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180 best German expressions, idioms & slang to add to your list
February 17, 2022
Author
Marie Schmoll

Knowing formal German is helpful in the business world and should get you through small talk.
But as soon as you listen to an informal German conversation between friends or colleagues, you’ll
soon encounter colloquial words that the textbook hasn’t mentioned.
Language is alive and textbooks can never be updated as quickly as language changes. German
slang phrases and words are different, from the South to the North, from Austria to Switzerland
and often even from city to city!
If you truly want to learn the language, start with a German class, and then listen to what the
natives actually say and pick up some fascinating German expressions.
Otherwise, we’ve collected a vast array of German colloquialisms for you - including some words,
phrases and idioms that you may not have heard before.
Why you need to know German expressions and slang
Slang words are the way to build your practical language skills
Textbooks can give you a great foundation in terms of grammar and general speech. But if you
find yourself in a practical speaking environment with people whose first language is German,
you’ll soon learn ways to express yourself that are either locally or culturally unique. Nothing
shows your language skills better than being able to converse with the locals.

Some of the most fun German words are slang words

German slang words include words
like Pillepalle and Pusemuckel or Klackermatsch and Kladderadatsch, words that are rare and
more fun to pronounce than any formal words. Slang words are young and sometimes a little
weird, which makes them interesting.
Many of them don’t have literal translations. To fully grasp their meaning, you already need a
basic understanding of the language. So become conversational in German first and when you get a
grasp of the slang on top of that, you’ll feel like a total pro!
German expressions tell you a lot about the language
Expressions mirror a language’s culture, so they can actually tell you a lot about Germanic
languages, Germany and what parts of social life are important to German-speakers.
In some languages, idioms borrow many expressions from food or the animal world, while others
are based on sports or cars.

Download our free guide to German slang!

German slang
One characteristic of slang is that it is typically orally delivered rather than being written down and
can vary vastly from German-speaking country to country and city to city, which makes German
slang words harder to find and learn for language learners outside of a German speaking
environment.

That's why we compiled a detailed list with German slang from different areas including their
pronunciation in the International Phonetic Alphabet, so you know exactly what to say and how to
say it.
German slang words
Slang words are informal and often associated with personal and sometimes taboo topics, which is
why some of them might be a little rude.

They are favored by the young and enjoyed by language lovers, as they include fun words like
“Quatsch” (Nonsense), “etepetete” (fussy), and “balla-balla” (cuckoo), as well as some very tame
and loving ways to call someone an idiot.
Who knows? You might need those, too.

