50 Amusing German Phrases That Will Brighten Your Day (2024)

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Can you get through this amusing list of German Phrases translated into English without laughing your ass off?

Germans aren’t known for their humour. When it comes to German grammar, you can’t help but laugh at its complex rules and figuring out which article to use for each case. It’s so confusing that there’s noother way to express your frustration but laugh. These German phrases will have you laughing for less stressful reasons.

German idioms are a constant source of hilarity, especially when directly translated into English.So, in honour of native speakers and German language students, I thought I’d share this extensive list of common German phrases that most native speakers use regularly but probably didn’t even realise were all that funny…until now.

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Now, let’s take a look at some funny German phrases.

English	German	Meaning
Now it goes around the sausage	Jetzt geht’s um die Wurst	All or nothing
There you are on the woodway	Du bist auf dem Holzweg	You are completely wrong
My hair stands up to the mountain	Mir stehen die Haare zu Berge	I’ve got goosebumps
I understand only train station	Ich versteh nur Bahnhof	I have no idea what you are saying
Sorry but my English is under all pig	Tut mir leid, aber mein Englisch ist under aller Sau	Sorry, but my English is just the worst
I think I spider	Ich glaub, ich spinner	I believe I’m dreaming
The Devil I will do!	Den Teufel werd ich tun!	I will NOT do that!
Come on, jump over your shadow	Komm schon, spring über deinen Schatten	Get out of your comfort zone
You walk me animally on the cookie	Du gehts mir tierisch auf den Keks	You are getting on my nerves, Massively
Holla the wood fairy	Holla die Waidfee	Well, that’s unexpected
I see black for you	Ich seh schwarz für dich	I don’t see any good news coming your way
You are such a fear-rabbit	Du bist so ein Angsthase	You are so easily scared
You might tick incorrectly	Sie ticken doch ganz nicht richtig	You are stupid
You are missing cups in your cupboard	Du hast nicht mehr alle Tassen im Schrank	You’re crazy
You have a bird	Du hast doch einen Vogel	You are crazy
She had a circleruntogetherbreak	Sie hatten einen Kreislaufzusammenbruch	She fainted
I fall from all clouds	Ich falle aus allen Wolken	I have not expected this
No one can reach me the water	Niemand kann mir das Wasser reichen	Nobody is better than me
You are the yellow from the egg	Du bist das Gelbe vom Ei	You are all I’m looking for
It runs me ice cold down my back	Es laûft mir eiskalt den Rücken runter	My blood runs cold
I’m foxdevilswind	Ich bin fuchsteufelswild	I’m super mad
That makes me nobody so quickly after	Das macht mir so schnell keiner nach	No one will copy that so easily
Now we have the salad	Nun haben wir den Salat	Well, here we have what we deserve
I think my pig whistles	Ich glaud mein Schwein pfeift	I believe I’m dreaming
You can slide my back down	Du kannst Mir den Buckel runter rutschen	Leave me alone / get out of here
My dear Mr Singing Club	Mein lieber Herr Gesangsverein	Impressive
That goes off like Schmitz’ cat	Das geht ab wie Schmitz Katze	That escalated quickly
I laugh me broken	Ich lach mich kaputt	You got to be kidding me
You will come in devil’s kitchen	Du kommst in Teufelsküche	You’re in deep trouble
The motive holies the means	Das Motiv heiligt die Mittel	Anything’s a dildo if you’re brave enough
I make me out of the dust	Ich mach mich aus dem Staub	I’m leaving
You have a crack in your dish	Du hast nen Sprung in der Schüssel	You’re crazy
Now we sit here in the ink	Nun sitzen wir hier in der Tinte	We’re in trouble
Now the oven is out	Nun ist der Ofen aus	Game over. Nothing else to expect
I have now really my nose full	Ich hab jetzt echt de Nase voll	Enough of that bullshit
You luck mushroom	Du Glüchspilz	You lucky man
I get the crisis	Ich krieg die Krise	I’m going mad
You’re a pea counter	Du bist ein Erbsenzähler	You are very nit picky
Dead said live longer	Totgesagte leben länger	Don’t write it off too early
I stand on the tube	Ich steh auf dem Schlauch	I have no idea what is going on
Everything for the cat	Alles für die Katz’	All for nothing
A stone falls from my heart	Mir fällt ein Stein vom Herzen	I’m relieved
Now it punches Thirteen	Nun schlägt’s aber dreizehn	That’s enough
That fits on no cowskin	Das passt auf keine Kuhhaut	Your lies are unbelieveable
You can take poison on that	Darauf kannst du Gift nehmen	You can bet on it
You helped me no meter further	Du hast mir keinen Meter weitergeholfen	Your advice was a waste of time
There you are looking stupid out of the laundry	Da guckst du dumm aus der Wäsche	You didn’t expect that, no?
There the dog goes crazy in the pan	Da wird er Hund ind er Pfanne verrückt	That’s unbelievable
Put a tooth on it	Leg einen Zahn drauf	Be quicker
Lid down, monkey dead	Klapp zu, Affe tot	That’s it

Traveling to Germany? Get my free Germantravel phrase guide here.

Want more hilarious German expressions? Watch this!

German Idioms Infographic

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Learning German? Then you’ll love these…

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Going to Germany?

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Sources Imgur.com /Imgur.com

Over to you!

Which one of these hilarious German expressions is your favourite? Do you know any other German idioms?
Let me know using thecomments section below or join me on social media to start a conversation.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post.

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Michele

Michele creates language learning guides and courses for travel. What separates her from other instructors is her ability to explain complex grammar in a no-nonsense, straightforward manner using her unique 80/20 method. Get her free guide 9 reasons you’re not fluent…YET & how to fix it! Planning a trip? Learn the local language with her 80/20 method for less than the cost of eating at a tourist trap restaurant Start learning today!

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8 comments

Burghardt February 20, 2018 - 16:26

I have another one:

I believe me kicks a horse

Michele February 21, 2018 - 11:30