Learn expressions that don't make any sense
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Eric: Expressions That Don't Make Any Sense, Part 2 |
| 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 22. In this lesson you'll learn more expressions that don't make any sense. Germans use these phrases in many common situations, especially when they want to exaggerate a bit. |
| SLANG EXPRESSIONS |
| Eric: The expressions you will be learning in this lesson are: |
| Jennifer: Von Pontius nach Pilatus. |
| Jennifer: Asche auf mein Haupt. |
| Jennifer: Katz und Maus spielen. |
| Jennifer: Hand aufs Herz legen. |
| Eric: Jennifer, what's our first expression? |
| Jennifer: Von Pontius nach Pilatus. |
| Eric: Which literally means "from pillar to post." It has the same meaning as the identical English expression. |
| Jennifer: [SLOW] Von Pontius nach Pilatus. [NORMAL] Von Pontius nach Pilatus. |
| Eric: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Jennifer: Von Pontius nach Pilatus. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Eric: Use this slang expression when you are being forced to move from one place to another. Let's hear an example sentence. |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Ich bin ziellos, ich gehe nur noch von Pontius nach Pilatus. [SLOW] Ich bin ziellos, ich gehe nur noch von Pontius nach Pilatus. |
| Eric: "I am aimless, I only go from pillar to post." |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Ich bin ziellos, ich gehe nur noch von Pontius nach Pilatus. |
| Eric: Okay, what's the next expression? |
| Jennifer: Asche auf mein Haupt. |
| Eric: This literally means "ash on my head." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "shame on me." |
| Jennifer: [SLOW] Asche auf mein Haupt. [NORMAL] Asche auf mein Haupt. |
| Eric: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Jennifer: Asche auf mein Haupt. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Eric: Use this slang expression when someone does something wrong. For example, when you haven't done the tasks you should have done before the meeting starts. Let's hear an example sentence. |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Ich habe es nicht geschafft, alle Aufgaben zu erledigen. Asche auf mein Haupt. [SLOW] Ich habe es nicht geschafft, alle Aufgaben zu erledigen. Asche auf mein Haupt. |
| Eric: "I couldn't manage to finish all the tasks. Shame on me." |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Ich habe es nicht geschafft, alle Aufgaben zu erledigen. Asche auf mein Haupt. |
| Eric: Okay, what's our next expression? |
| Jennifer: Katz und Maus spielen. |
| Eric: Which literally means "playing cat and mouse." It has a similar meaning to the identical English phrase. |
| Jennifer: [SLOW] Katz und Maus spielen. [NORMAL] Katz und Maus spielen. |
| Eric: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Jennifer: Katz und Maus spielen. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Eric: Use this slang expression when someone tries to fool or outwit you. Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Er spielt Katz und Maus mit der Freundin. [SLOW] Er spielt Katz und Maus mit der Freundin. |
| Eric: "He plays cat and mouse with his girlfriend." |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Er spielt Katz und Maus mit der Freundin. |
| Eric: Okay, what's the last expression? |
| Jennifer: Hand aufs Herz legen. |
| Eric: This literally means "lay hand on heart." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "to be honest." |
| Jennifer: [SLOW] Hand aufs Herz legen. [NORMAL] Hand aufs Herz legen. |
| Eric: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Jennifer: Hand aufs Herz legen. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Eric: Use this slang expression when you want someone to be honest and to ask what he or she really thinks about something. This is because laying a hand on your heart is a gesture of oath. Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Hand aufs Herz, sage mir bitte die Wahrheit. [SLOW] Hand aufs Herz, sage mir bitte die Wahrheit. |
| Eric: "Be honest. Please tell me the truth." |
| Jennifer: [NORMAL] Hand aufs Herz, sage mir bitte die Wahrheit. |
| 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 find that someone did something wrong. Which slang do you use? |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Jennifer: Asche auf mein Haupt. |
| Eric: "shame on me" |
| Eric: You’re forced to move from one place to another. Which slang do you use? |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Jennifer: Von Pontius nach Pilatus. |
| Eric: "from pillar to post" |
| Eric: You want someone to be honest and to know what he or she really thinks about something. Which slang do you use? |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Jennifer: Hand aufs Herz legen. |
| Eric: "to be honest" |
| Eric: Someone is trying to fool or outwit you. Which slang do you use? |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Jennifer: Katz und Maus spielen. |
| Eric: "play cat and mouse" |
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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