Spoken German

Colloquial German – “laufen”

"laufen" means "to walk, to run", but it's also super common for "things going". There is a clear difference between "Wie läuft's" and "Wie geht's" though.

Vocab: laufen

Sounding Authentic in German – Swear Words

We'll look the meanings of "verarschen", "verkacken" and "verpissen" and see if and when Germans use them (and you can too)

Vocab: verarschen, verkacken, verpissen

er, sie, es and der, die das – What’s the Difference

"der ist" or "er ist". "das ist" or "es ist" - learners often wonder about the difference and the German way of doing it is a little different than English.

Authentic German – 3 Words to use more often

In this article, I'll tell you three words and phrasings you might know but that you're definitely not using enough, and that are hugely common in spoken German.

How to say “to mean” in German

"to mean" can translate to "meinen" and "bedeuten" and they're not the same. And "Meinung" and "Bedeutung" are even false friends. Today, we'll learn what's what.

Vocab: meinen, bedeuten, die Meinung, die Bedeutung

German Expressions and Idioms – Food Special

In this quiz, we'll learn 7 nice and useful German idioms that involve food. We'll learn what they mean and also, WHY they mean what they mean. Enjoy!

German Expressions Quiz – Episode 2

Hello everyone, and welcome to your German Word of the Day. And by “word” I mean “test” because it’s surprise exam time! Phones away, pens out. This one counts for the final grade. N-Deklination, Passiversatzformen and Pronomenreziprozitätsreduktion are on the menu. “Booooohhhh.” Nah, I’m kidding of course. It’s not really a test, it’s a fun quiz. “Uh… mehhhhhhh.” Or as I like to call it… a Quiz-planation™. Because I’m not just going to ask you a bunch of questions, I’ll actually give you some explanation and trivia for each answer. “Oh… hmmm, interesting.” And today, we’ll do an especially fun topic because today, we’ll learn a few Useful German Expressions “Hooray!!” We did one quiz like this already in January during our quiz special, and it’s more than time for a new round. So let’s dive right in.

7 German Expressions (That people actually use) – The Quiz

Hello everyone, and welcome to the first real new post in 2024, the certified best year to learn German.     I think many of you just got back from vacation in the last few days, so you might not have read last week’s article yet, but in it, I asked you all if you’d like to do a kind of January exercise special to really start the year off active. And there was communism level of agreement, with 89% of you saying “Yes”. So throughout January, we’ll do a bunch of exercises of various kinds. And today, we’ll start with a nice quiz about German Expressions    I’ll give you some German expressions along with an example and you have to try and figure out the meaning. Along with the solution, I’ll give you some information about each expression, like where it comes from or how to translate it. And I’ve only picked expressions that people actually use in daily life…. well, except one, which I just find funny. But yeah, almost all of them are absolutely worth adding to your active vocabulary because they’ll make you sound really authentic. Now, originally I thought about doing 12 or 14 … <a href="https://yourdailygerman.com/korb-kriegen-meaning/">Dive in <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

The meaning of “aufraffen”

"aufraffen" is one of the words that you only notice once you know them. It's quite common in daily life and very useful for getting your butt of the couch :)

Vocab: raffen, aufraffen, raffgierig, die Raffsucht, der Raffzahn, verraffen

The Meaning of “Korb kriegen”

"einen Korb kriegen" is about asking out your crush and... being REJECTED. It's a really common expression, and today, we'll find out where it comes from.

Vocab: der Korb, einen Korb kriegen

‘gehen’ without ‘zu’ – Why some Verbs don’t need it

Today, we'll look at one of the big exceptions to the rules for "zu" and "um zu" and see why it actually makes sense that "zu" is missing in "einkaufen gehen".

The meaning of “zocken”

"zocken" is a colloquial German word for playing computer games. But its relatives are also useful when you buy overpriced stuff.

The Meaning of “von … aus”

'von... aus' is a very useful phrase in daily life and it can be used for location, express volition and it's a really common way to say "Fine with me."

Vocab: von mir aus, von da aus, von sich aus

The Meaning of “erledigen”

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.

