German can be daunting to English speakers, with its mile-long mouthfuls like Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaft (鈥渁 legal protection insurance company鈥�). But it鈥檚 easy to forget that English is a Germanic language. Historically, the two languages are closely related in core vocabulary (compare English arm and German der Arm), sound system, and structure (if we look at Old English grammar). What鈥檚 more, many familiar English words, from angst to kindergarten to schadenfreude, are borrowed directly from German.
German is also famous for what are sometimes called untranslatables: single words whose definitions are wonderfully specific or complex enough that, when translated into another language, they require numerous words to express the same idea.
But many of these intimidating German terms actually pack in some truly amazing concepts鈥攁ll in a single word. So, we think it would be wunderbar (鈥渨onderful鈥�) if English embraced these German gems.
Waldeinsamkeit
Waldeinsamkeit [ vahlyd-ahyn-zahm-kahyt ] combines Wald (鈥渨ood鈥�) and Einsamkeit (鈥渓oneliness鈥�). Together, Waldeinsamkeit literally translates to 鈥渟olitude in the forest,鈥� but that literal translation loses much of the word鈥檚 poetry.
The origins of Waldeinsamkeit clue us into its lyrical meaning. The word is closely associated with Romanticism, a literary movement that idealized emotion, nature, individualism, and the imagination. Waldeinsamkeit made its way into American transcendentalism, which also praised the spirituality of the individual and nature. In 1858, for instance, Ralph Waldo Emerson published a poem called 鈥淲aldeinsamkeit鈥� in The Atlantic Monthly about how much he loved being in the forest, removed from the crises and considerations of society.
blaumachen
If you鈥檙e suffering from a case of the Mondays, you might be tempted to blaumachen [ blou-makh-in ]. Blaumachen means 鈥渢o skip work鈥� or 鈥渢o play hooky鈥� for no good reason. Blau translates to 鈥渂lue鈥� and machen means 鈥渢o make,鈥� so taken together, blaumachen is 鈥渢o make blue.鈥� What does shirking your responsibilities have to do with making something blue?
Well, the idea of blaumachen comes from 鈥渕aking a Blue Monday.鈥� Traditionally in German culture, a Blue Monday (blauer Montag) was a day people chose not to work, either due to observing a celebration (or after celebrating too much). The blue is thought to originate as a reference to clothing worn on Sundays and holidays. The blue is sometimes connected to the use of the color around the period of Lent in the Lutheran church.
尝耻蹿迟蝉肠丑濒枚蝉蝉别谤 bauen
We all have hopes and dreams, but if your dreams are extravagant, you might be accused of 尝耻蹿迟蝉肠丑濒枚蝉蝉别谤 bauen [ looft-shles-uh bou-in ], or 鈥渂uilding castles in the air.鈥� The German verb bauen means to 鈥渂uild.鈥� Das Luftschloss (die 尝耻蹿迟蝉肠丑濒枚蝉蝉别谤 in the plural) is a 鈥渄aydream鈥� or 鈥減ipe dream,鈥� but it literally means 鈥渁ir castle鈥� (Luft means 鈥渟ky,鈥� and Schloss means 鈥渃astle鈥�).
The idea of 尝耻蹿迟蝉肠丑濒枚蝉蝉别谤 bauen runs parallel to the old French expression faire des ch芒teaux en Espagne, 鈥渢o make castles in Spain鈥� (i.e., a difficult task in a country you don鈥檛 rule), first recorded in the 13th century. Whatever the construction and whatever the language, the expression building castles in the air is dismissive of fanciful plans that will never pan out.
Emerson鈥檚 transcendentalist contemporary Henry David Thoreau came to the defense of air-castle-builders in his 1854 Walden: 鈥淚f you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.鈥�
Schnapsidee
Schnapsidee [ shnahp-see-dee ] is a German word that refers to an idea that seems genius at one moment but is actually really stupid when considered carefully. It could perfectly describe many social media posts鈥�
Schnapsidee combines the German words Schnaps (鈥渁lcoholic beverage鈥�) and Idee (鈥渋dea鈥�). So a Schnapsidee is literally an 鈥渁lcohol idea鈥� or an idea you have when you鈥檝e been consuming one too many bottles of booze. If you have ever heard (or used) the phrase 鈥渉old my beer,鈥� you probably know where this is going. Remember to drink responsibly at Oktoberfest!
