Isn’t there a German word for that?
Languages are rich in imagery and metaphor, and German is among the best for finding just the right word to describe a feeling or a tone. But sometimes, even German just doesn’t cut it. See how Angela Merkel, current German Chancellor, used a word that raised a few eyebrows on this side of the Atlantic, but not the other.
(Remember that CUNY students have a free subscription to the NY Times. Don’t use up your free article views, kids!)
Friends and I have been discussing diets and their effects on our bodies. One friend is following quite a restrictive diet due to digestion issues (intolerance, not allergy). However, she still likes the taste of many foods that disagree with her (e.g. they cause bloating, stomach ache).
One of our friends quipped:
We need a word for those foods where the person loves the food but the food sadly does not love them back.
Is there such a word in German?
user unknown
23.1k3 gold badges45 silver badges97 bronze badges
asked Feb 2, 2017 at 2:09
8
I can not think of a word for that kind of food. However, a commonly used term when you eat or drink something you know is not good for you is sündigen (to sin or to indulge).
Gestern habe ich wieder gesündigt und eine ganze Tafel Schokolade gegessen…
answered Feb 2, 2017 at 8:22
Thorsten DittmarThorsten Dittmar
15.8k1 gold badge24 silver badges50 bronze badges
9
A food that attracts you but you know is not good for you is a temptation. The German word for this is
Versuchung
Although a temptation needs not be a sort of food, and its strict definition really means the stimulus created by a particular situation, the term is often used in that context. Given the situation,
Ich sollte dieser Tafel Schokolade widerstehen
and
Ich sollte dieser Versuchung widerstehen
are really synonymous.
answered Feb 2, 2017 at 14:43
PeterPeter
1753 bronze badges
9
The negative effects of the food can best be covered by
schlecht bekömmlich, unbekömmlich, nicht bekömmlich
(This means sort of causing trouble, restricting this to food/wellness topic.)
I’m not aware of any word expressing that in combination with addictiveness.
answered Feb 2, 2017 at 8:23
guidot♦guidot
26.5k2 gold badges34 silver badges79 bronze badges
5
The lack of definite answers shows that there is no established (compound) word or phrase for an enjoyable meal with predetermined bad aftermath. Here are some ideas anyhow.
- Lustmahl, Lustspeise, Lustfraß, Lustessen – sexual connotation of Lust may be too strong
- Bauchspeise/Herzspeise/Halsspeise, Wohlfühlspeise/Gefühlsspeise vs. Kopfspeise/Hirnspeise, Vernunftspeise – cf. Bauchgefühl, Bauchentscheidung, Hals über Kopf, Herz statt Hirn, Kopf sagt Nein doch Bauch/Herz sagt Ja, Leibspeise …
- kleine/lässliche (kulinarische) Sünde
- unwiderstehliche/köstliche Versuchung
- köstlicher/genussvoller/kalkulierter/bewusster Fehler
- Unwiderstehlichkeit
- Lieblingsfehler
- gefährliche Köstlichkeit
- Geschmacksfalle
- nachbeschwerter/folgenschwerer Genuss – cf. unbeschwerter Genuss
- … mit Konsequenzen, … wider besseren Wissens, … ist die Folgen wert, … jederzeit wieder
answered Feb 10, 2017 at 20:26
CrissovCrissov
9,1111 gold badge21 silver badges58 bronze badges
1
No, there is no word for that in German.
answered Feb 2, 2017 at 13:21
7
The closest I can currently come up with is «Droge» — Note this directly translates to drug in English, but the German term does only refer to the «illegal» sort of stuff.
Kartoffelchips? Ich vertrag’ sie nicht, aber das ist halt meine Droge. Ich kann’s einfach nicht lassen.
answered Feb 2, 2017 at 14:19
tofrotofro
60.6k2 gold badges80 silver badges188 bronze badges
6
I recommend the phrase mein Gift.
Schokolade ist mein Gift.
Chocolate is my poison.
Wenn ich zwischen Broccoli und Tofu entscheiden müsste, wären Zitronen das Gift meiner Wahl.
