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Ten Austrian German words that English should adopt immediately

Some Austrian German words capture feelings, experiences, or people with such precision that you might wonder why English hasn’t picked them up yet.

Published: 19 September 2024 13:10 CEST

Ten Austrian German words that English should adopt immediately

Lebensfreude means joy of life and is currently not commonly used in the English language. Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

1. Feierabend: The time after work or studies when you can relax and enjoy your evening.

Example: Endlich Feierabend! Ich freue mich auf einen lustigen Abend zusammen mit Freunden. (Finally, it is after work! I am looking forward to a fun evening with friends).

During a Feierabend you can enjoy cooking some food with friends. Photo by Kelsey Chance on Unsplash

2. Heimat: A deep sense of home or homeland, involving both the physical place and the emotional connection to it.

Example: Nach Jahren im Ausland freue ich mich immer, wieder in meine Heimat zurückzukehren. (After years abroad, I always look forward to returning to my home).

Heimat can for some represent a specific place, such as a house connected with certain memories. Photo by feinschliff on Unsplash

3. Zweisamkeit: The feeling of togetherness or intimacy shared between two people.

Example: Wir genießen die Zweisamkeit am Wochenende in den Bergen. (We enjoy the togetherness on the weekends in the mountains).

Zweisamkeit refers to the feeling of intimacy between two people. Photo by Pixabay.

READ ALSO: Do Austrians still use the formal ‘Sie’ in German?

4. Schadenfreude: The satisfaction you get from someone else’s misfortune. The term is sometimes already used in English, but not everyone knows it.

Example: Man konnte seine Schadenfreude sehen, als sein Freund nicht befördert wurde. (You could see his schadenfreude when his friend didn’t get promoted at work).

Woman laughing in the street, maybe out of Schadenfreude. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels.

5. Gemütlichkeit: A sense of cosiness and warmth, often found in a friendly and comfortable environment.

Example: Die Gemütlichkeit in diesem Café ist einfach perfekt. (The cosiness in this café is simply just perfect).

Gemütlichkeit can be experienced by staying long in bed while looking out the window. Photo by Dương Nhân / Pexels

6. Wiener Schmäh: The characteristic Viennese charm and wit, often with a touch of sarcasm and humour.

Example: Er hat einen typischen Wiener Schmäh, den man nicht so leicht vergisst. (He has a typical Viennese charm that is hard to forget).

Going out to meet the Viennese is a good idea if you want to experience Wiener Schmäh. Photo by Dan V on Unsplash

READ MORE: 10 signs you’ve become more Austrian than the Austrians

7. Schnapsidee: An idea that seems great at the moment but is actually quite stupid or impractical.

Example: Seine Schnapsidee, eine Weltreise ohne Plan zu machen, wurde schnell zur Katastrophe. (His schnapsidee to make a world trip without a plan quickly turned into a disaster).

Not planning your world trip at all might be a complete Schnapsidee. Photo by Tim Gouw / Pexels

8. Kummerspeck: This literally translates to “grief bacon”, and the term describes the weight gained from emotional eating.

Example: Nach der Trennung habe ich wirklich viel Kummerspeck angesammelt. (After the breakup, I really accumulated a lot of grief bacon).

Eating a lot of bacon might be a good idea if you want to obtain some Kummerspeck after a breakup. Photo by Waldemar on Unsplash

9. Zuckerl: A small, sweet treat or candy. The term is used affectionately to describe something delightful or charming.

Example: Dieses Zuckerl ist einfach unwiderstehlich und bringt jeden zum Lächeln. (This little candy is simply irresistible and makes everyone smile).

Small treats have their own common name in Austria. Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash

10. Lebensfreude: Joy of life, zest for life.

Example: Ihre Lebensfreude strahlt in allem, was sie tut, und inspiriert alle um sie herum. (Her zest for life shines through in everything she does and inspires everyone around her).

Visiting Zillertal in Austria might make you experience some Lebensfreude. Photo by Paul Pastourmatzis on Unsplash

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Nine hip-hop tracks that will help you learn German

In fact, it’s a truth universally acknowledged that listening to hip-hop in German will boost your German language abilities tenfold.

Ok, so while that might not technically be entirely (read: at all) true, we reckon Jane Austen would have appreciated many German rappers’ way with words.

And with most clearly enunciating their words, and the rhythmic delivery helping with phrasing, the genre is a gift for language learners: it can help you get to grips with new words, sentence patterns and pronunciation, as well as gain an understanding of current phenomena.

We’ve chosen a selection of German hip-hop tracks – including some old-school gems – that are reasonable easy to understand, as well as a couple for more advanced learners who want to get to grips with the finer nuances of the language and word play.

Here are some songs to get you started.

Die Fantastischen Vier – Die Da

You can’t have an article about German hip hop without mentioning Die Fantastischen Vier (The Fantastic Four, often known as Die Fanta’ 4). Germany’s answer to the Beastie Boys, this Stuttgart band basically kicked off the German hip-hop scene in the late 80s and they’re still going today.

The catchy Die Da!? (Her over there!?) was a tongue-in-cheek hit in 1992 and we love it because the band’s clear articulation makes it easy to understand. Yes, it’s a bit silly – it’s about women the band are interested in, but spoiler: it ends up being the same woman – but it’s packed full of useful German slang.

