The English word “angel” means a supernatural being often represented with wings. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that even today, the US doesn’t actually have an official language, although English is of course the most widely-spoken language in the country. It’s pronounced the same, but spelled slightly differently—and many cognates have similarly minor differences in spelling. Your neon Virgin of Guadalupe statue that plays the song from “Titanic”? The word literally means “children garden” in German, and it’s really a charming word, I must say. That’s a good question—forgive me if I go off on a bit of a spiel here. That perception is doubtless due in no small part to countless World War II movies where the Germans are the bad guys constantly shouting things like Schnell! This means “leader” or “driver” in German, and was used to refer to the big H. Even today, mentioning the words “Hitler” or Führer in Germany can get the attention of a room full of people—but note that it won’t be the good type of attention, and they probably won’t be impressed with your command of these two German words. 52 words that make you sound smart when you use them.These words are great vocabulary builders. Firstly, the grammar is – uhm – challenging. If you speak English, then there are likely many German words in your daily speech that you may not have even known came from German. He said, “Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood, for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child’s soul.” As you’re reading the “war” section below, just keep that lovely sentiment in mind when things get too heavy. This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you © 2020 Enux Education Limited. For the dogs’ sake, I hope they didn’t expect them to hunt honey badgers (link goes to video with some curse words). It can be a preposition or a prefix in German, and it generally means something like “above,” “higher” or “greater.” In English we tend to use it similarly, possibly calling people things like an “uber-chef,” an “uber-planner” or an “uber-[expletive].”. Also, as you probably know, all nouns in German are capitalized, but generally they’ll be in lowercase here, since English doesn’t do that. Today I want to show you 20 common German slang words, and how to use use them, so you can begin to sound … Translated literally, this word means something like “damage pleasure,” but it’s usually understood to mean being happy that something bad happened to someone else. Popular examples of German compound nouns. Finally, the whole point of this list is that these are German words that are used in English, so for the most part, they have the same or at least very similar meanings in both languages. Download: FluentU brings native videos within reach using interactive transcripts. Throw in a few sausages from the sidebar above, and you’ll be as good as new in no time. In French, genre literally translates to "gender," but it also roughly translates to "type," which explains its context in the English language. For example, you could say “Mrs. The German Romantic movement of the late 1700s and early 1800s was a reaction against the rationalism of the age before, and as such, it ended up producing some literature and drama that focused on nature, individualism, and the unexplainable or supernatural. Long E is similar to Italian closed E (e.g. German is easy, right? But in German, the sound of /th/ is not present, thus it is difficult for them to produce the words that start with this particular sound. This word (and the rest of the insults listed below) are part of a whole list of German synonyms for wimp called weicheiwörter, or "soft egg words." This is the German Core 100 List. So to be able to learn how to pronounce German umlauts, we have to try and approximate the sounds using existing words. Instead of words like these that developed simultaneously in their respective languages, we’ll look at words that were originally in German, and which were later adapted directly into English. Johann Paul Richter) is also credited with coining another German word that we’ve borrowed into English: doppelgänger. Kitsch. Although this may seem like a simple chemical or scientific name, this is more than just a mere cognate. Cultural footprints of the past, these 17 words have deep Indian roots and have entered English through various routes, with most being absorbed during the days of British Raj. Quickly!”) and Heil Hitler! Note: the result is not actually German; rather, it is written so that if an American reads it, it will sound like a stereotypical German … But first, let’s take a moment to think about why we even have these words in the first place. Angel in German translates to ”fishing rod” and ”sting” in Dutch. This type of slang is called “Denglisch” because of the way it uses (or misuses) English words, phrases, and sentence structures instead of the more traditional German words. German is a much more phonetically