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! |
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