Let's take a look this week at some German idioms as outlined in the Yabla video series Eva erklärt Sprichwörter. 

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Wenn du so dreinschaust, ist nicht gut Kirschen essen mit dir.

When you look like that, it's not good to eat cherries with you.

Caption 41, Marga Engel schlägt zurück - Betrug - Part 1

 Play Caption

The above saying has little to do with the pleasant pastime of eating cherries, but as Eva explains: 

Wenn mit jemandem nicht gut Kirschen essen ist, dann meinen wir damit eine unfreundliche Person.

If it's not good to eat cherries with someone, then we mean by that an unfriendly person.

Captions 10-11, Eva erklärt - Sprichwörter - Part 2

 Play Caption

From eating cherries, we move up to the nose:

Früher habe ich Fußball gemocht, aber seit dem gestrigen Halbfinale hab ich die Nase voll!

I used to like soccer, but since yesterday's semi-finals, I have the nose full!

Captions 22-23, Konjugation - Das Verb „mögen“

 Play Caption

The person above is not literally suffering from nasal congestion, but rather:

Wenn man die Nase voll hat, dann bedeutet das, dass man auf eine bestimmte Situation keine Lust mehr hat, verärgert ist oder einer Sache überdrüssig wird.

If you have your nose full, then it means that you have no more patience for a certain situation, are annoyed, or have become weary of a matter.

Captions 34-36, Eva erklärt - Sprichwörter - Part 2

 Play Caption

And lastly we go from nasal situations to an apparent lack of pigs:

„Das“, sagte Frederick, „tja... das weiß kein Schwein.“

"That," said Frederick, "well... no pig knows that."

Captions 39-40, Piggeldy und Frederick - Das Fernweh

 Play Caption

„So lange Vorderfüße hat doch kein Schwein und damit basta!“

"But no pig has such long front feet, and that's the end of it!"

Caption 38, Piggeldy und Frederick - Unendlichkeit

 Play Caption

Vom Schwein spricht man übrigens auch, wenn man Desinteresse ausdrücken möchte. Dann sagt man: „Das interessiert doch kein Schwein.“

By the way, you also speak about pigs when you want to express disinterest. Then you say: "But no pig is interested in that."

Captions 55-56, Eva erklärt - Sprichwörter - Part 2

 Play Caption

The simplest straightforward translation of the idiom kein Schwein is thus "no-one."

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Further Learning
Kein Schwein should be misunderstanding German idioms: Go to Yabla German and watch the Eva erklärt - Sprichwörter series and find other examples of these expressions in different contexts. Later in the month we will be bringing you some more examples of idioms from this Yabla series!

Have you noticed that there is not only the verb hören in German, but also anhören and zuhören? Unfortunately, the difference between these three can’t exactly be equated with the difference between “to listen” and “to hear” in English. Let’s try to get to the bottom of how each one is used.  

Hören without any prefixes can actually be translated as both “to hear” and “to listen,” depending on the context.

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Hört ihr es? Mein Wasser fängt gerade an zu kochen.

Do you hear it? My water is just starting to boil.

Caption 35, Cannelloni - mit Jenny - Part 1

 Play Caption

Das haben wohl schon so einige Kinder von ihren Eltern zu hören bekommen.

Quite a few children have gotten to hear that from their parents.

Caption 2, Kochhaus Berlin - Kochen mit Kindern

 Play Caption

OK, ich höre. Wer beginnt?

OK, I am listening. Who will begin?

Caption 26, Deutschkurs in Blaubeuren - Der Relativsatz - Part 16

 Play Caption

Zuhören is used to describe listening intently or paying attention. 

Du musst genau zuhören, was gesprochen wird,

You have to listen carefully to what is said,

Caption 39, German Intro - Cettina

 Play Caption

„Und nun hör zu:" "Der Sommer ist warm und kurz."

"And now listen up. "Summer is warm and short."