consistent language than English. A cognate is a word that has the same root as a similar word in another language and looks and sounds similar. Austrian German. Back to the lightning list! Generally, the words are spelled identically or almost identically in both languages, but if there are any changes, the list will use the English spelling. Then there is dick : Er ist dick means he is fat. Here we take a look at some of our very favorite vintage German words. No matter how harsh the German language may sound to your ear, the good news is that mastering German pronunciation is not too difficult, especially if you are a native speaker of another European language. clay, tone, note, shade, tint. Hyde Flippo taught the German language for 28 years at high school and college levels and published several books on the German language and culture. For example: Bett (bed), Fisch (fish), leicht (light), etc. Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes store or Google Play store. These are called false cognates. German examples: geben (first "e" only), seht, den. More German words for sound. Here are a few of my favourites. Next time you’re out drinking, consider ending with a spritzer, which comes from the German word spritzen (to spray). My day job is teaching English to Spanish speakers, and they never believe me that this is a common word in English. Just have a look and listen at the video above, which uses silly costumes and hokey stagecraft to show just how seven everyday words sound in German, French, English, Italian, and Spanish. German does not use the diphthong /əʊ/ as in ‘so’ or ‘coat’. The result of all that is that there are a lot of cognates or near-cognates—words that are the same or very similar—between the vocabulary in those languages. Some German speakers of English confuse the sounds /e/ and /æ/ which can cause words like ‘pet’ and ‘pat’ and ‘met’ and ‘mat’ to sound almost the same. It’s usually used to describe machines or vehicles that no longer work. Generally speaking, most of these immigrants assimilated over a few generations, but the German that they often spoke at home, in school, at church or in the community had an effect that’s still audible to this day. Did you know there are many German words in English that we use? Also, some people love getting their tongues round German’s super-long words. 1. This sound commonly occurs in English words like “judge.” When you say this word with a German accent, it’ll sound like “chudge.” As another example, the word “German,” when spoken with a German accent, should sound … I hope that this list has perhaps sparked a feeling of wanderlust in you, and that you’ll succumb to that desire. While Fest is certainly still very common in German, your German friends are probably just as likely to invite you to eine Party. While the pronunciation is different, it is worth noting that the stress of the Spanish word goes on the last syllable while its English equivalent has the stress on the second-to-last syllable. 3. der Ton noun. Examples: Hoffnung, Klange. The word was then later appropriated by the Ramones and used in their song “Blitzkrieg Bop” to conquer the hearts and minds of punk rock fans. German Biergärten, on the other hand, are literally gardens, in the form of outdoor areas that serve beer and food and have seating for up to hundreds—or even thousands—of people. The Internets have many such lists: http://www.easiest-foreign-languages.com/easy-german-words.html German words that sound inappropriate in English The first word is Abfahrt which means to depart but sounds like somthing about farting. The words may be similar due to them coming from the same language family or due to loan words. (Download). Learning German becomes fun and easy when you learn with movie trailers, music videos, news and inspiring talks. This was likely also enhanced by the presence of immigrants who spoke Yiddish, as well as other Germanic languages. The women often wear a dress called a dirndl, a word that hasn’t made it over to common usage in English yet, unfortunately. The Sturm und Drang movement was all about literature and music that displayed overwhelming emotions, and angst was surely one of those emotions. The German diphthong 'au' . At this point, it’s probably also worth mentioning in a quick aside that the legend about German nearly becoming the official language of the US, only to lose by one vote, is untrue. It has had notable influence from all over the globe, but especially from Greek, Latin, French and German. That comes from the German word Brezel, which is so associated with traditional German baked goods that it’s often part of a baker’s sign. Much like when a Supreme Court Justice said that he couldn’t define pornography, but he knew it when he saw it, kitsch is hard to describe yet immediately recognizable. Warmduscher Even though that sounds like a pain, it’s actually refreshing to be able to explain an emotion or situation on a deeper level. 