German Sayings and the English Equivalent
Below is a table of German sayings translated into English. We have included the literal translation of the saying into English so you can truly understand what is being said. We hope you enjoy these, please add your own in the comments section below. You can also check out our first Part 🙂
Saying | Literal Translation | Meaning |
Wenn der Kuchen spricht hat der Krümel ruhig zu sein. | The crumble has to be quiet when the cake is talking. | When grown ups are talking, children should listen/be quiet |
sich den Mund fusselig reden | to talk your mouth fluffy | Talk until your blue in the face |
Hummeln im Hintern haben | to have bumble-bees in one’s bottom | to have ants in your pants |
Null acht fünfzehn | zero eight fifteen | nothing special |
jemanden durch den Kakao ziehen | to pull someone through the cocoa | to pull someone’s leg |
jemanden läuft ne Laus über die Leber | a louse is walking over someone’s liver | to get out of bed on the wrong side |
die Kurve kratzen | to scratch the curve | to leg it/run away |
auf die Palme bringen | you bring me on the palm | you drive me crazy |
da lachen ja die Hühner | the chickens are laughing | You must be joking/are you having a laugh |
auch ein blindes Huhn findet mal ein Korn | a blind chicken will find a corn eventually | Even a broken clock is right twice a day/dumb luck |
Du gehst mir auf den Keks! | You go on my cookie! | You get on my nerves! |
in den Arsch kriechen | to creep in someone’s ass | to kiss someones ass |
Herz in die Hose rutschen | the heart slides into the trousers | my heart sank |
auf dem Schlauch stehen | to stand on the hose | to be slow to pick things up |
Du bist allererste Sahne. | You are the very first cream. | You are the cream of the crop |
das kommt mir nicht in die Tüte! | that doesnt go in my bag! | it’s not my bag/it’s not my kind of thing |
am Ende seines Lateins sein | I’m at the end of my Latin | To run out of options |
auf Nummer sicher gehen | to go on number safe | to play it safe/to be on the safe side |
ein Hühnchen rupfen | to pluck a chicken | to have an axe to grind/to have a bone to pick |