German slang word German pronunciation English meaning

Quatsch [kvat͡ ʃ] Nonsense

Papperlapapp [ˌpapɐlaˈpap] Nonsense

Paps [paps] Dad

Mutti [ˈmʊti] Mom

Funzen [ˈfʊnt͡ sn̩ ] To function

Abklatsch [ˈapˌklatʃ] A cheap copy

Abdrehen [ˈapˌdʁeːən] To go crazy

Horst [hɔʁst] Idiot

Pfosten [ˈp͡ fɔstn̩ ] Idiot

Förster [ˈfœʁstɐ] Idiot

Hirni [hɪʁni] Idiot

Dulli [ˈdʊli]] Helpless or clumsy person

Lusche [ˈlʊʃə] Loser

Zocken [ˈt͡ sɔkn̩ ] To play

Chillig [ˈt͡ ʃɪlɪç] Relaxed

Büx (Northern) [bʏks] Pants

Blechen [ˈblɛçn̩ ] To pay involuntarily

Baggage [bagaːʒə] Rabble

Bespaßen [bəˈʃpaːsn̩ ] To make somebody have fun

Betüddeln [bəˈtʏdl̩ n] To look after someone

Bummeln [ˈbʊml̩ n] To take one’s time

Fachsimpeln [ˈfaxˌzɪmpl̩ n] To talk shop

Etepetete [eːtəpeˈteːtə] Fussy

Bolzen [ˈbɔlt͡ sn̩ ] To play soccer

Balla-balla [ˈbalɐˈbalɐ] Coo-coo

Brüller [ˈbʁʏlɐ] Very funny joke

Lachflash [ˈlaxflɛʃ]] Laughing fit

Faxen [ˈfaksn̩ ] Shenanigans

Bonze [ˈbɔnt͡ sə] Rich person

Kohle [ˈkoːlə] Money

Betucht [bəˈtuːxt] Very rich

Betuppen [bəˈtʊpn̩ ] To cheat someone

Gewieft [ɡəˈviːft] Cunning

Flunsch [flʊnʃ] Pout

Schmollen [ˈʃmɔlən] To pout

Glotzböbbel [ɡlɔt͡ sˈbøpl̩ ] Big eyes

Klackermatsch [ˈklakɐmat͡ ʃ] Mud to play with

Kladderadatsch [kladəʁaˈdat͡ ʃ] Mess

Putzig [ˈpʊt͡ sɪk] Cute

Schnuffig [ˈʃnufl̩ ɪk] Cuddly

Glipschig [ˈɡlɪbt͡ ʃɪk]] Slimy

Sich kabbeln [ˈkabl̩ n] To squabble

Hingucker [ˈhɪnˌɡʊkɐ] Eye catcher

Saugen [ˈzaʊ̯ ɡn̩ ] To download

Snacken [snækn̩ ] To snack

Knuspern [ˈknʊspɐn] To crunch

Mampfen [ˈmamp͡ fm̩ ] To munch

Kieken [ˈkiːkŋ̩ ] To look

Any random place in the

Pusemuckel [puːɪ̯ zəmʊkl̩ ] middle of nowhere

Keck [kɛk] Cheeky

Kess [kɛs] Cheeky

Versifft [fɛɐ̯ ˈzɪft] Filthy

Räudig [ˈʁɔɪ̯ dɪç], Disgusting

Kneipe [ˈknaɪ̯ pə] Bar

Vorglühen [ˈfoːɐ̯ ˌɡlyːən] To pre-game

Klette [ˈklɛtə] A clingy person

Knabbern [ˈknabɐn] To much

Pille-Palle [ˈpɪləˈpalə] Easy-peasy

 Scheppern [ˈʃɛpɐn] To clank

Malochen [maˈloːxn̩ ] To work hard

Ranklotzen [ˈʁanˌklɔt͡ sn̩ ] To work to the max

Naschis [ˈnaʃis] Sweets

Rabauke [ʁaˈbaʊ̯ kə] Ruffian

Schlingel [ˈʃlɪŋl̩ ] Rascal

Kiddies [ˈkɪdis] Children

Nucki [ˈnʊki] Pacifier

Ruckzuck [ˌʁʊkˈt͡ sʊk] Super fast

Etwas peilen [ˈpaɪ̯ lən] To understand something

Perso [ˈpɛʁzo] ID

Prio [pʁio] Priority

Quali [ˌkvaliˈ] Quality

Telen [telən] To phone

General German slang phrases

Hallöchen, was geht? There are countless slang words in German, even just for saying hello.
Depending on the region and who you speak to, you’ll hear different German greetings everywhere
you go.
Do you actually say hello when you meet a friend? It’s much more common to use any phrase from
“hi” or “hey” to “yo” and “sup”. Yet, most German learners don’t actually know many German
greetings, which is why we listed them for you, along with some other handy colloquial phrases
you might need in a casual conversation.
German slang phrase German pronunciation English meaning

Hallöchen [haˈløːçən] Hello

Was geht? [vas ɡeːt] What’s up?

Na [naː] Hey

Jein [jaɪ̯ n] Yes and no

Nee [neː] No

Moin (Northern) [mɔɪ̯ n] Hello

Moinsen (Northern) [mɔɪ̯ nzn̩ ] Hello

Tach (Northern, Northrhein-Westfalian) [ˈtax] Hello

Servus (Southern) [ˈseɐ̯ vus] Hello/Bye

Grüß Gott! (Austrian, Southern) [ɡʁyːs ɡɔt] Hello

Ei Gude! (Hessian, Rhineland-

Palatinaten) [aɪ̯ ɡuːdə] Hello/Bye

Grüezi (Eastern and Northern

Switzerland) [ɡʁyːt͡ si] Hello

Grüessech (West Switzerland) [ɡʁyːˈzɛç] Hello

Eine Klatsche haben [ˈklat͡ ʃə] To be crazy

Have you lost your

Hast du sie nicht mehr alle? [hast duː ziː nɪçt meːɐ̯ ˈalə] mind?

Passt schon [past ʃoːn] Whatever

Happa-Happa [ˈhapaˈhapa], Food

Für Lau [fyːɐ̯ ˈlaʊ̯ ] For free

Babbeln (Hessian) [ˈbabl̩ n] To talk

Sabbeln (Northern) [ˈzabl̩ n] To talk

Lällebäbbel (Swabian) [lɛləbɛbl̩ ] Fool

Lällegschwätz (Swabian) [lɛləɡˈʃvɛt͡ s] Chitchat

Bissel (Bavarian) [ˈbɪsl̩ ] A little

Blagen (Ruhr area) [ˈblaːɡn̩ ] Annoying children

Lütt (Low German) [lʏt] Small

Bölken (Ruhr area) [ˈbœlkn̩ ] To yell

[ˈvas fyːɐ̯ aɪ̯ n

Was für ein Prachtexemplar ˈpʁaxtʔɛksɛmˌplaːɐ̯ ] What a beauty

Boah [bɔːɐ̯ ] Wow

Igitt [iˈɡɪt] Urgh

Pfui [p͡ fʊɪ̯ ] Urgh

Menno [ˈmɛnoː] Man (unsatisfied)

German slang for cool

The most common ‘German’ word for cool is actually cool. It’s a universal word, used in most
regions and across generations.

