Learn some common slang expressions
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Eric: Some of the Most Common Slang Expressions in Germany |
| Eric: Hi everyone, and welcome to GermanPod101.com. I'm Eric. |
| Jennifer: And I'm Jennifer! |
| Eric: This is Must-Know German Slang Words and Phrases, Season 1, Lesson 1. In this lesson you'll learn some of the most common slang expressions in Germany. |
| Eric: You will often hear these expressions during regular conversations as part of the interactions of daily life. |
| SLANG EXPRESSIONS |
| Eric: The expressions you will be learning in this lesson are: |
| Jennifer: Nur Bahnhof verstehen. |
| Jennifer: Blau machen |
| Jennifer: Schwein haben. |
| Jennifer: Pi mal Daumen. |
| Eric: Jennifer, what's our first expression? |
| Jennifer: Nur Bahnhof verstehen. |
| Eric: Literally meaning "to just understand train stations." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "not to understand anything." |
| Jennifer: [SLOW] Nur Bahnhof verstehen. [NORMAL] Nur Bahnhof verstehen. |
| Eric: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Jennifer: Nur Bahnhof verstehen. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Eric: Use this slang expression when something is over your head and you don't get it. |
| Eric : Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Das ist ja kompliziert. Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof. [SLOW] Das ist ja kompliziert. Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof. |
| Eric: "That is complicated. I don't get it." |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Das ist ja kompliziert. Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof. |
| Eric: Okay, what's the next expression? |
| Jennifer: Blau machen |
| Eric: Literally meaning "to make it blue." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "to skip classes or work." |
| Jennifer: [SLOW] Blau machen [NORMAL] Blau machen |
| Eric: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Jennifer: Blau machen |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Eric: Use this slang expression when you take a day off instead of going to work or school. |
| Eric : Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Gesunde Mitarbeiter machen gern mal blau. [SLOW] Gesunde Mitarbeiter machen gern mal blau. |
| Eric: "Healthy employees like to skip work from time to time." |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Gesunde Mitarbeiter machen gern mal blau. |
| Eric: Okay, what's our next expression? |
| Jennifer: Schwein haben. |
| Eric: This literally means "have pig." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "to be lucky." |
| Jennifer: [SLOW] Schwein haben. [NORMAL] Schwein haben. |
| Eric: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Jennifer: Schwein haben. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Eric: Use this slang expression when someone gets lucky in a situation which could have ended badly. |
| Eric : Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Beinahe wäre ich hingefallen, nochmal Schwein gehabt. [SLOW] Beinahe wäre ich hingefallen, nochmal Schwein gehabt. |
| Eric: "I almost fell down, but I was lucky." |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Beinahe wäre ich hingefallen, nochmal Schwein gehabt. |
| Eric: Okay, what's the last expression? |
| Jennifer: Pi mal Daumen. |
| Eric: Literally meaning "pi times thumb." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "approximately." |
| Jennifer: [SLOW] Pi mal Daumen. [NORMAL] Pi mal Daumen. |
| Eric: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Jennifer: Pi mal Daumen. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Eric: Use this slang expression when you want to estimate an amount. Let's hear an example sentence. |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Das macht dann Pi mal Daumen 150 Euro. [SLOW] Das macht dann Pi mal Daumen 150 Euro. |
| Eric: "It will be approximately 150 Euros." |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Das macht dann Pi mal Daumen 150 Euro. |
| QUIZ |
| Eric: Okay listeners, are you ready to be quizzed on the expressions you just learned? I’ll describe four situations, and you choose the right expression to use. Are you ready? |
| Eric: Instead of going to work, you want to take a holiday. Which slang do you use? |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Jennifer: Blau machen |
| Eric: "to skip classes or work" |
| Eric: You heard something but didn’t understand anything. Which slang do you use? |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Jennifer: Nur Bahnhof verstehen. |
| Eric: "not to understand anything" |
| Eric: You want to give an approximate number, in a casual situation. Which slang do you use? |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Jennifer: Pi mal Daumen. |
| Eric: "approximately" |
| Eric: You think something bad could have happened but then things went well. Which slang do you use? |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Jennifer: Schwein haben. |
| Eric: "to be lucky" |
Outro |
|---|
| Eric: There you have it; you have mastered four German Slang Expressions! We have more vocab lists available at GermanPod101.com, so be sure to check them out. Thanks everyone, and see you next time! |
| Jennifer: Bis zum nächsten Mal! |
Comments
HideHi Listeners! Do you know any other related slang expression? Post them in the comments.
Hello iihh,
Thank you for getting back to us. 👍
Nur Bahnhof verstehen? 😄
If you ever have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us again.😉
Kind regards,
Reinhard
Team GermanPod101.com
😴😴😴😴
Hallo robert groulx,
Danke schön for posting. We are very happy to have you here. Let us know if you have any questions.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
Levente
Team GermanPod101.com
thanks or the lesson transcript
favorite phrase is : Nur Bahnhof verstehen.
robert
Hi Mervin,
Thanks for the feedback. Glad you liked it.
Keep going!😉
If you have any further questions, please let us know.
Kind regards,
Reinhard
Team GermanPod101.com
Excellent audio