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The Proof is in the Pudding

The German language does not have an equivalent to the rather odd phrase above, which originated in the proverb that the proof of the flavor of a pudding is in the eating of it. The phrase means that the end result is the mark of the success or failure of one’s efforts or planning. The most common words used as "proof," or "evidence," or "to prove" in German are the noun der Beweis and the verb beweisen. Here are some examples of the noun:

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Den Beweis tritt die hübsche Münchnerin ausgerechnet in der alpinen Bergwelt Österreichs an.

The pretty Munich resident produces the evidence, of all places, in the alpine mountain world of Austria.

Captions 5-6, Im Höhenflug - Ariadne (die Ex von Lothar Matthäus)

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Endlich ein Beweis dafür, dass ich nicht im Baum sitze und was auf dich schmeiße.

Finally, evidence that I'm not sitting in the tree throwing something at you.

Caption 32, Piggeldy und Frederick - Streiten

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The phrase unter Beweis stellen, however, which is literally "to place under proof," is usually best translated to English with a verb:

 

Und ich freue mich sehr, meine Fähigkeiten, die ich an der Universität erworben habe, im realen Leben unter Beweis zu stellen.

And I am very excited to demonstrate the skills that I acquired in university in real life.

Captions 16-18, Berufsleben - das Vorstellungsgespräch - Part 2

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Here are some examples of the verb beweisen:

 

So beweist NIKI, dass sich Wirtschaftlichkeit und guter Service miteinander verbinden lassen.

That's how NIKI proves that economy and good service can be connected with one another.

Captions 34-35, Fluglinien - Niki Air

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Doch wir sind hier nicht etwa beim Seniorenturnen, wie uns Daniela Katzenberger eindrucksvoll beweist, sondern bei einer Benefizveranstaltung.

But we are not here at some sort of senior gymnastics event, as Daniela Katzenberger impressively proves to us, but rather at a benefit event.

Captions 14-16, Rhein-Main-TV aktuell - Kick für Kids

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Im Video zur ersten Single muss Clueso dann auch gleich beweisen, dass er noch fit ist.

In the video of the first single, Clueso must also then immediately prove that he is still fit.

Captions 6-7, Clueso - ist endlich erwachsen

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Die Person muss beweisen, dass sie wegen ihrer politischen Überzeugung, Religionszugehörigkeit, ihrer Rasse, Nationalität verfolgt wird.

The person must prove that because of their political convictions, religious affiliation, or their race or nationality, they are being persecuted.

Captions 20-21, Flüchtlingskrise - 10 Vorurteile, die nicht stimmen

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Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and see the various forms of der Beweis and beweisen used in a real-world context. If you want to go deeper, read this German Wikipedia article about the legal differences between der Hauptbeweis, der Gegenbeweis, and der Beweis des Gegenteils.

German Soccer Expressions

If you are a soccer fan, you are probably already familiar with many soccer terms, but here are few that may be new for you!

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A referee is a Schiedsrichter, but just as "ref" is often used as a shorter form for "referee" in English, so too in German is Schiri a shortening of Schiedsrichter:

 

Am besten holt sich jeder Schiri... knöpft sich einen Spieler vor.

It would be best if every ref got... to button up a player.

Caption 30, Die OLElympischen Spiele - Laotischer Hühnertanz

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The slang term Gelb sehen, literally to "see yellow," means a player has been penalized with a yellow penalty card:

 

Dafür habe ich aber 'ne gelbe Karte wegen Foulspielen an 'n Rasen bekommen,

For that, however, I received a yellow card for foul play against the field,

Caption 49, Rhein-Main-TV aktuell - Kick für Kids

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In the above caption you see the football terms das Foulspiel (foul play) and der Rasen (the playing field) too!

A penalty shot is called an Elfmeter, literally an "eleven meter," in reference to the distance from the goal, and in this case the shot was verschossen or "missed":

 

Aus Scham über den verschossenen Elfmeter pumpt Vettel erst mal ein paar Liegestütze.

From shame over the missed eleven meter [penalty shot], Vettel first pumps a few push-ups.

Caption 40, Fußball - Prominente beim Benefizspiel

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Here we manage to get four football terms in a single sentence!

 

Es ist ein Laufduell, ein Pass, der vor die Abwehr kommt, und ein Zweikampf.

It's a sprinting duel, a pass that comes before the defense, and a tackle.

Caption 37, Fußball - U21-Nationalmannschaft

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Further Learning:

Pop quiz: without peeking, what do the terms we just read about mean? Der Schiri, die gelbe Karte, das Foulspiel, der Rasen, verschossen, der Elfmeter, das Laufduell, der Pass, die Abwehr, der Zweikampf. If you would like to go beyond vocabulary and into some very funny German soccer philosophy, read the article in der Spiegel entitled "German Football's Greatest Sayings."

Expressions