What Germans Can Say That Americans Can't Say

As two Americans living in Germany and learning Germany, we sometimes come across German words that leaves us scratching our heads and wondering what they mean because they don't actually have a translation! So how can words exist in one language that don't exist in another? And what German words are untranslatable?? 😊

00:00 - Introduction of main theme
1:03 - Word #1
2:52 - Word #2
4:50 - Word #3
7:29 - Word #4
8:53 - Other Untranslatable Words?
9:36 - Bloopers

#AmericansInGermany #GermanyVlog #MovingToGermany
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❤️Aubrey was a Speech-Language Pathologist, Donnie was a graphic designer, but we both had a dream to #travel the world and experience cultures. After three years of being married and dreaming about if something like this great adventure would be possible, we decided to quit the rat race and take on the world. We sold everything we had, quit our jobs, and took off! After 9 months of aimless and nonstop travel, we now get to fulfill our dreams of #LivingAbroad as #expats as we move to #Germany!

[PassportTwo]

Do you have any other untranslatable words you can think of in any language??

[Blanko]

I like Schadenfreude. It describes the joy when someone else gets hurt or fails.

[ohshiteric]

Interesting enough: "Feierabend" is also often used in a serious situation where you want to say "enough of it". example: 2 kids are playing and they're pushing it to the limit. you need to separate the 2 youngsters and would actually say: So, Feierabend!

[anikatri]

„Anschweigen“ is my favourite German word. It describes how someone actively remains silent as a reply, provocation or in unison grief.
With this word you underline that it is active silence and does not leave room to wonder if the other didn’t hear it etc.

[cesbi]

I've recently rediscovered "Fachidiot" and "betriebsblind", both of which I think are pretty useful words.

[ab_gaensedistel]

"Geborgenheit" is such a wonderful word. The meaning is so beautiful too.

[hape]

No, Wanderlust isn't the weaker brother of Fernweh. Think of "Hiking lust" for Wanderlust and "Faraway longing" for Fernweh. One is a positive attitude, the other is a nagging desire.

[Flugzeugdreger]

Funny enough, there is a third German word for "wanting to travel" besides "Ferneweh" and "Wanderlust", which is "Reisefieber" (literally: 'travel fever'). They are somewhat stronger versions of each other, "Fernweh" being the longing for far of places, "Wanderlust" the enjoyment of traveling (especially for travelling's sake) and "Reisefieber" the excitement to finally start a journey and see far-off places.

[foo]

"Wanderlust" is hardly ever used in contemporary German. The only times I hear this word is when foreigners talk about funny German words.

[kiewsky]

"jein" is a lovely word - a mixture of yes and no. It's almost yes but with some reservations.

[justin_tayver]

As a german this video is very entertaining. Respect to every non-german person trying to learn this difficult language!

[eclipsed..]

I find the word „umfahren“ so funny cause it means to drive around something but also it means to drive through something 😅

[leandratel]

'Fahrtwind' is one of my favourite German words. It is the sensation of wind when there is no wind but movement of the subject (you), e.g. the air stroke you feel when you are cycling or when you hold your hand outside the window driving a car.

[horbuchasmrkanal]

When I was asked by an exchange student what "doch" means, I really struggled! 😅

[solaccursio]

In italian we have the expression "peggio la toppa del buco", literally "the patch is worse than the hole" for those situations when you try to fix something and make it worse :)

[StAngerNo]

For chhristmas you can also add "Besinnlichkeit" which google translates to "contemplativeness", but that does not catch the same sprit. Besinnlichkeit is similar with Gemütlichkeit, but adds another kind of spiritual layer to it. It is almost exclusively used in the context of christmas in germany.

[kayf]

Gemüth is an old word for your inner state/feeling/soul. So when you inner soul can feel at home, there is gemütlichkeit.

[hypatian]

I love "Tja" - it can mean so many things, depending on the context.

[awetistic]

I love the word "Fremdschämen". It means that someone is doing something so utterly embarrassing that you feel ashamed in his place (especially when that other person isn't ashamed at all).

[philipphermann]

There is also one typical german word connected with a behaviour: "So!" (while optionally slapping your hands on your upper legs) or "So, Feierabend!" which is a sign for everyone in the room that a meeting/social event or really anything is coming to an end or the person is going to leave in the next 5 minutes or so (depends on the status of the person - participant or organizer).