There are many more though. So we have collected some more ways to say cool informally for you
to use in case you see or hear about anything cool and want to casually comment like a German-
speaker:
English meaning (if applicable,
German slang for cool German pronunciation otherwise disregard)

Cool, kuhl [kuːl] Cool

Nice [naɪ̯ s] Nice

Bombe [ˈbɔmbə] The bomb

Lässig [ˈlɛsɪç] Casual

Genial [ɡeˈni̯ aːl] Genius

Geil [ɡaɪ̯ l] Hot

Stark [ʃtaʁk] Strong

 Mega [meɡa] Mega

Krass [kʁas] Rad

Fett [fɛt] Fat

Hammer [ˈhamɐ] Hammer

Super [ˈzuːpɐ] Super

German expressions
Some of these are very similar to their English counterparts. Others are rather unique.

You can either learn them like vocabulary or you can have a closer look at them and maybe some
of them will give you a deeper understanding of the German language.

Common expressions and their English meaning

These expressions are commonly used by German native speakers. Pick and choose which ones to
use in your next conversation and you’ll blend in effortlessly!

Expression Pronunciation Literally translated English meaning

Kein Ding [kaɪ̯ n dɪŋ] No thing No problem

Kein Plan [kaɪ̯ n plaːn] No plan No idea

Keine Ahnung [ˈkaɪ̯ nə ˈaːnʊŋ] No suspicion No idea

Auf keinsten [aʊ̯ f ˈkaɪ̯ nstən ˈfal] In the least (of cases) No way

Abgespaced [ˈapɡəspeɪst] Spaced out Crazy

Abgefahren [ˈapɡəˌfaːʁən] Driven off Wicked

To talk something
through
Durchkauen [ˈdʊʁçˌkaʊ̯ ən] To chew through repeatedly

Intelligenzbestie [ˌɪntɛliˈɡɛnt͡ sˌbɛstiə] Beast of intelligence Egghead

Labertasche [ˈlaːbɐˌtaʃə] Talk bag Chatterbox

Backpfeife [ˈbakˌp͡ faɪ̯ fə] Cheek pipe A slap in the face

Fackeln [ˈfakl̩ n] To flicker To hesitate

To work out at
Pumpen [ˈpʊmpn̩ ], To pump the gym

Kopfkino [ˈkɔp͡ fˌkiːno] Mental cinema Head game

Krawall [kʁaˈval] - Turmoil

Remmidemmi [ˌʁɛmiˈdɛmi] - Turmoil

Kreischi [kʁaɪ̯ ʃi] Screamy A screaming fan

Someone who
Blindfisch [blɪntfɪʃ] Blind fish doesn’t see well

Ferkeln [ˈfɛʁkl̩ n] To bear a little pig To bear a child

Schnattern [ˈʃnatɐn] To gaggle To talk quickly

Büffeln [ˈbʏfl̩ n] To buffalo To study

Aalglatt [ˈaːlˈɡlat] Smooth as an eel slick

Someone who
Naschkatze [ˈnaʃˌkat͡ sə] A munching cat loves sweets

Hosenstall [ˈhoːzn̩ ˌʃtal] Stable of the pants Fly (of pants)

Faulpelz [ˈfaʊ̯ lˌpɛlt͡ s] Lazy fur Lazy person

A flash noticer Someone who is

Blitzmerker [blɪt͡ s,mɛʁkr] (ironic) slow to notice

Small-plaid-
Kleinkariert [ˈklaɪ̯ nkaˌʁiːɐ̯ t] patterned Petty-minded

German expressions of excitement

Maybe getting excited doesn’t sound as cheerful in German as it does in some other languages, but
there are just as many German expressions of excitement!
Here is a list of expressions to use when you agree with someone or want to voice your excitement.