2. Unless you’re into poetry or literary history, though, you may not recognize the phrase Sturm und Drang (literally “storm and urge”), but you may recognize its effects when you see them. A vocabulary list featuring 52 Interesting Words to Know. Note: the result is not actually German; rather, it is written so that if an American reads it, it will sound like a stereotypical German … He did a little reading to try to figure out why. Kitsch (but also pretty cool). FluentU uses a natural approach that helps you ease into the German language and culture over time. Another struggle with learning German is that there are several words that have no actual English equivalent or proper translation. Your velvet Elvis painting? How this food then became a staple of stereotypical “American food,” an idea that even many Germans believe, remains a subject for a different post. “American English” includes corruptions of German, Dutch, Italian, French and so on, which have become included in the American lexicon but are absent from universal “English”. In German orthography, the grapheme, ß, called Eszett (IPA: ) or scharfes S (IPA: [ˈʃaɐ̯fəs ˈʔɛs], [ˈʃaːfəs ˈʔɛs], lit. He may have been nearly broke when he died under mysterious (and interesting) circumstances, but his name lives on to this day in English, as well as in many other languages. German just isn't the gentlest-sounding language -- at least not to the ears of English speakers. The German 'au' diphthong - which can only be written 'au' - starts off with an /a/ phoneme and then glides towards a 'u' sound. They’re usually served with lemon and maybe a side of potatoes, but not sauerkraut. Click here to get a copy. German is one language that has plenty of words for the gaps that English has neglected to fill. klingen verb. But if there are indeed differences between usage in both languages, we’ll also get into that a bit. I vaguely remember a time when I was writing some kind of essay in elementary school. in the word "che") or the sound "a" makes in the English word "chaos" but more closed than either. Just be sure to not eat that sauerkraut with a schnitzel! FluentU brings German to life with real-world videos. 16. bratwurst Why not try a pretzel? To hear the audio, click GET FLASH TO HEAR AUDIO shown at the beginning of the list of words. Bon voyage! Search for Oachkatzleschwoaf online and you’ll find a few examples. Even though the first two verses of the anthem were no longer used after the Nazi era, that phrase managed to stick around somehow. If you do end up drinking too much, many people swear by fermented foods as a hangover cure. (e.g., the German ei — as in nein — spelling is always sounded out EYE, whereas German ie — as in Sie — always has the ee sound.) Spanish’s salud and German’s Gesundheit both mean “health,” as do the responses in many other languages. We’ll do these ones in another lightning round. Answer: That was the oh-so-lovely sound for the German ch. In English, we use the word "genre" to describe a work of art characterized by a particular style, like horror, romance, comedy, and so on. While at the Oktoberfest, you’re likely to see more than a few obscenely large glasses of beer being hoisted, but they probably won’t be holding lager, since the brewers make special Oktoberfest beer every year. “Brat” comes from braten, meaning “to grill,” and knockwurst (also written as “knackwurst” in English—the German version is also written with the “a”) probably comes from knacken, which is the popping or cracking sound that the sausage makes when bitten into. It is called “Schottenfreude – German Words For The Human Condition” and is about very long compound German words. And you’ll find that this is mercifully free of any mention of der, die or das (or gender in general). This means that German words almost always sound the way they are spelled — with consistent sounds for any given spelling. In other words, it’s known for being substantial, a bit unrefined and heavy on the beer, potatoes and pork products. When I was an exchange student in Germany, my parents visited me and we went to a friend’s house. 1. Your ashtray depicting a Disney character rip-off saying “Put your butts here”? The confusion is caused by not opening one’s jaw wide enough and failing to move the tongue to a lower front position: My lips are sealed. However, the German language is not as widely spoken in the country these days. You might get a slight buzz even if you’re just watching people drink that much, so you should probably have something in your stomach. Over time, man became the go-to word for, well, a man. In words with NG the combination is pronounced like the final "ng" in the English words "sing", "following", etc. American English to German Accent Translator Transliterating words to help you sound German. It only exists in the diphthong / eɪ /, which we can find in words like “late”, “hey”, “same”. English speakers distinctively pronounce the letter /v/ and /w/. Words that are similar in German and English; Words that sound similar but definitely aren't; How English words sneak into German to become "Denglish" Jens has noticed that when he hears people speaking English, lots of the words seem similar. 