Reise Know-How Sprachführer German Slang - the real German: Kauderwelsch-Band 188

Preface

Germans have no humour, are always overly formal and uncomfortably blunt. These comments are just as stereotypical as the statement that Germans continuously eat sauerkraut, earning them the post-war nickname 'Krauts'.

Of course there's a grain of truth in these observations. Germans do eat sauerkraut in certain regions and seasons. And yes, they don't have the dry British sense of humour, nor do they generally go for the American slapstick approach, but they certainly do have heaps of humour. It's just exclusively expressed in the German language, and if you're not a great connoisseur of their language, you'll undoubtedly miss out on subtleties like humour.

The majority of Germans have rather poor English skills compared to their neighbours, especially Holland and Scandinavia. Even though they (almost) all learnt it at school, their great love for precision which results in their famous high-quality cars and zillions of other pieces of craftsmanship 'made in Germany', does inhibit them when asked to use foreign language and communication skills. In the workplace and in social life, they tend to come up with many excuses, why their English is no good and they prefer to speak German.

The Queen's English surely feels as uptight and serious as its standardised German counterpart Hochdeutsch. Whereas the use of local languages and dialects is nowadays no longer suppressed on British TV or radio, Hochdeutsch mostly remains a must in the German media. Regional dialects don't have a big place in media presence.

Apart from dialects you also have rules about class and the politically correct way of speaking. However, people in the street do not always express themselves in such a polished way, and even less so when at home, down at the pub or among friends. It's therefore hardly surprising that one can't grasp the jokes being cracked without some serious study of straightforward familiar and outright rude German language. The key to being able to read between the lines is to familiarise yourself with the colloquial expressions and idioms in German.

This little language guide introduces many naughty and funny expressions Germans use in their day-to-day lives when having a casual chat amongst colleagues at work, communicating with family and friends, roaming pubs, bars and clubs, flirting and engaging in sexual relations and when angry or annoyed. The guide can also be of help when you watch a German crime series on TV which is full of rude language. Have fun getting to know the Germans better this way!

Yours, Elfi H. M. Gilissen

Accompanying Audio Material

You can purchase the accompanying Kauderwelsch Audio to this book from on our internet shop as a downloadable file in MP3 format through the URL https://www.reise-know-how.de/produkte/kauderwelsch-aussprachetrainer-und-audio/audio-german-slang-mp3-4672

Alternatively, it is also available on audio CD through the URL https://www.reise-know-how.de/produkte/kauderwelsch-aussprachetrainer-und-audio/audio-german-slang-audio-cd-1859

How To Use This Book

The book is mainly meant to promote a better understanding of German colloquialisms and idioms. Even though this eventually can also be helpful to express yourself in German in a less formal manner, I advise you to be very cautious when making use of the rude vocabulary introduced in this book. In regard to the swearwords, bear in mind that until you fully know which expression is appropriate in what type of situation, you are better off not using them yourself - unless you are really looking for a fight. Insults are rarely taken as a mere joke! Even though the English equivalents give you a good idea about the degree of rudeness, we have annotated the rudest ones with a small number one (¹).

In italics and square brackets [literal!] you'll find literal translations of German expressions and idioms, which can be useful to comprehend their original meaning and have some fun analyzing the play on words.

In the following chapters you'll find some simple guidelines to the standard pronunciation of German and a brief guide to the distribution of local dialects in Germany.

In the annex at the end of the book, I have listed sources and further recommended reading, if you'd like to dive further into the world of German idioms and / or dialects.

Say It In German

"Deutsche Sprache, schwere Sprache", meaning 'German language, difficult language' is what Germans use to say, when someone is struggling with their native tongue. This may be true about the grammar, but when it comes to pronunciation it's far more predictable than English. Just take a moment to familiarise yourself with these basic rules and the first step towards perfect German pronunciation is made! The essentials are:

Short vowels

All German vowels have both a long and a short version. The short version is used when a single vowel is followed by any combination of two (or more) consonants, for example: bb, ch, ck, ll, mm, tz, sch, pf ...

Long vowels

The long version is pronounced when a single vowel is followed by only one consonant or an 'h' plus another consonant. The following 'h' always remains silent. If the same vowel is doubled, it's pronounced like a long vowel as well:

'Umlaut' aka the double dots

Typically German are those vowels with double dots, which also differentiate short and long pronunciation. The same rules as for short and long vowels apply.

Two different vowels in a row

A common combination is a vowel followed by a 'u':