There are a number of ways to indicate that something is going "up" in German, but today let's take a look at the prepositional phrase nach oben, which can be translated into English in a number of ways, depending on the context. Let's take a look at some different interpretations of the phrase in German Yabla videos.

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Vielleicht halten Sie's grad so ein bisschen nach oben.

Maybe you could hold it up a little bit.

Caption 29, Fußball - Torwandschießen

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... dass ein unsichtbarer Faden am Kopf den ganzen Körper nach oben zieht.

... that an invisible thread on top of your head is pulling the whole body upward.

Caption 15, Flirt-Coach-Serie - Die richtige Körpersprache

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Das war ein langer Weg nach oben.

It was a long way to the top.

Caption 3, Preisverleihung - Bestes Magazin

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Nach oben sind dem Preis keine Grenzen gesetzt.

No price limits are set at the top.

Caption 13, Highend-Fashion aus dem Kloster - Ein Mönch als Maßschneider

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Als der Frosch nach oben in ihr Bett getragen werden wollte ...

When the Frog wanted to be carried upstairs to her bed ...

Caption 57, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Der Froschkönig

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In the examples above, you see nach oben used to mean "up," "upward," "to the top," "at the top," and "upstairs." Note that when you say in German that you are going upstairs, it is more common to simply say you are going nach oben than to use the more literal die Treppe hinaufgehen.

The prepositional phrase nach oben also has a number of idiomatic usages: 

Das heißt natürlich nicht, dass hier alle Leute die Nase nach oben tragen.

Of course, that doesn't mean that all the people here put their noses up [idiom, are conceited].

Caption 5, Rhein-Main-TV - Badesee Rodgau

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Die Nase nach oben tragen means "to be conceited."

Es gibt noch Potential nach oben.

There is still upward potential [room for improvement].

Caption 21, Rhein-Main-TV - Green-Region-Konferenz zur Nachhaltigkeit

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And here, Potential nach oben means there is room for improvement.

Ein Mann will nach oben is the title of a novel by Hans Fallada, whose final novel from 1947, Jeder stirbt für sich allein (English title: Every Man Dies Alone), became a surprise bestseller in its English translation in 2009. Ein Mann will nach oben was made into a 13-part TV film in 1978.

Ein Mann will nach oben.

A man wants to move up.

Caption 1, Mathieu Carriere - Ein Mann will nach oben

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Further Learning
Do a search for nach oben on Yabla German and see some more examples of how this phrase is used in German in a real world context! 

In the lesson on The Many Ways to Say "Well" we covered one way to sound more like a German speaker. This time we'll talk about another: using slang or colloquial language. Tschüss (bye) is a good example of this. It's an informal way of saying goodbye and in many situations of even passing familiarity, it's how people part.

Let's look at some more slang you can sprinkle into your German speech.

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In the following example, we learn that:

Die Catwalks der Welt sind voll von schicken

The catwalks of the world are full of chic

und vor allem nicht ganz billigen Klamotten.

and, above all, not exactly inexpensive clothing.

Caption 2, Highend-Fashion aus dem Kloster - Ein Mönch als Maßschneider

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Klamotten is a very common colloquialism for "clothing." As with all such words, you might use it with a hip store clerk or a friend, but not with a complete stranger or even a less familiar coworker.

Another common slang word is blau, meaning "drunk":

Ich find' diese Aktion "bunt statt blau" total wichtig.

I think this campaign "Colorful Instead of Blue [Drunk]" is totally important.

Caption 3, Luxuslärm - rockt gegen's Saufen

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Slang can vary greatly according to region. The word Kiez, used in the following example, is fairly specific to Berlin, where it means a small, cohesive neighborhood. It is also used in Hamburg, and to a lesser extent in Hannover, where it is suggestive of prostitution. By contrast, it is entirely unfamiliar in most of southern Germany.

Gitarrist Jürgen Ehle wohnt seit fünfundzwanzig Jahren

Guitarist Jürgen Ehle has lived for twenty-five years

in dem Kiez und schwelgt in Erinnerungen.

in the neighborhood, and luxuriates in memories.

Captions 3-4, Pankow - Rolling Stones des Ostens

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That just about wraps things up for now. Tschüss and till next time!

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Learning Tip

Getting frustrated with the pace of your learning? Try this fun exercise. Watch a video that is a level of difficulty higher than usual and then go back to one you had to work particularly at to master. You will find that you have come a longer distance than you had thought.