20 German Idioms Explained (And Why They Don't Translate Literally)

As with any language, German idioms carry meaning as a complete phrase, not as the sum of their individual translated words — a bare dictionary lookup of each word won't get you to the actual meaning.

Here are twenty common German idioms, explained in plain terms:

1. Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof (I only understand train station) — I don't understand anything at all.
2. Tomaten auf den Augen haben (to have tomatoes on your eyes) — to fail to notice something obvious.
3. Die Daumen drücken (to press one's thumbs) — the German equivalent of "fingers crossed," wishing someone luck.
4. Ins Fettnäpfchen treten (to step into the little pot of fat) — to say or do something socially awkward, to put your foot in it.
5. Jemandem einen Bären aufbinden (to tie a bear onto someone) — to trick someone, tell them a tall tale.
6. Da liegt der Hund begraben (that's where the dog is buried) — that's the real heart of the matter.
7. Die Katze im Sack kaufen (to buy the cat in the sack) — to buy something without inspecting it first, closely mirroring the English "buy a pig in a poke."
8. Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei (everything has an end, only the sausage has two) — a playful saying acknowledging that everything eventually ends.
9. Ich glaub, mein Schwein pfeift (I think my pig is whistling) — an expression of pure astonishment or disbelief.
10. Nicht mein Bier (not my beer) — not my problem or concern.
11. Kein Schwein war da (no pig was there) — nobody was there.
12. Um den heißen Brei herumreden (to talk around the hot porridge) — to avoid getting to the point, to beat around the bush.
13. Jemandem die Daumen halten — a variation of pressing thumbs, wishing someone well.
14. Da steppt der Bär (that's where the bear dances) — that's where the action/party is happening.
15. Ein Katzensprung (a cat's jump) — a very short distance away.
16. Mit dem linken Fuß aufgestanden sein (to have gotten up with the left foot) — to be in a bad mood, having gotten off to a bad start that day.
17. Da ist der Wurm drin (there's a worm in it) — something is wrong or off about a situation.
18. Alter Schwede! (old Swede!) — an exclamation of surprise, roughly like "wow!"
19. Hummeln im Hintern haben (to have bumblebees in one's bottom) — to be restless, unable to sit still.
20. Schwein haben (to have pig) — to be lucky.

Why idioms matter for real fluency

Textbook vocabulary gets you through structured exams; idioms are what make spoken and casual written German sound genuinely native, since they show up constantly in everyday, informal speech.

How to actually learn idioms

Note the context an idiom appears in — it usually explains the meaning better than a bare definition — and try to reuse it yourself soon after, since idioms only encountered passively tend to fade quickly.

Look up idioms, phrases and everyday German vocabulary with English German Dictionary →