"Spoken German"

These posts focus on the things that people use in their every day language. Colloquial expressions, slang, weird grammar, idioms… if you’re interested in this stuff, then this category is perfect for you.

In this episode:

A quick look at the meaning of "abgehen" and what stickers have to do with wild parties.

Vocabulary:

no vocab snippet (yet)

In this episode:

"Alles gut." is a really common expression in colloquial German. Today, we'll explore all the contexts in which we can use it - with plenty of examples.

Vocabulary:

no vocab snippet (yet)

In this episode:

A fun, detailed look at the super useful meanings of "ankommen" and what arriving has to do with depending and Germans say "It depends".

Vocabulary:

ankommen, ankommen auf, die Ankunft

In this episode:

We'll talk about all the verbs that take "auf" as a preposition and we'll see if there's some logic somewhere. Also: a few really common phrases with "drauf"

Vocabulary:

warten auf, freuen auf, achten auf, drauf, drauf sein, drauf kommen, ...

In this episode:

A fun look at the various meanings of "ausmachen" and what turning something off has to do with agreements, findings and bothering. Also: rausmachen.

Vocabulary:

no vocab snippet (yet)

In this episode:

Bock is a male goat. And it's a really useful, super common word in colloquial German. Today, we'll find out why and what "Hast du Bock" and "kein Bock" mean :)

Vocabulary:

der Bock, Bock machen, Bock haben, verbocken, Bockbier, Bock auf Bier

In this episode:

Dabei is not only a common da-word, it's part of some really cool and useful phrasings like "dabei haben" or "dabei sein". Today, we'll find out all about it.

Vocabulary:

dabei, dabei haben, dabei sein, wobei

In this episode:

The da-compounds sure take a while to master. But it doesn't stop there. Because in spoken German, da-words often get split up. Today, we'll learn all about it.

Vocabulary:

no vocab snippet (yet)

In this episode:

A fun look at the meaning and the soul of "eigenlich" - one of the most misused words ever. Because it is actually NOT "actually"

Vocabulary:

no vocab snippet (yet)

In this episode:

A fun look at the meaning of "erledigen", how to say "Never mind!" and what all that has to do with body parts, memberships and a certain Goethe.

Vocabulary:

erledigen, das Glied, das Mitglied, gliedern, die Gliederung, ledig, lediglich

In this episode:

"fühlen" means "to feel". But there's also "sich fühlen" and "sich anfühlen" and all three have distinct meanings. Today, we'll learn how to use them properly.

Vocabulary:

fühlen, sich fühlen, das Gefühl, spüren, sich anfühlen

In this episode:

A fun look at the meanings of "ganz", its super common use as intensifier, a really random twist. And my toilet paper situation #notgood

Vocabulary:

no vocab snippet (yet)

In this episode:

A fun look at the meaning of "gönnen", its really useful brother "günstig" and a bit of recent German slang :)

Vocabulary:

gönnen, die Gunst, die Missgunst, günstig, ungünstig

In this episode:

A Hammer is a tool. And in German it's an adjective that'll help you ... ahem... nail the slang :). Today, we’ll find out what hammer means and how to use it.

Vocabulary:

hammer-, Schere, Zange, hammergut, hammerteuer

In this episode:

"hauen" is overlooked by textbooks and course, but if you want to speak colloquial German. Today, we'll learn all about it and its cool prefix versions.

Vocabulary:

hauen, reinhauen, abhauen, umhauen

In this episode:

A po-etic look at the German word "kacken" and how to harness the full colloquial potential of it and its brothers. With audio examples and visuals.

Vocabulary:

kacken, die Kacke, verkacken, ankacken, abkacken

In this episode:

Kater is the German word for a male cat. But it also means hangover. In this article we’ll find out why and how to use it. Also: sore muscles :)

Vocabulary:

der Kater, der Muskelkater, die Katze, verkatert

In this episode:

"klappen" is a really, really common word in colloquial German. And so is the noun "die Klappe". Today, we'll learn what they mean and how to use them.

