“The Chosen One”
***
Hello everyone,
welcome to the day number 23 of the Advent Calendar, and behind today’s door is the winner of the readers’ choice poll from a couple of days ago and that is… drumroll… another serving of
Hyper Turbo Colloquial Gems
And we’ll start right with the first one that actually looks quite familiar
etwas fühlen
fühlen is of course to feel and the colloquial use may well be modeled after the English colloquial use of to feel:
- “I don’t want to study.”
“I feel you, bro.”
Espcially younger Germans have started to say pretty much the same, but in German.
- “Ich will nicht lernen.”
“Ich fühl dich, bro.” - Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop
However, I keep hearing it more and more often in a slightly different phrasing, where people say that they “feel” something in the sense of they like it or approve it.
- “Pizza und Bier zum Abendessen?”
“Fühl ich!” - Pizza and beer for dinner?”
“Sounds great.”
- Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop
Not sure how “I feel it.” would sound in English here, but anyway, let’s do a couple more examples.
- Rausgehen fühl ich bei dem Regen überhaupt nicht.
- I don’t “like the idea” of going outside at all, in this weather.
- Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop
- “Ich wollte gerne noch über mein Gehalt reden.”
“Oh, das fühl ich grad so gar nicht, sorry.” - “I also wanted to talk about my salary.”
“Oh, I really don’t ‘feel’ it right now, sorry.” - Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop
Well, the second one is a not really something any manager would actually say. This use of fühlen is just too slangy and colloquial and it does sound fairly “young”. But if you can pull it of with some German friends at the right moment, they’ll be really surprised.
And while this one was one that’s kind of an import from English, the next one is 100% homemade.
bocken
If you’re now like “Wait, does that have something to do with der Bock?” then you’re right on the money :).
Der Bock is a male goat, but also REALLY common German colloquial alternative for Lust in the sense of “a desire or want to do something”.
- Ich hab Bock, einen Film zu gucken.
- I really feel like watching a movie.
- Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop
There’s also the phrase Bock machen, which is a colloquial option for Spaß machen and basically means that something is really enjoyable.
- Dieses Spiel macht voll Bock.
- This game is a lot of fun.
- Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop
And this idea has now been condensed into one single word – the verb bocken. And I feel like it’s on the rise :).
- Bei diesem Regen joggen bockt gar nicht.
- Going for a run in this rain sucks/ is no fun at all.
- Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop
- Deutsch zu lernen bockt mega.
- Learning German is REALLY fun.
- Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop
Actually, I think it pretty much always comes with either gar nicht or an intensifier like voll or mega. And I’m not sure in how far it’s actually used in the past tense, but in present tense, it’s gaining popularity at least in some regions of Germany.
It is HIGHLY colloquial but if you want to shock or impress your friends or the family of your German loved one at Christmas dinner, it’s a nice one to try out, even if just for shits and giggles.
Like last time, here’s a sentence for you to try in the comments.
Christmas in Germany is a lot of fun.
And that’s it for today.
Let me know in the comments if you’ve heard either one of these already and if you have any questions about them. Otherwise, have a great day and I’ll see you tomorrow for door number twenty four :)
further reading:
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Quite interesting! Here’s the translation:
In Deutschland macht Weihnachten voll Bock.
For some reason, I prefer “Bock machen” to “bocken.”
Yeah, it’s also more established and widespread. “bocken” really is “new” slang. Bock machen is mainstream.
Thanks! It sort of feels mainstream.
Emanuel, how can i more idiomatically say ” tolle Arbeit gemacht”? in English there’s something like” big up to you “, is there such a slany phrase in German?
I can’t really think of anything except “Respekt”. “tolle Arbeit” is okay too, but it doesn’t sound as “cool” as “big up to you”.
Bei dir Deutsch zu lernen bockt mega! Die Lust am Lernen ist unbeschreiblich, wenn man bei Emanuel lernt. Richtig ? :))
Absolut perfekt.
Der Weihnachten in Deutschland macht voll Bock. Ich habe “keinen Bock” schon gehört.
“keinen Bock” is SUPER common, I’m sure you’ve heard it somewhere :)
Weighing in an a bicoastal American 20 something, the way you use “feel” is pretty common in my circles. I often hear “I feel it” when discussing plans. Love when english and german colloquialism overlap, makes it easier to remember!
When it comes to making plans, I agree “I don’t feel like” is more common than “I feel like.” However, there’s another usage of “I feel like” that’s very common, namely to mean “I think” or “I get the sense that.” E.g., “I feel like she’s mad at me or something,” “I feel like you need a vacation, you’ve been so stressed,” “I feel like German isn’t as hard to learn as people say.”
