We already discussed a number of German words that may be translated as "crazy" in a couple of previous lessons, including Part I of this lesson. These include the adjectives verrückt, wahnsinnig, irre, and bescheuert, as well as the verbs spinnen and piepen. Let's take a look today at some more German expressions and idioms relating to "crazy."
But please remember: while it may be perfectly polite to use such expressions regarding objects or situations, it may be rude to use them to describe people. The German Duden dictionary even warns: The reference of the adjective "crazy" (and words derived from it) to mentally or psychologically ill people is strongly discriminatory. It also might get somebody very angry with you, so it's a better policy to be polite!
Also, die hat so derart einen Sprung in der Schüssel, du!
That is, she's crazy, you know!
Caption 4, Tatortreiniger: E.M.M.A. 206
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The German idiom einen Sprung in der Schüssel haben literally means "to have a cracked bowl." One meaning of the English idiom "to be cracked" means "crazy" too.
Ja, vielleicht bin ich auch irgendwie durchgeknallt.
Yes, perhaps I am also somehow crazy.
Caption 3, Luxuslärm: Einmal im Leben
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Bist du völlig durchgeknallt?
Are you completely insane?
Caption 27, Gran Paradiso Kapitel 2: Eine Bergtour
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Hat die einen Knall?
Is she crazy?
Caption 36, Die Pfefferkörner: Gerüchteküche
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The adverb/adjective durchgeknallt could be literally translated as "popped through," but the proper translation is "crazy" or one of its many synonyms. The German noun der Knall means a loud noise like a "bang" or a "pop," but einen Knall haben means "crazy."
Nur Flausen in der Birne und nichts im Gehirne!
Only fluff in the head and nothing in the brain!
Caption 27, Es war einmal: das Leben Die Zelle
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The noun die Birne actually means "pear" but is used in much like the English slang "noggin" or "bean" to mean "head." The phrase eine weiche Birne haben is similar to the deprecating English phrase "to be soft in the head" or "crazy."
Er sei vollkommen unsichtbar für jeden, dem etwas im Oberstübchen fehlte.
It was entirely invisible to anyone who is stupid.
Caption 27, Märchen - Sagenhaft: Des Kaisers neue Kleider
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If somebody "is missing something upstairs," they don't feel that this person is very smart. But if something "is not quite right in their back room" (nicht ganz richtig im Hinterstübchen sein), then somebody thinks this person is crazy!
Die sind total bekloppt. Los! Kommt mit!
They are totally nuts. Get moving! Come on!
Caption 8, CHoE Rocker: Wahlbetrug 2009? Der Videobeweis!
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The translator of the caption above chose "nuts" for bekloppt, but any synonym of "crazy" could work. According to DWDS, the word originates from the verb klopfen ("to knock").
Further Learning
You can review the first part of this lesson, and then go to Yabla German and watch the full videos for the above captions to get a better feel for the contexts in which they are used.
When it comes to learning the basic shapes in German, Eva's got you covered with a video about exactly that:
Als Erstes haben wir hier einen Kreis.
First, we have a circle here.
Caption 13, Eva zeigt uns: Formen
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However, we often talk about shapes with a bit more nuance. For example, we might talk about spots and dots, or ovals rather than circles:
Alle Möbel mit roten Punkten gehören deiner Mama und die mit grünen gehören mir.
All of the pieces of furniture with red dots belong to your mother and those with green belong to me.
Caption 21, Mama arbeitet wieder Kapitel 4: Die Trennung
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Die Trainerschüler müssen die Hühner zum Beispiel dazu bringen, im Oval um zwei Kegel zu laufen.
The training students, for example, must get [their] chickens to walk around two cones in an oval.
Captions 24-25, Tierakademie Scheuerhof: Tiertrainer im Hühner-Seminar
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When we look at three-dimensional forms, there's a whole other set of vocabulary to learn. The word for a cube is actually der Kubus, but people describing objects will often use der Würfel, which is also the word you use for dice.
Eine Masse von eineinhalb Sonnen, gepresst in eine Kugel mit gerade mal zehn Meilen Durchmesser.
A mass of one and a half suns pressed into a sphere with only a ten-mile diameter.
Captions 20-21, Unser Universum Sternengeburt: Das Leben nach dem stellaren Tod
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Wir haben hier fünfhundert Gramm Mehl, einen ganzen Würfel Hefe.
We have here five hundred grams of flour here, a whole cube of yeast.
