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My 12 Illustrations Of Literal Word Meanings Will Show You The Fun Side Of The German Language
Learning German has been a very hard journey, but also a very fun one! Often exhausted by learning the grammar, I have always been rewarded with new words and expressions which are not translatable or do not even exist in other languages.
Are you getting old and are a little worried about all the things you may be missing out on as time is running out...? Then you may have Torschlusspanik (closing-gate panic). Did someone make a fool of themselves and you feel deeply embarrassed for them? Then you're probably experiencing Fremdschämen (exterior shame).
Learning literal meanings of words put a smile on my face and inspired me to illustrate some of them. Let me share my 12 favorite words, which are just the tip of the iceberg!
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Why Is The Slug Embarrassed? Because It's A Naked Snail!
Lightbulb Is Actually A Glowing Pear. Can't Disagree!
Kiss A Toad And Turn It Into A Prince Or Give It A Shield And Make It A Turtle!
Now That's A Good Excuse To Get An Extra Pair Of Shoes!
Animals Indeed Have A Special Place In The German Language!
Who Is This In My Ear Singing The Same Rihanna?
Are You Bored? Then Maybe It's Time For New Jeans!
Next Time You Do The Dishes, Say Hello To The Water Rooster!
Well, its correct: Back in the centuries the water taps there shaped like roosters: Albrecht_D...roject.jpg 
They Might Be Called Such, But I'd Advise You Not To Try To Ride Them
I'd like to note that despite the fact it came from Greek hippopotamus, which means the same, but that they've actually 'saved' the original form while other languages didn't. It appears Germans do have humor, unlike what others think.
Actually, hippopotamus means exactly this: Hippo=horse, Potamus=river (Greek)
hippo = horse in Greek. potamos = river in Greek. which was pulled into Latin and used in Middle English. Hippopotamus = River Horse. :)
This is exactly what the Chinese language would put it. Hippo in Chinese means river horse.
In Dutch/Flemish it is called a nijlpaard. A horse of the Nile. Because that's the only place they are at :D
And here's a joke for Germans: What's the name of a Flusspferd that has to pee? Hippopotamussmal.
The Next Time You Plan To Jump The Queue, Remember What You're Dealing With!
Typical false friend. How many times have students told me that there was a snake in front of the counter and they stood there and had to wait...
Tornado's Trousers Will Blow Your Shoes Off!
This was a really fascinating and educational little article!
Hippopotamus isnt "horse river" in greek? I mean, german just translated it
Yep, the Germans were just going along with the Greeks on that one. Why the Greeks thought it was a horse, I dunno. Maybe because spectacles hadn't been invented yet? Or they were just being metaphorical.
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The reason I didn't give up on German (and believe me, the bloody declensions of gendered articles nearly had me crying)? A literal translation into English.
Love the illustrations. In the Netherlands we have many similar words to German, so it's nice to see the English translation.
Ist mir Wurscht/ Wurst = this is sausage to me = I don't care :)
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This was a really fascinating and educational little article!
Hippopotamus isnt "horse river" in greek? I mean, german just translated it
Yep, the Germans were just going along with the Greeks on that one. Why the Greeks thought it was a horse, I dunno. Maybe because spectacles hadn't been invented yet? Or they were just being metaphorical.
Load More Replies... The reason I didn't give up on German (and believe me, the bloody declensions of gendered articles nearly had me crying)? A literal translation into English.
Love the illustrations. In the Netherlands we have many similar words to German, so it's nice to see the English translation.
Ist mir Wurscht/ Wurst = this is sausage to me = I don't care :)
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