If I had to choose between broccoli and tofu, lemons would be the poison of my choice.
answered Feb 2, 2017 at 10:58
JankaJanka
50.2k2 gold badges56 silver badges106 bronze badges
3
Just for fun, I invented (I believe) this portmanteau:
Suchtualien
From Suchtmittel and Viktualien
answered Feb 2, 2017 at 13:56
BetaBeta
4,7571 gold badge14 silver badges36 bronze badges
Kalorienbombe :: calorie bomb
This stands for food which makes you fat, usually cake, chocolate, chips and all this stuff. In general this is food which is not recommended in any way.
But I would like to make a clear difference to food which hurts you or makes aches. This is seldom and only applied to people who have major intolerances and allergies. There is no special term for it. I am not an expert but I think your brain or body has some mechanism which are self-learning to prevent you from eating this (allergies are special here). So I am in doubt that you like food very long which really hurts you.
answered Feb 2, 2017 at 15:04
ThomasThomas
2,9639 silver badges26 bronze badges
As far as I know there is no word for that type of food but there is a word for the craving of these foods Heißhunger. Heißhunger is defined in the Duden dictionary as:
A sudden, fierce hunger for a specific type of food:
http://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Heiszhunger (Translation mine)
In common speech this word is commonly used to refer to unhealthy foods, especially sweets. It is not exactly what you are looking for but I feel its the closest to the sentiment you are looking for.
answered Feb 2, 2017 at 8:56
1
By
Last updated:
January 1, 2023
German’s got some unique benefits going for it.
The German language is often parodied for its love of mushing together a bunch of words to create one super-long one.
Like Kraftfahrzeughaftpflichtversicherung (automobile liability insurance) and the previous titleholder for longest German word, Rindfleischetikettierungsueberwachungsaufgabenuebertragungsgesetz (law delegating beef label monitoring — thankfully the law it describes was repealed.)
On the flip-side, Germans are also good at something that involves a bit more brevity: summing up complex concepts and emotional states in just one word.
Contents
- Where to Learn New German Words
-
- 1. Weltschmerz
- 2. Fremdscham
- 3. Treppenwitz
- 4. Mutterseelenallein
- 5. Unwort
- 6. Gemütlichkeit
- 7. Backpfeifengesicht
- 8. Sprachgefühl
- 9. Aufschnitte
- 10. Streicheleinheit
- 11. Sehnsucht
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Where to Learn New German Words
Many websites and apps can help you learn uniquely German words that’ll help you more accurately sum up your web of emotions.
- Deutsche Welle has a regular feature called Word of the Week that features interesting German words and a brief explanation of how they’re used. They also provide an audio file. Download this and learn how to pronounce some of those more tongue-tying words.
- FluentU aims to get your brain in “German mode” so you understand how native speakers use the language in real life. Every video comes with interactive subtitles, flashcards and fun quizzes so you remember what you’ve learned. Check it out with the free trial.
- Easy Languages on YouTube has a feature called “Learning German from the Streets” where they ask passersby to explain German words. There’s even an episode on Weltschmerz. The videos are very easy to follow because they have both German and English subtitles, so it’s a great way to hear complex concepts explained by everyday Germans.
11 Oddly Specifc German Words That Make Other Languages Jealous
Words like these would definitely come in handy in English. You know, when you want to describe a very specific scenario that everyone knows. Instead, we’re limited to giving the same long-winded explanations again and again.
That’s why sometimes it’s just easier for us to stick to the original German words, like Zeitgeist (spirit of the time) or Doppelgänger (look-alike or double).
Here are a few more examples that the English language should consider adding.
1. Weltschmerz
Literally translated to “world pain,” Weltschmerz describes the feeling of having the weight of the world on your shoulders.
You know those days where you watch some moving documentary on Netflix about starving children in some far-off place and suddenly you feel hopeless about the state of our plant?
You have Weltschmerz.
When you read the news, see all the horrible things happening and feel deep resignation about your own inability to do anything about any of it? Weltschmerz. The next time your outlook is too dark and glum to bear seeing another photo exhibit on AIDS, just let your friends know you can’t. Du hast Weltschmerz.
2. Fremdscham
This feeling may arise when you see a Facebook friend post a long-winded rant about something that turns out to be a gag article from The Onion.
Or when you watch one of those clips from America’s Funniest Home Videos where someone gets hurt in a stupid way.