Drachenfutter
Tread carefully around this one. The German Drachenfutter [ drahk–uhn-foot-uh ] refers to a gift given to apologize to someone鈥攑robably as a result of something done because of a Schnapsidee.听
Drachenfutter is a combination of Drachen (鈥渄ragons鈥�) and Futter (鈥渇ood鈥� or 鈥渇eed鈥�) and literally means 鈥渄ragon鈥檚 food.鈥� The idea, of course, is that your gift is placating the draconic wrath of the person who is upset with you. While Drachenfutter is a fun word, it is probably not a terribly good idea to refer to a wronged spouse or partner as 鈥渢he dragon鈥� when giving them an apology gift.听
Backpfeifengesicht
Have you ever seen someone whose face just鈥� annoys you? Well, the Germans have a word for that in another one of their wonderful compounds.
You could characterize such a mug as das Backpfeifengesicht [ bak-fahy-fuhn-guh-zeekht ]. That translates to a 鈥渟lap face鈥� or 鈥減unchable face.鈥� Backe means 鈥渃heek,鈥� and Pfeife means 鈥渨histle,鈥� but taken together, a Backpfeife is 鈥渁 smack in the face.鈥� So, Backpfeifengesicht is 鈥渁 face that looks like it should be smacked.鈥� Backpfeifengesicht is not really a comment on the person鈥檚 attractiveness but rather more so on that smug, irritating look people can have. Now, we don鈥檛 recommend you actually slap anyone in the face, but we do recommend using this forceful German word starting now.
Verschlimmbesserung
Have you ever tried to make something a little bit better but ended up messing the whole thing up? This word is for you. Verschlimmbesserung [ fair-shlim-bes-uh-rhoong ] is another long, untranslatable German word that delightfully encapsulates a specific and complex idea in a single word.
It鈥檚 composed of the verb verschlimmern (鈥渢o worsen, aggravate鈥�), the verb verbessern (鈥渢o improve鈥�), and the noun-forming suffix -ung, roughly translating to 鈥渨orse-improve-ing.鈥� An English equivalent would be the obscure (but perfectly serviceable) word disimprovement. Botch and bungle are also close in sense.
quatschen
Don鈥檛 talk nonsense鈥攐r, as they may say in German, nicht quatschen. Quatschen [ kvach-in ] is a German word that translates as 鈥渢o talk nonsense, babble, gossip, chatter鈥� and is said to be a favorite of German schoolteachers trying to get their students to zip it.
The etymology of quatschen is unclear. It鈥檚 possible that it comes from the sound of stepping into mud or something else squishy. It鈥檚 also suggested that the word comes from the Low German word quat, which means 鈥渂ad, evil.鈥�
The related Quatsch! can be issued as an interjection to express disbelief or dismissal akin to the English baloney or nonsense.
Kummerspeck
Speaking of baloney, when we鈥檙e stressed with work or after a bad breakup, sometimes nothing feels better than seeing what鈥檚 in the fridge. But too much of that can lead to some unintended weight gain. The Germans鈥攁gain鈥攈ave a word for this: Kummerspeck [ koom–uh-shpek ]. It refers to the weight gained as a result of emotional eating.
Like many of the German words we鈥檝e looked at so far, Kummerspeck is a compound. Kummer is a German word for 鈥済rief, anguish, woe.鈥� Speck can refer to 鈥渂acon, blubber, fat.鈥� That means Kummerspeck is literally 鈥済rief bacon.鈥�
We don鈥檛 know whether that sounds delicious or disgusting.
Weltschmerz
Maybe your Kummerspeck has resulted from Weltschmerz [ velt-shmerts ], or 鈥渢he sorrow that one feels and accepts as one鈥檚 necessary portion in life; sentimental pessimism.鈥� Weltschmerz literally means 鈥渨orld-pain鈥� in German, and it鈥檚 attributed to the German Romantic author Jean Paul (Johann Paul Friedrich Richter) in his novel Selina (1827). He used it to describe the English Romantic poet Lord Byron鈥檚 discontent. The notion of the term emerged from the 19th-century Romantics鈥� struggle with how the reality of life ultimately limited their personal freedom. Big mood. Weltschmerz was borrowed into English by the 1870s. When you鈥檙e feeling particularly pessimistic about the state of the world or society, at least you can be sophisticated about it when you use Weltschmerz.