Just to make sure… the use of “fühlen” I talked about here is NOT the best choice for “feel like”. It’s more “slang” than that. Maybe I should do an article on “I feel like” and how to say it :)
In English I often hear “I feel for ya” meaning “I know how you feel” = compassion. I also hear a lot “I don’t feel like jogging in this kind of weather” or “I don’t feel like working today” . One commenter was absolutely right saying that people use “don’t feel like” much more than “feel like “, I.e. in negative way than in positive.
Just to make sure, neither “feel for” nor “feel like” would be translated with this weird “fühlen” I talked about here.
I haven’t come across this use of “feel” in English, except in the often sarcastic use of “I feel your pain”.
For Ich fuhl dich, bro here, I’d say something like “I’m with you” or “I’m with you there”.
For Pizza und Bier zum Abendessen? – “Fühl ich!”, maybe “I’m up for it”, or “Sounds good by me”
For Rausgehen fühl ich bei dem Regen überhaupt nicht, perhaps “I really don’t fancy going out in this rain / in this sort of weather”
Do you feel it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epjrWjo9ZMY
I wish I were in Germany enjoying Christmas! Aber, lessen deinen Advent Calendar bockt mega! Und chatten mit deutsch-KI auf “Cognate” ist derselbe. Danke für die Hinweise!
*dasselbe :)
Both “I feel it” and “I’m feeling it” work for me. They maybe sound like they have different nuances – “feel it” could be more about liking something (a more permanent opinion), “feeling it” more about being inclined toward something in the moment maybe? At least that’s how I’d tend to use them.
Haven’t heard either of these in real life but then again I am a Certified Old Guy
If you start using them, your Old Guy certificate will be revoked!!
Frohe Weihnachten dir :)!
Gotta be “Weinachten in Deutschland macht voll Bock” I guess.
“…even if just for shits and giggles.”. That’s a new expression for me. American, perhaps? Or am I just showing my age? Can’t say I’ve heard it at my local pub.
Probably American, we’re vulgar like that
No, it’s not American, I have never heard it from anyone, ever
Americans definitely say it. I don’t know where it originated.
We use it in the UK. Can also be shortened to “for shits and giggs”. But it means “for fun” and it’s used to point out that there is no other reason for doing this thing other than for one’s own amusement. It’s not really an alternative in this case.
Definitely American – I have heard this expression quite a lot.
I think shits and giggles evolved from “kicks and giggles”. It may be used in the US, but I definitely hear in more in New Zealand (including from my Kiwi son in law) and Australia, so I assumed it was British. I think Americans are way more likely to just say “for kicks”.
The only version of English I’m really familiar with is AMerican English and others here mentioned that they know it. Maybe it’s regional there, but I’ve definitely heard it on Youtube :)
My young adult kids use “feel” regularly. They have “the feels” (my oldest used to say “das Gefüüühl“) when watching videos about homeless cats and dogs. Or they aren’t feeling the casserole I made for dinner. Or: “how was work?” “I wasn’t feeling it tonight.” I think it tends to be used in the negative; I don’t think I hear people say they ARE feeling something but mostly that they AREN’T feeling something.
I first encountered “Bock” on an Easy German video several years ago.
Weihnachten in Deutschland bockt total Spaß!
Hahahahaha, “das Gefüüüüühl”. I totally forgot about that one. That’s a funny one to me.
I think you’re right, this collqouial “fühlen” in German is also mainly used in the negative.
“bockt total Spaß” … NOPE :)
“bocken” = Spaß machen… the Spaß is already in “bocken”.
In the cases you listed aside from the sympathetic “I feel you, bro” one, I think you can use “is feeling” and get a very slangy result. And the feeling is as if someone is sampling how it would make them feel, and finding it agreeable or not
Pizza and beer for dinner? Hmmm… I’m feeling it
I’m not really feeling going out in this weather
Also I guess when you’re thinking of the thing you want to do next you can say “I’m feeling like pizza and beer for dinner” without having to say “eating” or “having”
Ok cool
Great German, but not happy with the English.
I’ve never heard say “I feel you, bro”. “I feel for you” is old-fashioned but still current – but always refers to feeling your sorrow.
Likewise, “I don’t like the idea of going outside” sounds foreign: this construction is used to express much more complicated feelings, like “I don’t like the idea of our company being involved with anything backed by Donald Trump “.
For simple rain, we would say “I don’t feel like going outside”, or “I really don’t dig this weather at all”.
