German idioms or ‘Redewendungen’ are a great technique to improve your language fluency while you study the language.
If you are looking to improve your overall fluency with the German language then idioms are certainly a great avenue for accomplishing just that.
Enhancing your familiarity with German idioms will help you to understand locals and also showcase your ability to communicate through a more colloquial medium.
Idioms are a great way of telling somebody’s proficiency in a language. If you are able to use idioms and apply them correctly in their indented contexts you are going to impress a lot of people with your level of German.
If you are a junior or leaving cert student that is preparing for the German paper, then you can also use German idioms as a way of scoring some extra marks in the written section of the assessments.
This will impress the examiners, who will likely be grading countless other exam papers where students have either not included any idioms or perhaps even worse, applied them incorrectly.
In this article, I will take a look at some common German idioms along with their literal English meaning to help you excel at the German language.
Starting with the most common German words is a great way to start if you want to excel at the language.
Why idioms are helpful when learning German
If you are learning a foreign language then it is important that you work on your fluency. If you have spent any time in Germany then you will likely already be aware of how often the locals will use idioms in conversation.
Part of becoming fluent in any language is in your ability to understand others in conversation. Having a broad understanding of some of the most common idioms used in German will help you to navigate more conversations as you find yourself in different scenarios.
Idioms can be difficult to master for anyone who has attempted to learn a foreign language. Idioms are expressions that are specific to a language and are not directly translatable.
They usually have multiple meanings, and only native speakers who are knowledgeable about the usage culture and context of the language can properly comprehend what they mean.
German is no different; it has a large vocabulary of slang phrases that may be challenging for novices to understand. Yet understanding German idioms is important because they help students sound more native and help them understand what locals are saying when they use them in conversation.
Idioms can help you better grasp German culture and history by providing valuable facts that will help you better comprehend how Germans live. Your newfound understanding of idioms can help you in work, travel or even in the oral assessment of your Junior and leaving cert German examinations.
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“Nur Bahnhof verstehen”
Arriving at a literal translation of an idiom in any foreign language can often present some difficulty. This is because they often only make sense in their mother tongue and have no direct translation.
Idioms can often sound funny as a result of this when we translate them into the English language.
“Nur Bahnhof verstehen directly translates to ‘To only understand train station’.
You should either explain it again or change the subject completely if someone says, "Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof," which means they don't understand what you're talking about. If it were used in English, the equivalent phrase would be "It's all Greek to me".
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“Fix und fertig sein”
This German idiom is used commonly to describe how one might feel at the end of a long day, It literally translates to “To be fixed and finished”
This idiom is frequently used to describe complete weariness. You may use a sentence like "I am absolutely knackered" or "I am all wiped out" if you were speaking English.
German sayings in English can lose their meaning. The literal translation can make it difficult to learn and make sense of. If you plan on using German sayings or idioms in conversation, make sure to know the meaning so that you can inform those who mightn’t understand.
Many German speakers will also make it their mission to quiz you on the literal translation too. So if you do opt to use an idiom like Fix und fertig sein, make sure to know the literal translation in English.
You could alternatively say, "I am fixed and all," where "all" indicates "empty," as an alternative.
While some German idioms resemble their English equivalents, others are completely distinct. Even experienced learners occasionally struggle to understand literal translations of sentences because they don't always make sense.
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Zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen
This is an idiom which is actually quite similar to one which is commonly used in the English language.
Zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen is similar to the English expression "to kill two birds with one stone," literally meaning "to hit two flies with one swat." Since the eighth century, people have used this phrase to refer to performing two jobs at once or doing two things simultaneously.
This statement is quite helpful and is applicable to a wide range of circumstances. Imagine that you want to be present for your friend when they are upset, but you have to go shopping.
Nevertheless, by taking your friend shopping with you, you can help them feel better and get what you need, thus slaying two birds with one stone.
If you are looking for some new German words that aren’t too long to add to your everyday vocabulary the look no further. If you spend time learning rather easy words that you can say in every conversation your German will improve in no time. ‘das’, ‘die’ and ‘der’ are common words that you can say, the literal English meaning of each of these words is ‘the’.
While this might seem like simple vocabulary, it is still important in your learning of the German language. Next time you are in a conversation with somebody learning the German language, throw in das, die, ich, den, don and der. You can even use idioms with these words to help you to learn the language even faster,
If they don’t understand your idioms then follow up with the literal English meaning. The more the words are used in your daily vocabulary the faster you will learn the words, idioms and the language.
Himmel und Hölle in Bewegung setzen
This expression, which literally means "to set heaven and hell in motion," is used to describe someone who is working incredibly hard to achieve a goal or find a solution. The English expressions "to move heaven and earth," "to go above and beyond," and "to pull out all the stops" are equivalent to this idiom.
In general, you can use this statement to suggest that you'll do anything to achieve your goals. For example, if the child is seriously unwell and you are doing everything you can to help them, you might say:
Ich werde Himmel und Hölle in Bewegung setzen, um meinen Kindern eine angemessene Gesundheitsversorgung zu bieten.
While this might sound like a mouthful even for the more advanced german students amongst us, the statement is actually quite comical. It roughly translates to ‘In order to provide my children with a suitable level of healthcare, I will move Heaven and Hell.
These words are extremely common and go a long way to building your German vocabulary. They are the most common words that you can say in any conversation. Even if the rest of your conversation is in English, if you say just ich, don, den, das, die and der through German it will help you to learn the new words and understand idioms a little easier.
German language teachers, try one from Superprof
Everywhere on the island of Ireland, students studying German have access to a plethora of both necessary and supplementary resources. Even with access to these tools, students could still struggle to comprehend and utilize them.
In this case, your German tutor will be beneficial. They will be able to provide you with advice on how to improve your language abilities so that you can progress slowly while learning the language.
In the Superprof community, there are millions of tutors from all over the world. Students can choose from a list of potential tutors who specialize in their preferred subject here. Thankfully, there are lots of teachers in Ireland who are willing to help.
A free trial tutoring session can typically be scheduled by students with their top choices. Following that, you will have the option to select an instructor based on their specific teaching style.
Students can work remotely from the comfort of their own homes, their tutor's home, or both while using a webcam. With so many options, students can focus on their own Irish language shortcomings and learn in a way that works best for them.
Let’s not forget that Ireland is just a short flight away from Germany. If you feel like you want to put some of your newfound knowledge to the test then you can book your flights and try conversing with some of the German locals. You are bound to impress with your knowledge of German idioms.
Using famous German expressions and idioms in conversation as an English speaker will impress even the strictest German language teachers. This means that you will pick up a lot of marks in your German exam if you manage to use a German idiom with its literal English meaning. Make sure to say an idiom in your next oral exam for some extra marks.
Try and challenge yourself by learning some more german idioms.
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