Besserwisser
No one likes a know-it-all鈥攐r, as they say in German, a Besserwisser [ bes-suh-vih-suh ]. Besserwisser is the same concept, though, as besser means 鈥渂etter鈥� and wisser is in effect a 鈥渒nower.鈥� So, a Besserwisser is a 鈥渂etter-knower,鈥� whether referring to that person who corrects you on some grammar nicety or insists on telling you the right way to mince garlic. And online, you may know a Besserwisser by that telltale phrase: 鈥淲ell, actually鈥︹��
We can also call that mansplaining. Or 丑别谤谤办濒盲谤别苍, the German term being modeled after the English original. Hey, English has a few tricks up its sleeve, too.
Hamsterkauf
Hamsterkauf [ hahm-stuh-kouf ] is a German word that refers to stocking up on supplies to be prepared for an emergency and is popularly translated as 鈥減anic-buying.鈥�
Hamsterkauf is a compound of the verb hamstern, 鈥渢o hoard, forage,鈥� and the noun Kauf, 鈥減urchase.鈥�
If you look closely at the German verb hamstern, you might wonder: is this verb related to hamster, the cute rodent with big cheeks? Yes! Hamsters uses those large cheek pouches to help them forage and hoard food. Think about the English expression involving a different rodent: to squirrel away.
The English hamster is indeed borrowed from the German name for the animal, Hamster.听
Bonus: emergencies sometimes means that the public is ordered not to attend sports matches. The Germans have a word for this, too: Geisterspiel, literally 鈥済host game.鈥� That seems like a fitting word for the eerie feeling that comes with seeing an empty stadium where the game is still going on.
Treppenwitz
Treppenwitz [ trep-in-vits ] is a word that really hits close to home. It combines the German Treppen (鈥渟tairs鈥�) and Witz (鈥渏oke鈥�) and literally translates to 鈥渟taircase joke.鈥� So, what does it mean?聽
A Treppenwitz is a joke or witty retort that you thought up long after you needed it; you were in desperate need of a sly comeback, but you didn鈥檛 think of one until you were walking down the stairs after you left. If you know that feeling, you are a human being. In fact, this feeling is so common that there is a French expression for it, too. The French esprit de l’escalier translates to 鈥渨it of the staircase鈥� and also refers to thinking up a perfect witty reply long after you need it.听
Kopfkino
Lights, camera, action! Kopfkino [ kawpf-kee-noh ] literally means 鈥渉ead cinema鈥� and comes from the German words Kopf (鈥渉ead鈥�) and Kino (鈥渃inema鈥� or 鈥渕ovie theater鈥�).听
Kopfkino refers to those times when your imagination does its own thing and you start playing a movie in your head. For example, you might watch an athlete make a big play and imagine yourself as the star of your own inspiring sports movie where you dribble past the goalie to slam dunk a touchdown. Listen, we don鈥檛 watch much sports, okay?
While Kopfkino can be a pleasant experience, it also includes the horror and drama mental films our brains often force on us. Like when you hear about a fire and imagine your own house burning down. Or when you are trying to sleep and your brain begins the motion picture presentation of That Time I Forgot My Date鈥檚 Name. Why, Kopfkino? Why?!
蹿谤别尘诲蝉肠丑盲尘别苍
Oof! Don鈥檛 be embarrassed if you鈥檝e never heard of 蹿谤别尘诲蝉肠丑盲尘别苍 [ fremt-shey-muhn ]. It is a combination of the adjective fremd, meaning 鈥渇oreign鈥� or 鈥渟omeone else鈥檚,鈥� and 蝉肠丑盲尘别苍, meaning 鈥渢o be ashamed.鈥�
Fremd蝉肠丑盲尘别苍 refers to vicarious or second-hand embarrassment. If someone does something so cringe or embarrassing that you feel embarrassment on their behalf, that is 蹿谤别尘诲蝉肠丑盲尘别苍. If you want to experience 蹿谤别尘诲蝉肠丑盲尘别苍 yourself, there are plenty of cringe compilations out there on social media that will hook you up. Fremd蝉肠丑盲尘别苍 is sometimes described as the opposite feeling of schadenfreude, another German idea. Whereas schadenfreude involves relishing in the misery of others, 蹿谤别尘诲蝉肠丑盲尘别苍 has you empathize with another person so much that you unconsciously share in the shame that you know they feel.
