Why do I need to know it?

It’s one of those phrases you can pull out to show you’re really in tune with the German lingo – not to mention how cool and indifferent you are.

What does it mean?

Das ist mir Wurst literally translates to “that is sausage to me.” Though it might sound strange to our ears, this is the German way of indicating that you have no interest in something, akin to saying “I couldn’t care less” in English.

You can use the expression in the same context you would use the phrase “das ist mir egal,” but it will give your expression of disinterest a bit more emphasis. In that way, it’s more like saying, “das ist mir scheiß egal” (“I really don’t care,” or, “I don’t give a f***”).

There are many theories for exactly how the phrase developed. One theory relates to the fact that, back in the olden days, the type of meat that goes in a sausage was completely unregulated, meaning that butchers would simply use whatever random scraps they had left over. In other words, any meat they used was “sausage” to them. Another theory points out that sausages are a good symbol for indifference, since it doesn’t matter which end you start eating them from. Unfortunately, we’ll probably never know which theory is right. 

READ ALSO: German phrase of the day: Es geht um die Wurst

One thing we do know, however, is that the phrase’s sausage-inspired origins speaks to the popularity of such colloquialisms in the German language. Indeed, once you get the hang of “das ist mir Wurst,” you can add it to your arsenal of other sausage-related sayings, like “alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei,” or “es geht um die Wurst.” 

And if you really want to prove your German expertise, try pronouncing Wurst like Wurscht: that’s how they say it in southern Germany.

Use it like this:

Wer wird heute das Fußballspiel gewinnen? Das weiß ich nicht. Ist mir Wurst.

Who will win the football game today? I don’t know and couldn’t care less.

Es ist mir Wurst, in welches Restaurant wir gehen.

I really don’t care which restaurant we go to.