Vocabulary (Review)

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Eric: Expressions that Involve Animals
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 23. In this lesson you'll learn expressions that involve animals. German people like to make references to animals in their expressions - for example when they're feeling surprised, hurt, or disappointed.
SLANG EXPRESSIONS
Eric: The expressions you’ll be learning in this lesson are:
Jennifer: Von der Tarantel gestochen.
Jennifer: Dort steppt der Bär.
Jennifer: Den Sündenbock spielen.
Jennifer: Die Katze aus dem Sack lassen.
Eric: Jennifer, what's our first expression?
Jennifer: Von der Tarantel gestochen.
Eric: Which literally means "stung by a tarantula." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "to react very surprised."
Jennifer: [SLOW] Von der Tarantel gestochen. [NORMAL] Von der Tarantel gestochen.
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Jennifer: Von der Tarantel gestochen.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when someone is shocked, almost too much, by a situation. Now let's hear an example sentence.
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Warum reagierst du so als ob dich eine Tarantel gestochen hätte? [SLOW] Warum reagierst du so als ob dich eine Tarantel gestochen hätte?
Eric: "Why do you react like you just saw a ghost?"
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Warum reagierst du so als ob dich eine Tarantel gestochen hätte?
Eric: Okay, what's the next expression?
Jennifer: Dort steppt der Bär.
Eric: This literally means "there steps the bear." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "there is something exciting going on over there."
Jennifer: [SLOW] Dort steppt der Bär. [NORMAL] Dort steppt der Bär.
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Jennifer: Dort steppt der Bär.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when you want to point out that something amusing, for example a party, is going on.
Eric : Now let's hear an example sentence.
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Man geht nach Köln, um das Nachtleben zu genießen. Denn dort steppt der Bär. [SLOW] Man geht nach Köln, um das Nachtleben zu genießen. Denn dort steppt der Bär.
Eric: "To enjoy the nightlife you have to go to Cologne, since all the excitement is over there."
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Man geht nach Köln, um das Nachtleben zu genießen. Denn dort steppt der Bär.
Eric: Okay, what's our next expression?
Jennifer: Den Sündenbock spielen.
Eric: Which literally means "to play scapegoat." It’s used in the same way as the English expression.
Jennifer: [SLOW] Den Sündenbock spielen. [NORMAL] Den Sündenbock spielen.
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Jennifer: Den Sündenbock spielen.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when you get punished or blamed for the misconduct of somebody else. Now let's hear an example sentence.
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Wieso muss ich immer für alles den Sündenbock spielen? [SLOW] Wieso muss ich immer für alles den Sündenbock spielen?
Eric: "Why do I always have to be the scapegoat for everything?"
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Wieso muss ich immer für alles den Sündenbock spielen?
Eric: Okay, what's the last expression?
Jennifer: Die Katze aus dem Sack lassen.
Eric: This literally means "to let the cat out of the bag." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "to surprise people with something."
Jennifer: [SLOW] Die Katze aus dem Sack lassen. [NORMAL] Die Katze aus dem Sack lassen.
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Jennifer: Die Katze aus dem Sack lassen.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when you want to surprise people with something totally unexpected. Now let's hear an example sentence.
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Auf der CeBit Messe in Hannover hat Intel mal wieder die Katze aus dem Sack gelassen und neue Prozessoren vorgestellt. [SLOW] Auf der CeBit Messe in Hannover hat Intel mal wieder die Katze aus dem Sack gelassen und neue Prozessoren vorgestellt.
Eric: "At the CeBit Fair in Hannover, Intel has let the cat out of the bag once again and introduced new processors."
Jennifer: [NORMAL] Auf der CeBit Messe in Hannover hat Intel mal wieder die Katze aus dem Sack gelassen und neue Prozessoren vorgestellt.
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 point out that something amazing is going on. Which slang do you use?
[pause - 5 sec.]
Jennifer: Dort steppt der Bär.
Eric: "there is something exciting going on over there"
Eric: You see someone reacting shocked. Which slang do you use?
[pause - 5 sec.]
Jennifer: Von der Tarantel gestochen.
Eric: "react very surprised"
Eric: You want to surprise people with something totally unexpected. Which slang do you use?
[pause - 5 sec.]
Jennifer: Die Katze aus dem Sack lassen.
Eric: "To surprise people with something"
Eric: You get punished or blamed for the misconduct of somebody else. Which slang do you use?
[pause - 5 sec.]
Jennifer: Den Sündenbock spielen.
Eric: "to be a scapegoat"

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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