Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Eric: Expressions Mainly Said by Men
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 7. In this lesson you'll learn expressions mainly used by men. Don't be surprised if you hear a woman using these. Some young women use these with friends when joking around.
SLANG EXPRESSIONS
Eric: The expressions you’ll be learning in this lesson are:
Jennifer: Sie hat die Hosen an.
Jennifer: Unter aller Sau.
Jennifer: Es faustdick hinter den Ohren haben.
Jennifer: Das ist Jacke wie Hose.
Eric: Jennifer, what's our first expression?
Jennifer: Sie hat die Hosen an.
Eric: This literally means "she wears the trousers." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "she wears the pants, referring to a relationship or family."
Jennifer: [SLOW] Sie hat die Hosen an. [NORMAL] Sie hat die Hosen an.
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Jennifer: Sie hat die Hosen an.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when you want to let others know that your (female) partner makes the decisions or is in control of the relationship. Now let's hear an example sentence.
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Meine Frau hat bei uns die Hosen an und kommandiert mich ständig rum. [SLOW] Meine Frau hat bei uns die Hosen an und kommandiert mich ständig rum.
Eric: "My wife wears the pants and orders me around constantly."
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Meine Frau hat bei uns die Hosen an und kommandiert mich ständig rum.
Eric: Okay, what's the next expression?
Jennifer: Unter aller Sau.
Eric: Literally meaning "bottom of all pigs." When it's used as a slang expression, it means "bottom of the barrel."
Jennifer: [SLOW] Unter aller Sau. [NORMAL] Unter aller Sau.
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Jennifer: Unter aller Sau.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when you encounter someone who misbehaves quite badly. Let's hear an example sentence.
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Dieses Benehmen ist unter aller Sau. [SLOW] Dieses Benehmen ist unter aller Sau.
Eric: "That sort of behaviour is the lowest of the low."
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Dieses Benehmen ist unter aller Sau.
Eric: Okay, what's our next expression?
Jennifer: Es faustdick hinter den Ohren haben.
Eric: This literally means "to have it fist-thick behind the ears." As a slang expression, it means "to be an intelligent and sly or cunning person."
Jennifer: [SLOW] Es faustdick hinter den Ohren haben. [NORMAL] Es faustdick hinter den Ohren haben.
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Jennifer: Es faustdick hinter den Ohren haben.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when you want to acknowledge a person for exceptional feats. Can you give us an example, Jennifer?
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Papa hatte es mal ganz faustdick hinter den Ohren. [SLOW] Papa hatte es mal ganz faustdick hinter den Ohren.
Eric: "Your father was once a very cunning person."
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Papa hatte es mal ganz faustdick hinter den Ohren.
Eric: Okay, what's the last expression?
Jennifer: Das ist Jacke wie Hose.
Eric: This literally translates as "this is jacket like trousers." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "it makes no difference (either way)."
Jennifer: [SLOW] Das ist Jacke wie Hose. [NORMAL] Das ist Jacke wie Hose.
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Jennifer: Das ist Jacke wie Hose.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when you want to let others know that it makes no difference what decision they make. Now let's hear an example sentence.
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Es ist doch Jacke wie Hose ob der Kaffee aus Afrika oder Indonesien kommt. [SLOW] Es ist doch Jacke wie Hose ob der Kaffee aus Afrika oder Indonesien kommt.
Eric: "It doesn't matter if the coffee comes from Africa or Indonesia."
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Es ist doch Jacke wie Hose ob der Kaffee aus Afrika oder Indonesien kommt.
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 just met someone who misbehaves quite badly. Which slang do you use?
[pause - 5 sec.]
Jennifer: Unter aller Sau.
Eric: "Bottom of the barrel"
Eric: You want to say that someone is in control of the relationship. Which slang do you use?
[pause - 5 sec.]
Jennifer: Sie hat die Hosen an.
Eric: "She wears the pants (in the relationship/family)"
Eric: You want to let others know that it makes no difference what decision they make. Which slang do you use?
[pause - 5 sec.]
Jennifer: Das ist Jacke wie Hose.
Eric: "It makes no difference (either way)"
Eric: You want to acknowledge a person’s exceptional feats. Which slang do you use?
[pause - 5 sec.]
Jennifer: Es faustdick hinter den Ohren haben.
Eric: "to be an intelligent and sly or cunning person"

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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