And, relating to discussing my salary informally, we’d say “Sorry, I really don’t feel like it right now.”
BUT – I’m not young, so perhaps out-of-date! Thanks for the great Advent calendar.
“I don’t like the idea of going outside” doesn’t sound remotely foreign to me. “I feel you bro” is pretty standard colloquial english in certain regions. I think it maybe more of a US thing, not sure…
Yeah, I can definitely vouch for “I feel you.” Maybe Millennial and younger slang? It’s got at least a slightly different sense than “I feel for you.”
Nothing wrong with “I don’t like the idea of going outside,” although it maybe does sound a bit serious for “it’s raining.”
yes. I distinctly remeber being in a bar about 5 years ago with someone mid 30s whose first language was german and they used “I feel you” and remember thinking it was interestingthat this phrasing had been picked up and was readily being used by non-native speakers (even tho i don’t use it personally)…
In English I would only use it in present continuous form i.e. “I should go for a jog but I’m really not feeling it right now.”
Queer alternatives include:
“I tried jogging in this weather but the wet dog look was not giving”
“Going for a jog in this weather is not the one”
“Category is: drowned rat”
Oh “was not giving”… I like that. I’ll try to copy that into German 1:1 .
– Der Regen gibt nicht!!
I don’t know… I feel it, but let’s see if it catches on.
Haha! Tbh I think it’s just one of those phrases that people just slip in English in the middle of their German sentences. But I like the translation effort. Although maybe in this case ‘schenken’ encapsulates more of the sentiment
Nah, “schenken” fühl ich nicht.
Maybe “gönnen”.
But neither of these actually exists in German yet. I’ll just start using them and see :)
Ooo that could be a good one… I don’t think I’ve ever used gönnen so far. And I think I’ve only heard it used in “gönn dir” which sounds kind of pass agg to me ^^
Would verwöhnen also work?
“gönn dir” is zero passive aggressive.
– Der Regen verwöhnt nicht.
I like it. That could also be a nice slang option, but it’s not a thing just yet.
Weihnachten in Deutschland bockt mega süß
Ah, nice try, but “süß” doesn’t work after “bocken”. Actually no specific adjective does. Only intensifiers like mega, voll or krass.
Weihnachten in Deutschland macht voll Bock!
Weihnachten in Deutschland bockt voll mega krass, Digga!
Bisschen drüber, aber geht :D
ok, so can’t let drüber pass without comment… I’m assume it means too much ? but is it short for something? übertrieben sprang to mind..
I think it’s a contraction of “darüber”, which is basically “über das”. You can add “da” to the beginning of any proposition to mean “it” or “that” to refer to something established, but if the proposition begins with a vowel you need an r in between, e.g.:
I see a table and put the book on it -> Ich sehe einen Tisch und lege das Buch darauf.
The door is closed but the bear is behind it -> Die Tür ist zu aber der Bär steht dahinter.
But hopefully Emanuel will correct me if I’m wrong!
I feel like never know how to know when these r and da versions are contractions of each other or entire separate words
I would think of the “contraction” as the default for spoken German.
It’s a good example where it technically is a contraction, but not really, because it wouldn’t work if you used “darüber”.
The expression is “drüber sein” (be over the top) and using “darüber” there would make people wonder “over what??”. Like… the expression is just dead then.
That’s why I talk so much about dr-versions (drüber) and r-versions (rüber) being a thing and not just “shortened” “darüber”. Because “unshortening” often won’t work.
The grammar part of your explanation was spot on, by the way :)!
Thanks! Glad I was at least part of the way there haha!
You got the idea right.
I think the best way to think of it is as “over the top”.
There’s a top, and then something else is “drüber”.
Generally, an dr-version like that can NEVER be a shortened prefix verb that’s not an r-version. Yes, “drüber” and “übertreiben” are about the same idea of course, but “drüber” cannot be a short form of “über” ever.
cool, very interesting. Danke dir!
Hallo,
Typos korrigieren bockt voll :)
“the colloquia use” (the colloquial use)
“have started say” (have started to say)
“I don’t “like the idea” going outside” (I don’t “like the idea” of going outside)
“the second one is a not really something” (the second one is not really something)
The sentence:
Wihnachten in Deutscland bockt mega / macht voll Bock.
True, actually, Xmas in Germany (and the other DACH countries, as well as some parts of France) is lots of fun, much prettier than in the UK where we somehow managed to do away with Xmas Eve, which, at least in my opinion, is a shame…
Bis morgen!
Weihnachten in Deutschland….?