Vocabulary:

klappen, die Klappe, zuklappen, aufklappen, Klappstuhl, klatschen

In this episode:

A quick look at the meaning of "komisch" in German and why something that sounds "komisch" most likely isn't actually funny.

Vocabulary:

no vocab snippet (yet)

In this episode:

A fun look at the word "mäßig". It has a meaning on its own, but in colloquial German, it's a really common puzzle piece.

Vocabulary:

mäßig, messen, das Maß, in Maßen, sommermäßig

In this episode:

A fun look at the meaning of "melden" and why it is so common in colloquial daily life. Also: a long awaited foe appears.

Vocabulary:

melden, die Meldung, anmelden, abmelden, Meldebescheinigung

In this episode:

A fun look at the meaning of "paar" and it's brother with a captital P and how to use them as translations for "pair" and "couple". Oh and "few".

Vocabulary:

paar, das Paar, das Pärchen, Pärchenabend

In this episode:

We'll take a thorough look at the meaning of "passen", how to use it and its various cool prefix versions and pass by "passieren". A vocabulary turbo boost :)

Vocabulary:

passen, reinpassen, raufpassen, anpassen, die Anpassung, aufpassen, passieren

In this episode:

A fun look at the origin and meaning of "ruhig" and why the sentence "Sei ruhig laut." actually makes sense. Also: die Ruhe and German for "Leave me alone!"

Vocabulary:

ruhig, die Ruhe, still, leise

In this episode:

A fun look at the meaning of "sauer" and what a lemon has to do with anger.

Vocabulary:

no vocab snippet (yet)

In this episode:

A fun look at the meaning of “der Spaß”, the various idiomatic phrasings like “Spaß machen” or “viel Spaß” and we’ll learn how to say “It was fun.” in German (#notLikeEnglish)

Vocabulary:

der Spaß, Spaß machen, Spaß haben, aus Spaß, Spaß verstehen, bespaßen

In this episode:

"stehen auf" is a pretty common colloquial phrasing in German. Today, we'll learn what it means and how to use it properly to express liking.

Vocabulary:

no vocab snippet (yet)

In this episode:

A quick look at the common colloquial German verb "verpeilen" and what it has to do with targeting and water levels.

Vocabulary:

verpeilen, der Verpeiler, anpeilen, der Pegel

In this episode:

"Der Vogel" means "bird". And German has quite a few idioms and with it. Today, we'll learn the best ones, including one about... sex.

Vocabulary:

der Vogel, einen Vogel haben, einen Vogel zeigen, der Dreckspatz, der Lockvogel, die Schnapsdrossel, der Pechvogel

In this episode:

A quick look at the meaning of "voll" and why "voll leer" actually makes sense in colloquial German.

Vocabulary:

voll, machtvoll, liebevoll, sinnvoll, komplett

In this episode:

A quick fun look at the meaning of the combination "von... aus" and the very useful phrase "von mir aus".

Vocabulary:

von mir aus, von da aus, von sich aus

In this episode:

The combination "von.... her" is super common in everyday German. Today, we'll find out what it means and how to use it. Of course that includes "von daher".

Vocabulary:

von X her, von daher, was X angeht

In this episode:

A quick look at the meaning of "der Wahnsinn" and how to use it and its relatives in conversation. Special mention: erwähnen :)

Vocabulary:

der Wahnsinn, der Wahn, wahnsinnig, der Verfolgungswahn, wähnen, erwähnen

In this episode:

"was... für" is a colloquial German version for "what kind" and it's incredibly common. Time to learn how to use it.

Vocabulary:

no vocab snippet (yet)

In this episode:

A fun look at the meaning(s) of "wohl", it's various uses in every day German and why they are so freaking random. Seriously, what a mess this word is...

Vocabulary:

wohl, wohlhabend, obwohl, wohl wahr, sehr wohl, wohl kaum, wer wohl, zum Wohl