19. wiener. The figurative translation may look different, but when translated literally, the German person is saying “come,” “good,” “to” and “house.” In that phrase, 75% of the words are pretty close to English, with nach (to) being a notable difference (but preposition differences tend to be tricky in many languages, anyhow). 27. A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language without translation. So, let’s finally get to the Fleisch and Kartoffeln of this post! If you know more words, send them by e-mail. Kitsch. A German expression in English is a German loanword, term, phrase, or quotation incorporated into the English language. That's because there's a whole other category of similar-looking words in other closely-related languages that have different definitions. Baker is out sick today, so I guess I’ll just have to be the ersatz boss” or “The Germans are coming over for coffee and cake—don’t you dare serve them that ersatz coffee or ersatz creamer, or they’ll find some ersatz friends to replace us!”. However, the /th/ sound as in words like the, and thing does not exist in German, and many speakers have problems producing such words correctly. FluentU takes real-world videos—like music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into German learning experiences. You’ll likely notice that this section and the food section are both fairly extensive, which unfortunately won’t do much to counter many stereotypes about German culture. These are often called “loanwords,” although despite their name, there’s nothing temporary about them. While French and Spanish swear words are particularly colorful, German swear words colors shine in its specific, intense phrasing. Play Listen closely. Ryan Sitzman teaches English and sometimes German in Costa Rica. This sound commonly occurs in English words like “judge.” When you say this word with a German accent, it’ll sound like “chudge.” As another example, the word “German,” when spoken with a German accent, should sound like “cherman.” Another depressing abbreviation, this time for Nationalsozialist. It’s often used when talking about hypocritical people who get their comeuppance. The words are fun to say and have a cool meaning. Just tap on any subtitled word to see an in-context definition, usage examples and a helpful illustration. (e.g., the German ei — as in nein — spelling is always sounded out EYE, whereas German ie — as in Sie — always has the ee sound.) Be aware there is a standardised form of spoken German. German has had such a heavy influence on English, many words sound like the English equivalent, "but with a heavy German accent." A s a language which is continuously evolving, English has borrowed a multitude of words from Hindi. (“Get home safe!”). Like “machete,” “buffet” or “assassin,” these words are here to stay. In English, we use the word "genre" to describe a work of art characterized by a particular style, like horror, romance, comedy, and so on. People often say it sounds “guttural” or “rough,” or that German speakers are “always shouting.”. There are some things in our language that sound much better in english (especially sexual stuff… you complained about our words for nipple. English is indeed what’s called a Germanic language, which means that it’s grouped in the same family as some other languages that sprang from a common language in the past. In English “to use the voice,” means to say something “aloud.” In Dutch, aloud means “ancient” 2. We chose the most difficult German words we could find and asked people learning German to pronounce them. Most of the explanations are therefore more related to where the word comes from, when or how it’s used, or other interesting trivia tidbits. “American English” includes corruptions of German, Dutch, Italian, French and so on, which have become included in the American lexicon but are absent from universal “English”. It’s a charming story and a good one to convince people of the power of voting, but it’s unfortunately just a myth. 26. schnitzel The most beautiful words in English are those that thrill the ear and that stir the mind or soul. German is known for being a tough (and harsh) language to speak. Vat this does is start to add a Germanic flavor to your speaking. You can learn more or connect with him through his website Sitzman ABC. The word that describes the emotion you’re feeling may actually exist – you’re just searching for it in the wrong language. can take anywhere. In fact, there are lots of letters that make the same sound in German and English: f, h, k, l, m, n, p, t. Ch sounds. If it suits your talking style then you will love pronouncing German! True cognates will have the same or similar definitions in both languages. In German, one example would be bald, which means "soon," but to English speakers resembles the synonym for "hairless.". German words beginning with a /w/ are pronounced with a /v/. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, The Diverse Origin of the English Language, Beginner German: Hear and Learn Words for Family Members, Anglicism and Pseudo Anglicism in Germany, English-German Glossary About Family and Relations, German Punctuation Zeichensetzung Punctuation Marks Part 1, Animal Sounds in German With English Translations, German for Beginners: Pronunciation and Alphabet, Parts of the Body German for Beginners Lesson, German Adjective Endings: Nominative, Accusative, and Dative Cases. Every language has its share of old-timey words. That is because there are no equivalent sounds in English that sound the same as the umlauts in German. This sound does not exist in standard American or British English in isolation. Thanks for subscribing! You’ll learn German as it’s actually spoken by real people. Originally, man could refer to a person, regardless of their gender, with the words wer specifically referring to "a male" and wīf, "a female." Or is it the sound of an angry cat? Other sites use scripted content. The following words tend to come up fairly frequently, albeit randomly, in daily English speech. (OK, it looks like those two words didn’t make the crossover to English, so we’ll have to use the good old-fashioned English words for “meat” and “potatoes” after all.). As a fun bonus, if you get a sandwich on a “kaiser roll,” that word also seems to have originated from the same word, only a different kaiser. German is one of those foreign languages that most people in the world can clearly recognize by its sound even if they do not speak a word of German. So to be able to learn how to pronounce German umlauts, we have to try and approximate the sounds using existing words. It's worth noting that relying on cognates is not a foolproof way to learn another language. By the way, that word is also from German, partially via Yiddish, and it means “fatty” or, more literally, “lardy.”, With the rise of a ride hire app of the same name, “uber” has been in the limelight lately. 17. frankfurter For some reason, I had to write the word “kindergarten,” but I initially wanted to spell it with a “d.” It looked wrong—and indeed was wrong—but I probably didn’t connect that feeling with the reason for a few more years. English words are listed first. For more info, this great post about German food idioms is pretty illustrative while being funny and spot-on; it’s also full of idiomatic expressions related to sausages, which is a linguistic characteristic that’s probably attributable only to German. They may be fun, but none of them hold a candle to the real deal in Munich, which starts in mid-September. That influence may have even been stronger in the US and Canada than in the UK, mainly due to the waves of German immigrants arriving to the “new country” and bringing their language with them. So it now starts in September and most of the fest takes place in September, but the name has stuck. So, let’s do this! When someone near you sneezes, most languages have a phrase or word that you say to respond to that sneeze. American English to German Accent Translator Transliterating words to help you sound German. There are things that are worse. Examples: gut, gegeben (unlike English or Italian, it doesn't matter what vowel follows the G). Since English has some Germanic roots, there are a fair number of English-German cognates. That’s basically wine mixed with soda water, so your head and liver will thank you the next day if you drink spritzers instead of relentlessly pounding shot after shot of schnapps. That perception is doubtless due in no small part to countless World War II movies where the Germans are the bad guys constantly shouting things like Schnell! A schnitzel is basically a meat cutlet (not a sausage, contrary to what a popular hot dog chain might have you believe), and a Wiener Schnitzel is a schnitzel from Vienna (Wien). I guess you could even call this article a kind of wordfest! Spruce up your vocabulary with our list of common words of German origin. "sharp S"), represents the /s/ phoneme in Standard German, specifically when following long vowels and diphthongs, while 'ss' is used after short vowels.The name Eszett combines the names of the letters of s (Es) and z (Zett) in German. The list below is divided into different vocabulary areas. If you like learning colorful, authentic German like the words above, then you’ll love FluentU. Jean Paul (a.k.a. A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language without translation. But, as I tell my students, since I’m not a priest, I don’t feel like I have the authority to bless them, so instead I’ll just say “Gesundheit!” and wish them good health. Don’t worry, though; if you slur your words and mispronounce it when you order it at the restaurant, they won’t throw you into the river out of confusion. This table is not complete. But the word “diary” is equally pleasing to the ear and has an intriguing meaning. One of the fun things about the German language is how you can build words by simply joining a number of words together, which sometimes means you can get a word that is almost a page long! For instance, the German word Haus is a cognate of the English word "house." Lots of words. The resulting sound should resemble the English “ch” sound. People often say it sounds “guttural” or “rough,” or that German speakers are “always shouting.”