Some might feel Schadenfreude, a German word that is somewhat commonly used in English, which means taking joy in others’ pain.
Instead of this though, you cringe and feel embarrassed for them, almost as if you made the mistake yourself. That’s Fremdscham, literally “stranger shame.”
One might feel this at a party when someone else insults the host’s cooking, only to have the host walk up right behind them. Ouch — that stinging feeling in your stomach? Total Fremdscham.
3. Treppenwitz
English-language comedians have built dozens upon dozens of sitcoms entirely upon the premise of Treppenwitz, like in the Seinfeld episode “The Comeback.” Yet we still don’t have a good way to describe it.
Well, I’ll take a stab at it. You know those times when you get into an argument with someone and you want so badly to say a snappy comeback, but that snappy comeback doesn’t dawn on you until long after the altercation?
That’s a Treppenwitz.
The word literally means “staircase joke,” as in you don’t think of the retort until you’re on the stairs, leaving the scene. Then you kick yourself for not thinking faster. Shoot! Why didn’t I think of that?
4. Mutterseelenallein
This one might come the closest to representing the internet meme “forever alone,” but the imagery it evokes cannot be matched in English.
Mutterseelenallein literally translates to mean “mother’s souls alone,” as in no soul, not even your mother’s, is with you. You’re so alone that not even your mother can stand being with you. Cue the sad violin music.
5. Unwort
Ever the clever linguists, Germans know that sometimes there are words that aren’t really words. They decided that those words deserve their own word to describe them.
That word is Unwort, or un-word. The term is generally used to describe newly created, and often offensive, “words.” There’s even a panel of German linguists that selects an “Un-word of the Year.”
6. Gemütlichkeit
If you tell a German “oh, we have a phrase for Gemütlichkeit in English — feeling cozy,” they’ll instantly correct you.
For German speakers, it’s so much more than that.
The word describes the whole atmosphere of your surroundings. It’s not just the state of being on a soft couch that gives you Gemütlichkeit. It’s being on a soft couch. Under a warm blanket. Surrounded by family. With a cup of hot chocolate in your hands. And maybe a knit cap on your head. It’s the whole experience and feeling that you have of being physically warm, but also metaphorically feeling warm inside your heart.
7. Backpfeifengesicht
In English, one might say someone has “a face only a mother could love.” In German, such faces might also deserve getting punched. Backpfeifengesicht, a “face that should get a slap that whistles across the cheek,” is a face that makes you want to smack that person.
8. Sprachgefühl
Some people just have a knack for learning languages, collecting five, six or seven in their lifetime. It’s like they have a sixth sense for knowing when to say der, die or das. There’s a German word for this: Sprachgefühl, or “language feeling.” According to Wiktionary, it’s the “instinctive or intuitive grasp” of a language.
9. Aufschnitte
This translates to “cold cuts,” but it’s often used not only to describe the pieces of meat on the table, but the whole meal. Often Germans will have a meal of Aufschnitte where they sit down to eat a selection of breads with various fresh cheeses, smoked salmon and thinly sliced meat. It’s often a more convenient alternative to cooking for the whole family after a long day at work and driving on the Autobahn. What’s for dinner? Let’s just have Aufschnitte.
10. Streicheleinheit
Many online dictionaries translate this word to be a noun for “caress,” but when you break down the word, it sounds quite technical.
The word comes from the verb streicheln — to stroke or pet — and the noun Einheit — a unit of measurement. So it literally means “a unit of petting.”
But the way it’s used in practice is more along the lines of what in English might be shortened to TLC — tender love and care. A German might say “Wir alle sehnen uns nach Streicheleinheiten” — we’re all yearning for love and affection. And isn’t that the truth.
11. Sehnsucht
This is another word that describes a complex set of emotions. It comes from sehnen, which means “to yearn or long for,” and Sucht, an obsession, craving or addiction.
Literally, it would mean something like “an obsessive yearning” for something, but that doesn’t quite capture it. It could be used to describe an inconsolable yearning for happiness and the unattainable. It could illustrate that you’re intensely missing something or someone. It may also express a longing for a far-off place.
Either way, it’s a pretty profound emotion to be boiled down into just two syllables.
