Learn how to use idiomatic expressions with unusual literal translations
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Eric: Idiomatic Expressions with Unusual Literal Translations |
| 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 19. In this lesson you'll learn idiomatic expressions with unusual literal translations. Germans often like to paraphrase situations with unusual expressions that can't be translated directly. You’ll hear them on a regular basis, and this lesson will teach you what they mean. |
| SLANG EXPRESSIONS |
| Eric: The expressions you’ll be learning in this lesson are: |
| Jennifer: Ins Gras beißen. |
| Jennifer: Kleider machen Leute. |
| Jennifer: Quatsch mit Soße. |
| Jennifer: Übung macht den Meister. |
| Eric: Jennifer, what's our first expression? |
| Jennifer: Ins Gras beißen. |
| Eric: This literally means "to bite the grass." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "to bite the dust." |
| Jennifer: [SLOW] Ins Gras beißen. [NORMAL] Ins Gras beißen. |
| Eric: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Jennifer: Ins Gras beißen. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Eric: Use this slang expression when someone dies. This phrase is very informal. Let's hear an example sentence. |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Der gute Thomas hat ins Gras gebissen. [SLOW] Der gute Thomas hat ins Gras gebissen. |
| Eric: "The great Thomas just passed away." |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Der gute Thomas hat ins Gras gebissen. |
| Eric: Okay, what's the next expression? |
| Jennifer: Kleider machen Leute. |
| Eric: Literally this means "clothes make people." It has the same meaning as the English expression "clothes make the man." |
| Jennifer: [SLOW] Kleider machen Leute. [NORMAL] Kleider machen Leute. |
| Eric: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Jennifer: Kleider machen Leute. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Eric: Use this slang expression when you want to emphasize the importance of the way you dress. Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Kleider machen Leute. [SLOW] Kleider machen Leute. |
| Eric: "People judge you by your clothes." |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Kleider machen Leute. |
| Eric: Okay, what's our next expression? |
| Jennifer: Quatsch mit Soße. |
| Eric: This literally means "nonsense with sauce." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "that's utter nonsense." |
| Jennifer: [SLOW] Quatsch mit Soße. [NORMAL] Quatsch mit Soße. |
| Eric: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Jennifer: Quatsch mit Soße. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Eric: Use this slang expression when you think that something can't be true. Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Was du da erzählst ist doch Quatsch mit Soße. [SLOW] Was du da erzählst ist doch Quatsch mit Soße. |
| Eric: "What you are saying is utter nonsense." |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Was du da erzählst ist doch Quatsch mit Soße. |
| Eric: Okay, what's our last expression? |
| Jennifer: Übung macht den Meister. |
| Eric: Which literally means "practice makes the master." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "practice makes perfect." |
| Jennifer: [SLOW] Übung macht den Meister. [NORMAL] Übung macht den Meister. |
| Eric: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Jennifer: Übung macht den Meister. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Eric: Use this slang expression in order to motivate yourself. If you practice enough, you’ll get better. |
| Eric : Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Wenn du jeden Tag Gitarre spielst, wirst du eines Tages besser. Übung macht den Meister. [SLOW] Wenn du jeden Tag Gitarre spielst, wirst du eines Tages besser. Übung macht den Meister. |
| Eric: "If you practice the guitar everyday, you will get better someday. Practice makes perfect." |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Wenn du jeden Tag Gitarre spielst, wirst du eines Tages besser. Übung macht den Meister. |
| 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 want to emphasize the importance of how you dress and present yourself. Which slang do you use? |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Jennifer: Kleider machen Leute. |
| Eric: "clothes make the man." |
| Eric: You want to talk about someone who passed away in an informal setting. Which slang do you use? |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Jennifer: Ins Gras beißen. |
| Eric: "bite the dust" |
| Eric: You want to say that if you practice enough you will get better someday. Which slang do you use? |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Jennifer: Übung macht den Meister. |
| Eric: "practice makes perfect" |
| Eric: You want to say that something can't be true. Which slang do you use? |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Jennifer: Quatsch mit Soße. |
| Eric: "that's utter nonsense" |
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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