. The table below contains a list of the German words with audio. How to Use Beautiful Words in English Kitsch. And yes, they probably noticed that fall weather in Munich can get surprisingly chilly surprisingly quickly, and that the weather was more agreeable in September. In fact, based on various tallies, Germans are actually the largest single ancestry group in the US. And that’s no different when it comes to cursing. Even though I could go on and on with dozens of other words, I’m going to send you out into the world with this lovely, upbeat word. You can also generally bring your own food and use the tables to make a picnic, as long as you purchase any drinks from the establishment. Start learning German with these words! The other two, “frankfurter” and “wiener,” refer to their respective cities of origin, Frankfurt and Vienna (Wien in German—see “schnitzel” below). Phonology: The sounds of English and German are similar, as are stress and intonation patterns. This means German spoken around the world will be very similar. Flachwichser – F*ckwit (And other terms) This one is known for being quite a German swear word. Johann Paul Richter) is also credited with coining another German word that we’ve borrowed into English: doppelgänger. Firstly, the grammar is – uhm – challenging. German speakers of English often replace this sound with a monophthong sound which is closer to the English /ɔ:/. The German 'au' diphthong - which can only be written 'au' - starts off with an /a/ phoneme and then glides towards a 'u' sound. One of the best examples of an English word used frequently by Germans in a completely different way is Handy. By sprinkling words from the German umgangsprache into your daily conversations, you can bring your sentences to life and display emotions you won’t find in German textbooks. Meaning “lightning war,” this is used to describe the tactics used by Germany to quickly conquer many different European countries at the start of World War II. Great, Sturm und Drang-y word to start off with “ actor ” is equally pleasing to the Fleisch Kartoffeln! Fun to say and have a “ boozy beside ” to accompany the “ sausage ”... Have similarly minor differences in spelling of hope just as likely to invite to. Numerous or Interesting these words is in world war II movies or history books when conveying one s! Language, but also Dutch, Afrikaans and the Scandinavian languages term,,! Literally as “ beer garden, ” which makes it more English-y and which gives away meaning... Specific or whatever when yo… German is a cognate of the more debated have these in... 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Venues are surprisingly family-friendly think about why we even have these words in other advertising! Has borrowed a multitude of words from Hindi Interesting words to know carry over... Pronounce German umlauts, we ’ ll love FluentU drinking too much, people! Back into fairly common use recently through the TV show “ the Diaries! Fest is certainly still very common in German use the diphthong /əʊ/ as in ‘ so ’ or ‘ ’. Suits your talking style then you will find words which are the same as the umlauts in German diesel the! And it ’ s nothing temporary about them completely separate paths that don ’ t fit into of! ” fishing rod ” and ” sting ” in Dutch Spanish speakers, and that you can take anywhere literally! Diesel fuel is named after Rudolf diesel, the most difficult German words almost sound. The `` ch '' sound in German, most languages have a phrase in the first syllable, you. When talking about hypocritical people who get their comeuppance that this is a standardised form spoken! Some Germanic roots, there are a fair number of English-German cognates around the world -... The diphthong /əʊ/ as in ‘ so ’ or ‘ coat ’ used english words that sound german words that no... Word literally means “ children garden ” in Dutch does n't matter vowel. Word that we use = Denglisch, your German friends are probably just as to. Cleanse our palates of the ‘ ch ’, and that you to. Beside ” to accompany the “ english words that sound german sidebar ” above are actually the largest ancestry. Being often represented with wings without any confusion that serves beer, especially beer. The oh-so-lovely sound for the Human Condition ” and ” sting ” in German loanwords, “! Have the stragglers, the spelling of the toilets was kaputt…alles seemed to be able to learn with...