Feeling Sehnsucht to get out there and start using these unique German words? We are!
Emma Anderson is an American journalist based in Berlin. She regularly writes for Berlin-based, English language publications The Local and EXBERLINER magazine.
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
In high school, my friends dared me to guzzle a cup of tequila, straight. I did, and promptly threw up in the sink nearby. As I stood, trembling and disgusted, someone asked, “Did you just say Europe?” I guess the sound of my retching resembled that word. Eur-ope! From then on, no one in our group vomited. We europed.
I love and despise the shorthand and passwords of any enclosed community, how they draw their members closer, how they exclude interlopers. A couple of months ago, another mother asked me, “How old is your little?” and I had no idea she was referring to my child. (When I finally caught on, I may have europed in my mouth. My little? Seriously, person, go scrapbook and leave me alone.)
My husband can’t help but use acronyms when he’s talking about work; this shorthand is annoying and meaningless to me, but for him it communicates whole spreadsheets and projects in just a few letters, and, more importantly, it proves he belongs in that world. To my ongoing confusion, acronyms are also central to the Internet. Women on various pregnancy and parenting message boards use “DH,” which stands for “dear husband,” but which always makes me think of baseball. Recently, I came upon the acronym “tfw” on Twitter. If you don’t know (because you’re old like me), it stands for, “that feel when.” This particular acronym requires further understanding of Internet syntactical shorthand, i.e, “all the feels.” My delight and rage at this particular Internet-ism is complex: How could such awkwardness have caught on? Everyone who uses this must be putting on airs! And, wow, how nimble and efficient language is, and how fast we (um, they) have written a tribal code!
All this has gotten me thinking about the language of writers and readers. My tribe! Of course there’s the craft language, like dramatize and close third, and there’s the business language, like galley and blurb. But there are a host of other moments in the life of a writer/reader that require their own special words. I’d settle for acronyms. We can do this, people! (Or maybe Lizzie Skurnick can?) Our tribe came up with Franzenfreude, after all.
Here are 11 feelings/experiences, now get me their names:
1.The moment you finally give up on your dream of reading all your back issues of The New Yorker and throw the whole pile of magazines into the recycling bin. It’s a mixture of joy and relief, guilt and shame.
2. That moment right before you type a new sentence when you know — you just know! — that Microsoft Word is going to indent every line of the paragraph. For no reason. Just to mess with you. First you feel dread, followed by frustration, and then, a strange satisfaction that all your fears were warranted.
3. The annoyance, swiftly followed by sadness and pity, that you feel when you receive yet another press release heralding someone’s self-published coloring book about surviving childhood molestation despite a debilitating gluten allergy as well as facial blindness, and can you review it please?
4. The freedom and weightlessness that follows a successful writing session. Its antonym would refer to the despair and hopelessness that descends upon you when you don’t write…despite having all the time in the goddamned world.
5. The pure rage you feel upon adding up just how much you spent to attend AWP. It’s like traveling across the country to attend a wedding — where no one actually got married.
6. The gratefulness a writer-parent experiences knowing they have the golden excuse, “I can’t come to your reading, I’ve got my kid!” for at least five years.
7. The panic that writers feel when they’re about to become parents, realizing how little they’ve accomplished, professionally speaking. You know, it’s the feeling that you haven’t published a book/won an award/been on a bestseller list/gotten reviewed by a major paper, and Johnny Jr. is only seven weeks away! Life’s over, guys!
8. The left-out feeling of every child-free writer not included in Meghan Daum’s much-lauded anthology about writers who don’t have kids. (Related: Every left-out writing feeling ever. Note to Editors: if you’re working on an anthology about freckles, you better call me, or else I’ll cry.)
9. The horror you experience upon realizing the math in your manuscript is all wrong. (“If she was 24 in 1992 then that means in 2015 she’s only…Oh God, no!”)
10. We need words for the exquisite grossness of messy reading. For instance: the food stains in the margins of your books. Or: when your hands and knees get stained from reading in a bath a hardcover without its jacket.
11. The fluttery, lusty buzz you experience buying a book that you cannot wait to read. Similar to the intoxicating, heart-pounding sensation of reading something so good, it’s almost overwhelming. What joy! What a life!
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons.