who says that phrase because she always tried to teach you this and that and when she notices a certain behavior that matches with that phrase then she will say it.

[@harryamus9147]

Apropos, es gibt so viele deutsche Sprichwörter. Also, viel Spaß beim Finden.

[@xPLaChYNaToR]

Einem geschenkten Gaul schaut man nicht ins Maul.

[@uliwehner]

morgenstund hat gold im mund, und blei im arsch! now translate that one :)

[@Attirbful]

„Kleinvieh“ is pronounced “clain-fee“