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

The Meaning (and Use) of “der Wahnsinn”

A quick look at the meaning of "der Wahnsinn" and how to use it and its relatives in conversation. And we'll also mention the verb "erwähnen" because why not.

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

Word of the Day – “verpeilen”

A quick look at the meaning of "verpeilen" and its relatives "peilen" and "anpeilen" and "Pegel", which range from targeting to water levels.

Vocab: verpeilen, der Verpeiler, anpeilen, der Pegel

Word of the Day – “gönnen”

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

Vocab: gönnen, die Gunst, die Missgunst, günstig, ungünstig

The Meaning of “Klugscheißer”

"know it all" and "smart ass" - we all know one. And in German, they're called "Klugscheißer". And you'll definitely need this word.

Vocab: Klugscheißer, Besserwisser, besserwisserisch

The meanings of “kacken” and “verkacken”

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

Vocab: kacken, die Kacke, verkacken, ankacken, abkacken

Separating da-compounds – A Grammar Quirk

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.

The Meaning and Use of “auf etwas stehen”

"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.

Vocab: auf etwas stehen, auf jemanden stehen, aufstehen

Colloquial German Gem – “Alles gut”

"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.

Word of the Day – “hauen”

"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.

Vocab: hauen, reinhauen, abhauen, umhauen

Word of the Day – “der Hammer”

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.

Vocab: hammer-, Schere, Zange, hammergut, hammerteuer

Word of the Day – “passen”

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 :)

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

Fun in German – “der Spaß”

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)

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

The meanings of “klappen”

"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.

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

The Meaning of “mäßig”

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.

Vocab: mäßig, messen, das Maß, in Maßen, sommermäßig

The meaning(s) of “kriegen”

A fun look at the meaning of "kriegen". We'll learn what it means by itself and look at all the useful prefix versions. A must have for your vocabulary :)

Vocab: kriegen, abkriegen, hinkriegen, mitkriegen, aufkriegen, rauskriegen, der Krieg, ...

The meaning of “von … her…”

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".

Vocab: von X her, von daher, was X angeht

The meanings of German “eh”, “ehe” and “eher”

"eh" mean "anyway", "ehe" means "before" and "eher" can mean "rather" and "earlier". And "die Ehe" is "marriage". Today, we'll explore why and how to use them.

Vocab: eh, ehe, eher, die Ehe, ehemalig

The meaning of “übrigens”

We'll learn how to use "übrigens" and why it's the German translation for "by the way".

Vocab: übrig, im Übrigen, übrigens

The meaning and use of “was für”

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

Word of the Day – “der Bock”

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 :)

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

The 2 meanings of ” ganz”

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

Word of the Day – “paar”

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".

Vocab: paar, das Paar, das Pärchen, Pärchenabend

The meaning and use of German “halt”

"halt" comes from "halten", but in daily life, Germans use it as a coloring particle to express "a verbal shrug". Or a shield against criticism.

The meanings of “denn”

'denn' can mean 'because', but it's also a really common addition to questions in daily life. Today, we'll find out what exactly it expresses there.

Word of the Day – “ruhig”

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!"

Vocab: ruhig, die Ruhe, still, leise

The meaning and use of “voll”

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

Vocab: voll, machtvoll, liebevoll, sinnvoll, komplett

Word of the Day – “lauter”

A fun look at the word "lauter", why it is much more than just "louder" and what cool things we can do with it.

Vocab: lauten, laut, der Laut, lauter, unlauter, der Klang, läuten

Word of the Day – ” der Vogel”

"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.

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

Word of the Day – “sauer”

A fun look at the meaning of "sauer" and why it means "sour" and "angry".

Vocab: sauer, ärgelich, salizg, süß, bitter

The meaning of “nerven”

A quick look at the German verb "nerven" and how to use it in daily life.

Vocab: nerven, nervig, genervt

Word of the Day – “komisch”

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

Word of the Day – “satt”

A quick look at "satt" and how to say that you're full and that you're fed up in German.

The meaning of “der Ohrwurm”

"Ohrwurm" is a really cool German word for that song that just won't leave your head. Today, we'll learn all about it.

The meaning of “Kater”

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 :)

Vocab: der Kater, der Muskelkater, die Katze, verkatert