Many of you may be familiar with the videos in which the sound of single words in different languages are compared to each other, for example the gracious butterfly. Usually, the elegancy of languages such as French (papillon) or Italian (farfalla) is contrasted with the seeming harshness of German SCHMETTERLING. While any word in any language spat out in rage will sound like a furious command to crush a fluffy kitten, no one can deny that there are sounds more pleasing to the human ear than a person shouting at you in German. But why get bound up with the acoustics when the actual meaning of some words is much more fascinating?
So let’s for once focus on semantics and enjoy the 5 most magical words the German language has to offer:
Wortschatz
Let me start with what we are talking about here: vocabulary. Except in German, there is a much more sophisticated term for that: Wortschatz. This metaphor literally means ‘treasure of words’. Maybe you’ll be a tiny bit richer after reading this article.
Feierabendbier
This lovely expression definitely deserves second rank. It used to refer to «the evening before a holiday» but then the meaning got extended to the time after working hours. Even though the same concept can be expressed by after-work beer, the English word just doesn’t really cut it. In the German term there is a ring of celebration to it (Feiern), and that’s just beautiful.
Glückspilz
If someone is lucky enough to leave work early for their Feierabendbier, they really are a Glückspilz. A fortunate mushroom, that is. Originally with a derogatory meaning of someone getting lucky unexpectedly, an (undeserving) social climber, shooting up from the soil like a mushroom, today the connotations are entirely positive. While lucky beggars or devils exist in the English speaking world, the image of mushroom grinning at their unbelievable fortune is nothing short of adorable.
Pechvogel
In this same office, the person staying in late because they were handed a Hercules labour last minute is by the way a Pechvogel. Literally, this unfortunate person is compared to a «tarred/tarry bird» – tree branches smeared with a sticky substance used to serve as traps to catch birds. Indeed, how miserable is the animal that gets caught in one! While this technique of capturing birds is illegal in many states nowadays, the metaphor in the German language remained.
Hängebauchschwein
If birds aren’t your cup of tea, there is another expression you can use in German when you’re speaking of a poor sod who just never seems to have any luck in their lives: armes Schwein («poor pig»)! Wich brings me to my personal favourite German word, Hängebauchschwein. The pot-bellied pig in German is – as you may agree – very accurately called a ‘pig with a hanging belly’. They are, I assume, oblivious to our body standards and do not take offence at being reduced to their adorable if substantial bellies.
What are your favourite words or concepts in the German language? Share them below 🙂
