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GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German phrase of the day: O’zapft is

With Oktoberfest back in full swing after a two-year pause, we're looking at an iconic Bavarian beer fest phrase (and a few more you might find helpful).

Published: 19 September 2022 16:02 CEST
German phrase of the day: O'zapft is
Photo: Francesco Ungaro / Unsplash + Nicolas Raymond / flickr

Why do I have to know O’zapft is?

Because this is one of the most iconic Oktoberfest sayings. And it’s distinctly Bavarian. 

What does it mean?

O’zapft is is the Bavarian dialect for the German Es ist angezapft, meaning “it’s tapped”.

When the mayor of Munich taps the first beer barrel at 12pm on the first day of Oktoberfest and shouts: O’zapft is! you know that the festival has officially started. 

And it’s actually a bit more than a little tap – the ceremony involves the mayor using a large mallet to tap open the beer keg (as seen in the news report below). 

The tapping tradition dates back to 1950 when, on September 16th, former Munich mayor Thomas Wimmer opened the Munich Electric Fair before rushing over to the Schottenhamel festival tent on the Theresienwiese. He was greeted by reporters and photographers and, with the mallet and tap at the ready, he performed the first official tapping of the barrel at the Oktoberfest.

In the 1980s it became the tradition to offer the Bavarian state premier the first beer from the keg. 

This year tens of thousands of people braved the rain for the first weekend of the festival. It runs until October 3rd. 

READ ALSO: Germany’s famed Oktoberfest opens after two-year pandemic hiatus 

What else might you say at Oktoberfest?

If you want to impress the locals, you’re not going to talk about how much you love Oktoberfest, you’ll call it Wiesn.

A sentence like I moag die Wiesn (“I like Oktoberfest/Wiesn”) will quickly capture those proud Bavarian hearts.

Meanwhile, asking for ein Maß, bitte will get you a litre of beer. 

And before you drink your beer you want to invite your friends to raise their glasses by saying: Trinkspruch. 

And then: Oans, zwoa, g’suffa – which means “one, two, drink!”.

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GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Toi, toi, toi

If a friend or family member is doing something brave like performing on stage you will need this German expression.

Published: 18 September 2024 13:07 CEST
German word of the day: Toi, toi, toi

Why do I need to know toi, toi, toi?

Because this expression is fun to say and it’s perfect for showing how much you support someone. 

What does it mean?

Toi, toi, toi! , which sounds like this, is a colloquial expression used by Germans to wish someone good luck. Similar to the English phrase “break a leg”, toi, toi toi is often used in the context of stage performances. It can sometimes be used to mean “touch wood” or “knock on wood”. 

However, nowadays you can also use it in another scenarios such as when your friend is about to do a test or a job interview – so basically whenever you want to encourage someone to perform well. You can also of course wish someone good luck or viel Glück (but don’t say to this to performers – more on that below).

The background to toi, toi, toi is an interesting one because it stems from superstition. 

Traditionally, many cultures believed spitting three times warded off evil and bad influences. 

But as this can be quite rude, people began making the spitting noise instead, which sounds a bit like repeating the letter: t, which in turn has turned into toi, toi, toi in German. So it is an onomatopoeic expression which essentially means: no bad luck. 

This was especially important during performances such as at the opera or theatre. Since it was taboo in superstition to wish each other luck directly, the way to do it was to hug each other, spit over the other person’s shoulder and say “toi, toi, toi”.

Meanwhile, some linguists interpret toi toi toi as “teu, teu, teu” which would be a nod to the devil – Teufel in German. By saying this, it’s argued that the devil will feel appreciated and nothing will stand in the way of a person’s desired happiness.

And by the way, after someone has wished you toi, toi, toi in the theatre context, you’re not to meant to say anything. Instead, keep silent and go ahead and smash your performance. 

We’ve no idea if actors in Germany do the spitting today or if they stick to just saying: toi, toi, toi!

Use it like this:

Ich mache morgen meinen Einbürgerungstest.

I’m doing my citizenship test tomorrow.

Na, dann toi, toi, toi!

Well then, good luck!

Bisher hat alles gut geklappt – toi, toi, toi.

So far it has all worked out well – touch wood!

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