Expression Pronunciation Literally translated English meaning

Ach wie schön [ax viː ʃøːn] Oh how beautiful Nice

Aber hallo [ˈaːbɐ ˈhalo] But hello Definitely

Auf jeden [aʊ̯ f ˈjeːdn̩ ] In every (case) Definitely

Klaro [klaʁoː] Clear-oh Sure

Alles klar [ˈaləs klaːɐ̯ ] All clear All right

Wunderbar [ˈvʊndɐbaːɐ̯ ] Wonderful Wonderful

Klasse [ˈklasə] Class Great

Hurra [hʊˈʁaː] Hooray Hooray

Jippi [jɪpi] - Yippi

Juhu [juˈhuː] - Yay

German idioms
Sometimes German idioms translate quite literally, while other times their mysterious meaning
leaves you seriously confused about its origins.

Why are Germans ‘adding their mustard’ to a conversation when they voice their opinion and why
do they ‘only understand train station’ when they don’t understand a thing? You’ll be amazed by
some of these beautifully weird expressions.

Literally
Expression Pronunciation translated English meaning

To drive
off on To be into
Auf jemanden abfahren [ˈapˌfaːʁən] somebody somebody

To add
one’s To add one's
Seinen Senf dazu geben [ˈzaɪ̯ nən zɛɱf ˈdaːt͡ suː ˈɡeːbm̩ ] mustard two cents
 To break
something
Sich einen abbrechen [zɪç ˈaɪ̯ nənˈapˌbʁɛçn̩ ] off To try too hard

Dumme Nuss [ˈdʊmə nʊs] Dumb nut Dummy

Monkey
Affentanz [ˈafn̩ tant͡ s] Dance Fuss

I
understand
only train I understand
Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof [ɪç fɛɐ̯ ˈʃteːə nuːɐ̯ ˈbaːnˌhoːf] station none of this

Not have
all the
cups in the
Nicht alle Tassen im [nɪçt ˈalə ˈtasn̩ ɪm ˈʃʁaŋk cupboard
Schrank haben ˈhaːbm̩ ] anymore To be crazy

To wash
on the left To wash inside
Auf links waschen [aʊ̯ f lɪŋks ˈvaʃn̩ ] side out

False Someone who

Falsche Schlange [ˈfalʃə ˈʃlaŋə] snake isn’t trustworthy

Komischer Kauz [ˈkoːmɪʃɐ kaʊ̯ t͡ s] Funny owl Weirdo

To be all for
Für die Katz’ sein [fyːɐ̯ diː ˈkat͡ s zaɪ̯ n] For the cat nothing

Now it’s
about the It’s now or
Jetzt geht’s um die Wurst [jɛt͡ st ɡeːt ɛs ʊm diː vʊʁst] sausage never

To play
the
offended
Die beleidigte [diː bəˈlaɪ̯ dɪçtə ˈleːbɐvʏʁstə liver
Leberwurst spielen ˈʃpiːlən] sausage To be in a huff

As bad as
Grottenschlecht [ˌɡʁɔtn̩ ˈʃlɛçt] a grotto Terrible
 There we
have the There we have
Da haben wir den Salat! [daˈhaːbn̩ viːɐ̯ deːn saˈɫat ] salad it!

A pile of Someone who is

Häufchen Elend [ˈhɔɪ̯ fçən ˈeːlɛnt] misery miserable

To get into
each
Sich in die Haare other’s
kriegen [zɪç ɪn diː ˈhaːʁə ˈkʁiːɡn̩ ] hair To argue

To clear
Klarschiff machen [klaːɐ̯ ,ʃɪf ˈmaxn̩ ] the ship To clean up

Get away
from the
Sich vom Acker machen [zɪç fɔm ˈakɐ ˌmaxn̩ ] field To leave

Bombing
Bombenwetter [ˈbɔmbn̩ ˈvɛtɐ] weather Clear weather

Bang after
Knall och Fall [ˈknalː ˌɔ ˈfalː] the fall All of a sudden

That’s
Das ist doch assi [das ɪst dɔxˈazi] antisocial That sucks

Pi times
Pi mal Daumen [piː maːl ˈdaʊ̯ mən] thumb Approximately

Make it
half the
Mach mal halblang [max maːlˈhalblaŋ] length Calm down

Alles paletti [ˈaləs ˌpaˈlɛti] All pallets Everything’s ok

Dance out To step out of

Aus der Reihe tanzen [aʊ̯ s deːɐ̯ ˈʁaɪ̯ ə ˌtant͡ sn̩ ] of the row the line

To walk
on
Jemandem auf den Keks [jeːmandm̩ aʊ̯ f deːn keːks someone’s
gehen ˈɡeːən] cookie To bug someone
 With all the
Pipapo [pipaˈpoː] - trimmings

Not the
Nicht die Bohne [nɪçt diː ˈboːnə] bean Not at all
Free downloadable guide to German slang
We've created a list of popular slang words and phrases so you can start sounding like, and connect
with German locals. This guide to slang will take your German learning to the next level.