Have you ever felt like ein Fisch auf dem Trockenen (a fish on the dry) while talking to your German colleagues? No matter if you’re studying German for many years or if you’ve just started, some expressions don’t really make any sense to you.

Well, don’t worry! We at ProLingua Global can assure you that it’s absolutely normal. When listening to a German person speaking, you might hear them saying: “Ich glaub’ mein Schwein pfeift”. No, they’re not crazy. And no, in Germany pigs don’t whistle. However, you just came across eine Redewendung.

What is it about?

Eine Redewendung is simply the German word to describe an idiom or a saying. Every language has its own wonderful and creative expressions and German isn’t an exception. The idiom you just came across is a frequently used German sentence to express surprise in front of an absurd situation. An English equivalent could be: “I can’t believe it”.

Idioms represent an important part of your language learning journey. As their meaning and their origin often have cultural roots, they can help you delve into a culture. Plus, if you make the effort of learning a few of them, you won’t just better master the language, but you’ll sound more like a native speaker.

If you want to impress your partners, colleagues or clients, here’s a collection of ten German idioms and sayings that you can use both at work and in your everyday life.

Then, Fertig, Los! (Ready, go!)

1. Zeit ist Geld → Time is money.

Germans are well-known to be very time-conscious people. So, it’s not surprising that they have a saying for it. As Germans, we, British people care about time, and in fact, we have the exact same expression – “Time is money”.

2. Den Bach hinuntergehen → To go bankrupt.

The English equivalent of this idiom is “to go down the drain”, but in financial context it is often used to say that someone has gone bankrupt.

3. Wie ein Pferd arbeiten → To work like a horse.

When it comes to working, it is said that Germans are very industrious people. So, at the end of the day, it’s not strange to hear them saying that they worked like horses.

4. Die Treppe hinauffallen → To shoot up the ladder.

Well, if you hear your German boss saying this, then you would definitely want to know what it means! The literal translation is “to fall up the stairs”. Hopefully, the meaning is more optimistic – in fact, you just got promoted at work!

5. Ich bin fix und fertig → I’m exhausted.

After a long day of work, everyone in Germany is “fix und fertig”.

6. Es ist alles in Butter → Everything is ok.

We all know that everything tastes better if it’s cooked with butter. That’s why Germans like to say that “Es ist alles in Butter” when everything is ok.

7. Klar wie Kloßbrühe → Crystal clear.

You just finished the presentation of your project at a business meeting and you ask your German colleague if everything was clear. He answers: “Klar wie Kloßbrühe”. No, he’s not already thinking about lunch, but he just thinks that your presentation was good and clear. Just like a broth.

8. Ich habe Schwein gehabt → I’ve had a stroke of luck.

And here it goes, the “Schwein” again! If you got lucky, then “du hast ein Schwein gehabt”. Literally, it means that you had a pig and for Germans, it’s a sign of luck.

9. Ich kriege so eine Krawatte → Something really winds me up.

When you can’t really stand something or someone, you get nervous and you just want to throw everything away and slam the door, then you say “It winds me up!”, but if you’re in Germany, then go with “Ich kriege so eine Krawatte”. All businessmen know how annoying ties can be!

10. Das ist nicht mein Bier → it’s not my business.

As beer is one of  Germany’s symbols, the word ‘Bier’ is part of many German expressions. When something really doesn’t interest you or you just think that you shouldn’t have anything to do with it, then a real German would say “Das ist nicht mein Bier”. And clearly, you wouldn’t drink someone else’s beer!

There you are! A list of ten German expressions, idioms and sayings that you can use to sound like a real native speaker.

Now the stage is yours! If you know other German idiomatic expressions or you have a fun fact to tell, please share them with us in the comment section below. We’d love to hear from you.

If would like to learn more about this topic and you’re interested in discovering new idioms, then check this video by Deutsche Welle journalist Rachel Stewart on MeetTheGermans: