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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Eric: Expressions That Don't Make Any Sense, Part 1
Eric: Hi everyone, and welcome back to GermanPod101.com. I'm Eric.
Jennifer: And I'm Jennifer!
Eric: This is Must-Know German Slang Words and Phrases, Season 1, Lesson 21. In this lesson you'll learn some expressions that don't make any sense.
Eric: Germans use these phrases in many common situations, but also when they want to exaggerate a bit.
SLANG EXPRESSIONS
Eric: The expressions you’ll be learning in this lesson are:
Jennifer: Blau machen
Jennifer: Saufen wie ein Pferd.
Jennifer: Die Kirche im Dorf lassen.
Jennifer: Eine ruhige Kugel schieben.
Eric: Jennifer, what's our first expression?
Jennifer: Blau machen
Eric: Which literally means "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 holiday instead of going to work or school. 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 the next expression?
Jennifer: Saufen wie ein Pferd.
Eric: Which literally means "to drink like a horse." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "to be able to quickly drink a lot of alcoholic beverages."
Jennifer: [SLOW] Saufen wie ein Pferd. [NORMAL] Saufen wie ein Pferd.
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Jennifer: Saufen wie ein Pferd.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when you see someone drinking lots of alcohol at a party and you want to comment on this. The phrase originated from a time when wild horses were common. Now let's hear an example sentence.
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Der kann echt saufen wie ein Pferd. [SLOW] Der kann echt saufen wie ein Pferd.
Eric: "He can really drink a lot of alcohol."
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Der kann echt saufen wie ein Pferd.
Eric: Okay, what's our next expression?
Jennifer: Die Kirche im Dorf lassen.
Eric: This literally means "leave the church in the village." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "let's be real."
Jennifer: [SLOW] Die Kirche im Dorf lassen. [NORMAL] Die Kirche im Dorf lassen.
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Jennifer: Die Kirche im Dorf lassen.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when you think someone is exaggerating or bragging too much and you want them to be serious. Now let's hear an example sentence.
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Jetzt lass mal die Kirche im Dorf. [SLOW] Jetzt lass mal die Kirche im Dorf.
Eric: "Come on. Let's be real."
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Jetzt lass mal die Kirche im Dorf.
Eric: Okay, what's the last expression?
Jennifer: Eine ruhige Kugel schieben.
Eric: This literally means "to slide a quiet ball." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "to have it easy."
Jennifer: [SLOW] Eine ruhige Kugel schieben. [NORMAL] Eine ruhige Kugel schieben.
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Jennifer: Eine ruhige Kugel schieben.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when you think someone has it pretty cushy. It’s neither positive nor negative. Let's hear an example sentence.
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Es schaut so aus als ob du es nicht eilig hast. Du schiebst mal wieder eine ruhige Kugel, was? [SLOW] Es schaut so aus als ob du es nicht eilig hast. Du schiebst mal wieder eine ruhige Kugel, was?
Eric: "It seems like you are not in a hurry. You have it pretty cushy again, huh?"
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Es schaut so aus als ob du es nicht eilig hast. Du schiebst mal wieder eine ruhige Kugel, was?
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: You see someone drinking lots of alcohol at a party. How would you describe this situation?
[pause - 5 sec.]
Jennifer: Saufen wie ein Pferd.
Eric: "to be able to quickly drink a lot of alcoholic beverages"
Eric: You want to take a holiday instead of going to work or school. Which slang do you use?
[pause - 5 sec.]
Jennifer: Blau machen
Eric: "to skip classes or work"
Eric: You think someone has it pretty cushy. Which slang do you use?
[pause - 5 sec.]
Jennifer: Eine ruhige Kugel schieben.
Eric: "to have it easy"
Eric: You think someone is exaggerating or bragging too much, and you want them to be serious. Which slang do you use?
[pause - 5 sec.]
Jennifer: Die Kirche im Dorf lassen.
Eric: "let's be real"

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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