Want to test your knowledge of German abbreviations? Check out their mfg (Mit freundlichen Grüssen, With best wishes)

Fettes Brot – Jein

Still on an old-school hip-hop vibe, Fettes Brot were a big part of the Hamburg scene.

‘Jein’ – a pleasing amalgamation of Ja and Nein was a big hit in the early 90s. Again, the delivery is clear, they rap slowly and the text is pretty straightforward. Here’s the chorus, for example:

Soll ich’s wirklich machen oder lass ich’s lieber sein / Jein / Ja, ja, oder nein /
Shall I really do it or would it be better to leave it / Jein / Yes, yes, or no

Perfect for the indecisive.

And for a taster of Hamburg dialect, have a listen to Nordisch by Nature.

One of the founder members Der Tobi later got together with another big name on the Hamburg scene – das Bo – and together with marcnesium and DJ Coolmann, they formed cheeky band Fünf Sterne Deluxe. Check out ‘Willst du mit mir geh’n‘ (Do you want to be my boyfriend/girlfriend?)

Mudi – Kind sein

The German rapper with Turkish and Lebanese roots is known for his storytelling that touches on key cultural issues. There’s less wordplay here and he raps slowly and clearly so, even for less confident German learners, the text is quite easy to understand (although some of his songs have a bit of Arabic, Turkish and Kurdish in them).

In 2016’s ‘Kind sein’ (being a child), he raps about feeling nostalgic for his childhood and the context makes it a breeze to put any new vocab into context.

He raps about missing the days when he was klein und so sorgenlos (small and so carefree) in contrast to now where heute sind die Sorgen gross / Krieg, der in den Herzen tobt (today the worries are great / war that rages in our hearts).

Cro – Ein Teil

Arguably more pop than rap (Cro himself calls the mixture raop), Cro is a pretty big deal in Germany.

‘Ein Teil’ is a great starter song as the lyrics are straightforward and it’s quite repetitive, helping with understanding and pronunciation. And while Cro mumbles a bit on some of his other tracks (he tends to eat some of his word endings), he’s quite clear on this track.

(And if you see him live, his penchant for wearing a panda mask on stage doesn’t necessarily help matters). Here’s a section of the refrain that’s repeated throughout:

Du bist und bleibst für immer ein Teil von mir

You are and will always be a part of me

Freundeskreis – A-N-N-A

More known for their socially conscious lyrics, the 90s/00s Stuttgart group had a hit with this slightly soppy but very catchy track.

Immer wenn es regnet / muss ich an dich denken / wie wir uns begegnet sind / und kann mich nicht ablenken

Whenever it rains / I have to think of you / How we met / I can’t stop thinking about it

Group member Max Herre also went on to have success as a solo artist and that’s also worth a listen. Try 1ste Liebe.

S. Castro – Krieger

For something with a more aggressive flow, try S. Castro.

His strong rhythmic delivery in this 2012 battle rap (Krieger means warrior) makes the lyrics fairly easy to understand.

The politically conscious rapper with Kurdish roots uses his raps to expose oppressive aspects of society and the system so there’s plenty of cultural insights to be gained too.

Deichkind – Leider Geil

This one – which translates as ‘unfortunately cool’ – really took off in the noughties with people describing everything as ‘leider geil’ for a while. It’s a really easy one to understand, too as it’s all in the present tense and the Hamburg group rap slowly and clearly.

Here’s a sample:

Es tut mir leid, doch ich muss leider gestehen / Es gibt Dinge auf der Welt, die sind (leider geil) / Autos machen Dreck, Umwelt geht kaputt / Doch ‘ne fette neue Karre ist (leider geil)

I’m sorry, but I’ve got to admit it, unfortunately / There are things in the world that are (unfortunately cool) / Cars are dirty, the environment’s going to hell / But getting an awesome new ride is (unfortunately cool)

Sabrina Setlur – Du liebst mich nicht

Setlur started out in the 90s and was one of the first German female rappers to achieve commercial success – this song went to number one.

Combining hard rap with a sung chorus, ‘You don’t love me’ is a heartfelt attack against a partner who doesn’t love her any more. Perfect for anyone who wants to improve their heartbreak vocab in German.

For a time her rap success was overshadowed by her then-relationship with Boris Becker, but her songs stand the test of time.

This one has since been covered by Ado Kojo featuring Hamburg-based rapper Shirin David.

Bodo Wartke – Barbaras Rhabarberbar

And we couldn’t not include this one. Rapper and cabaret performer Bodo Wartke achieved viral TikTok fame with this tongue-twister that tells the increasingly ludicrous tale of Barbara and her rhubarb bar.

As well as inspiring a dance, the catchy rap also sparked a huge interest in learning German which can never be a bad thing.

Wartke and friend and rapper Matti Fischer both have super-clear pronunciation. Plus it’s a great track for learning how easy it is to make compound nouns in German.

This is obviously just a selection, there are plenty more great hip-hop songs to help you with your German. Have we missed any of your favourites – let us know in the comments!

And if you want to see the lyrics while you listen to the songs, most texts are available on Genius.com and Songtexte.com.

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