Captions 29-30, Piggeldy und Frederick - Sommer

 Play Caption

Sich etwas anhören describes listening to something specific that requires some time, for example, a song or an album. This is a bit confusing as hören is also used to talk about listening to music. If you understand the difference between sehen and sich etwas ansehen, this may help you with the distinction between hören and sich etwas anhören. Perhaps it is not unlike "to have a good look" or "to have a listen."

Wir möchten uns ein bisschen von seiner Lebensgeschichte anhören.

We would like to hear a bit about his life story.

Caption 4, Dieter Kränzlein - Bildhauer - Part 1

 Play Caption

Und was erwartet uns, wenn wir uns das Album anhören?

And what awaits us [can we expect] when we listen to the album?

Caption 13, Sons of Sounds - Open-Air in Karlsruhe

 Play Caption

At the same time, sich anhören is also used to talk about something (for example, an idea or suggestion) that “sounds good” or “sounds bad.” Take a look at the structures below: 

OK, das hört sich gut an. Ich komme gerne mit.

OK, that sounds good. I'll gladly come along.

Caption 44, Diane erklärt - Fragewörter

 Play Caption

Im Präteritum würde sich das so anhören.

In the preterite [narrative past in German], it would sound like this.

Caption 31, Konjugation - Das Verb „mögen“

 Play Caption

Now for a false friend alert: The verb überhören does not mean "to overhear" in the English sense. It actually means to ignore or miss something one has heard. 

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Further Learning
Search Yabla German for more examples of these verbs to develop your understanding of how they are used. Next week, we’ll look at a few words that contain the word hören, but have little to do with listening or hearing.  

When was the last time you had a swine? Do you only understand "train station?" Is your life like a pony ranch? Is your nose full of it? Is it really about the wurst? Are you pressing your thumbs for me? If any of these phrases seem odd to you, now is the time catch up on some of the most common German idioms!

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

„Wir haben ganz schön Schwein gehabt", sagte Frederick.

"We pretty much had a swine [idiom: were lucky]," said Frederick.

Caption 33, Piggeldy und Frederick - Reise nach Schweinebrück

 Play Caption

Maybe villages used to award pigs at farmer bingo games, but whatever the reason, "having a swine" means you're in luck in German!
 

Also, ich versteh' nur Bahnhof.

Well, I only understand "train station" [idiom: I don't understand anything].

Caption 27, Die Pfefferkörner - Gerüchteküche

 Play Caption

"Bahnhof" might be one of the first words a new arrival to Germany learns, so if you only understand "Bahnhof," then you don't understand very much at all.
 

Ist das Leben für Sie ein Ponyhof?

Is life a pony ranch [idiom, easy, fun] for you?

Caption 3, Oktoberfest München - Auf der Wiesn

 Play Caption

Apparently a pony ranch is the German idea of a "bowl of cherries"...
 

Aber seit dem gestrigen Halbfinale hab ich die Nase voll!

But since yesterday's semi-finals, I have the nose full [idiom: am very disenchanted]!

Caption 23, Konjugation - Das Verb „mögen“

 Play Caption

One can only surmise that having your nose stuffed up could get pretty uncomfortable.
 

OK, jetzt geht's wirklich um die Wurst.

OK, now it's really about the wurst [idiom: getting serious].

Caption 35, rheinmain Szene - Miss Interkontinental

 Play Caption

Germans traditionally take their sausages very seriously, so if it's "about the wurst", everybody is paying serious attention!
 

Deswegen müsst ihr mir ganz doll die Daumen drücken.

For that reason you have to press the thumbs [idiom, "cross your fingers"] for me very much.

Caption 25, Summer Cheergirl - Vorstellung der Kandidatinnen

 Play Caption

Much in the same way that (as shown in the well-known scene in the film Inglourious Basterds) that a European will indicate "three" with the thumb and first two fingers, and an American with only the first three fingers, so too in Germany the thumbs are pressed rather than fingers crossed for luck.

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Further Learning
Look up some common English idioms and see if you can find the German equivalents in a real world context in videos on German Yabla.