Captions 8-9, Bundesländer und ihre Rezepte: Bayern
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Even though most patterns are repetitions of certain shapes, most of the words don't relate to the original forms. This makes sense, because even if a stripe is technically a long, thin rectangle, we don't perceive it as such.
Oh, das Muster und... und diese Farben! Es ist wirklich überwältigend, wirklich!
Oh, the pattern and... and these colors! It is really overwhelming, really!
Caption 41, Märchen - Sagenhaft: Des Kaisers neue Kleider
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Die Flagge hat oben und unten einen roten Streifen.
The flag has a red stripe on the top and bottom.
Caption 48, Bundesländer und ihre Rezepte: Bundesland Berlin
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Ein gestreiftes Hemd und eine warme Hose und ganz schicke Schuhe.
A striped shirt and warm trousers and very stylish shoes.
Caption 17, Nicos Weg: Schick!
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In case you are like Nico and also like wearing patterned clothing, you might like to know that the word for "polka-dotted" is gepunktet, and kariert means "plaid," "checked," or "checkered."
Further Learning
After you watch Eva's video on Yabla German in its entirety, look up the German words for some 3-D forms such as the pyramid, cone, cylinder, and prism.
You may have occasionally seen sentences like the following: Sie sagte, er spreche sehr gut Deutsch.
You may think, er spreche? What is going on here?
This structure is an example of what is known as the indirekte Rede (in English "reported speech"), which is used more often but not exclusively in written German and formal reporting or storytelling. Sentences like this will involve the verb sagen or other verbs used to talk about what people think and say, such as antworten, äußern, behaupten, berichten, denken, erklären, fragen, glauben, or meinen.
In instances where someone's speech or thoughts are reported, you may see the subjunctive (Konjunktiv I) employed, like in the sentence above. For regular verbs, some of the endings are indistinguishable from other tenses, but some are very different. Here is the complete Konjunktiv I conjugation of the verb sprechen, and here are examples of how it would be used with reported speech:
Er sagte, ich spreche sehr gut Deutsch. ("He said I speak very good German.")
Er sagte, du sprechest sehr gut Deutsch. ("He said you speak very good German.")
Er sagte, er/sie spreche sehr gut Deutsch. ("He said she/he speaks very good German.")
Er sagte, wir sprechen sehr gut Deutsch. ("He said we speak very good German.")
Er sagte, ihr sprechet sehr gut Deutsch. ("He said you speak very good German.")
Er sagte, Sie/sie sprechen sehr gut Deutsch. ("He said they speak very good German.")
In the following examples, you can see the same conjugation pattern with a few other verbs:
Der König hatte sie nicht eingeladen,
The King hadn't invited her,
weil es hieß, sie habe ein böses Herz.
because it was said she had an evil heart.
Caption 19, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Dornröschen
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Er verband ihm das Bein,
He bandaged his leg,
fragte ihn nicht, wohin er wolle, woher er käme.
did not ask him where he was going, where he had come from.
Captions 7-8, Janoschs Traumstunde - Der Wettlauf zwischen Hase und Igel
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Der hat mir erzählt, er sei echt nur...
he told me that he really just is...
Er fahre eigentlich Mercedes
He actually drives a Mercedes
und kleide sich deshalb so schräg ...
and the reason he dresses so weirdly...
Captions 30-31, Yello-Biographie - Ein Leben für die Avantgarde
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You may have noticed that kommen is irregular. One other irregular verb that you have likely seen conjugated like this is sein:
Von daher werde ich nicht tanzen,
Therefore I won't be dancing,
so dass ich behaupten kann, ich sei ein brillianter Tänzer,
so I can claim that I'm a brilliant dancer
und niemand kann es konterkarieren.
and nobody can disprove it.
Captions 25-26, Deutsche Sporthilfe - Ball des Sports
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Hans erklärte, er sei nicht verzaubert,
Hans explained that he was not bewitched,
sondern wirklich ein Igeljunge.
but really a hedgehog boy.
Caption 71, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Hans mein Igel
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Sie behaupteten, sie seien Weber eines seltenen,
They claimed that they were weavers of a rare,
besonders schönen Stoffes.
especially beautiful cloth.
Caption 25, Märchen - Sagenhaft Des Kaisers neue Kleider
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Further Learning
You will likely come across examples of reported speech on Yabla German from time to time, but structures like Sie sagt, dass er Italienisch spricht are simply more common in spoken German. When you do see an example that uses Konjunktiv I, check to see if it's a regular or irregular verb in terms of its conjugation.
It has truly been a year of ups and downs, to the extent that it takes a pretty advanced vocabulary to describe what we're feeling sometimes. This week, we'd like to provide a list of some adjectives that are used to express both positive and negative emotions.
The adjective aufgeregt in German describes a mixture of "excited" and "nervous," like before you do a presentation or go on a roller coaster. On the other hand, gespannt is used to describe a type of excitement more linked to curiosity or looking forward to something. Besorgt could be translated as "worried" or "concerned."
Gleich geht's los, ein bisschen aufgeregt bin ich schon.
It will start momentarily, I am certainly a little bit nervous.
Caption 3, Deutsche Welle - Hin und weg - Best of Europa-Park!
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Ich bin mal gespannt, wie es klappt. Ich hoffe, es gefällt euch.
I am excited to see how it will go. I hope you like it.
Caption 41, Eva Croissant - Interview
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Ich bin ein bisschen besorgt, ob ich es zu der Wohnung von den beiden schaffe.
I'm a little bit worried as to whether I'll be able to make it to their apartment.
Caption 21, Die Wohngemeinschaft - Besuch
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When something turns out well, your reaction may range from zufrieden ("pleased," "satisfied") to erstaunt ("astonished"), depending on whether the outcome was expected or not.
Ich bin sehr zufrieden. Für diese gute Leistung geb ich dir eine Eins.
I'm very satisfied. I'll give you a "one" for this good performance.
Caption 51, Bundesländer und ihre Rezepte - Bayern
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Eine Freundin von mir war schon einmal in der Hauptstadt Oslo und sie war begeistert.
A friend of mine was already in the capital, Oslo, once and she was thrilled.
Caption 11, Jenny - Reiseziele
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Die Menschen waren erstaunt über das, was sie sahen.
The people were astonished at what they saw.
Caption 63, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Des Kaisers neue Kleider
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Of course, many of us have had our share of difficult experiences this year and had to face their corresponding emotions:
Ich war total gestresst, weil mein Chef im Büro mich so genervt hat.
I was totally stressed out because my boss was really getting on my nerves at the office.
Caption 19, Konjugation - Das Verb „brauchen“
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Müde und erschöpft stand er schließlich vor ihrer Tür.
Tired and exhausted, he finally stood in front of their door.
Caption 20, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Die Büchse der Pandora
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Die Leute wären genauso enttäuscht und genauso deprimiert.
People would be just as disappointed and depressed.
Caption 55, Böhmermann - Wie geht man als Satiriker mit Rechtspopulismus um?
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Na ja, also, der Junge ist einfach schlichtweg überfordert mit dem Projekt.
Well... well, the boy is just completely overwhelmed by the project.
Caption 8, Mama arbeitet wieder - Die Trennung
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Völlig überwältigt stellt sie sich den vielen Fernsehkameras.
Completely overwhelmed, she faced the many television cameras.
Caption 41, Miss Germany 2011 - Auf High Heels zur Krone
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The hope is, of course, that we can generally find a balance and remain optimistic as the year comes to an end.
Ich versuche, optimistisch zu bleiben,
I am trying to stay optimistic,
aber ich habe das Gefühl, dass ich die Stelle nicht bekommen habe.
but I have the feeling that I didn't get the job.
Captions 4-5, Berufsleben - das Vorstellungsgespräch
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Wart ihr sehr aufgeregt oder wart ihr ganz entspannt?
Were you very nervous or were you totally relaxed?
Caption 37, Modedesignerin Nina Hollein - Floria Prinzessin von Hessen
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Further Learning
There are many more adjectives you can look up on Yabla German, of course. You can start with erleichtert, froh, verärgert, verzweifelt, wütend, verängstigt, and zuversichtlich. Since adjectives and adverbs can often be identical in German, do not be surprised if you encounter these words being used as adverbs as well — it's a 2 for 1 deal!
Since we devoted one lesson to expressions of frustration, let's look at how enthusiasm is expressed in German as well and take a look at some positive adjectives.
„Ich muss sagen: überwältigend!“ -„Ausgezeichnet! Ausgezeichnet, finde ich!“
"I must say, overwhelming!" -"Brilliant! Brilliant, I think!"
Caption 54, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Des Kaisers neue Kleider
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Ausgezeichnet is also the participle of the verb auszeichnen, which means to award or distinguish.
Mit dem Architekturpreis Green Building wurden in Frankfurt kürzlich acht Gebäude ausgezeichnet.
Eight buildings in Frankfurt were recently awarded the Green Building architecture prize.
Caption 1, Umweltbewusstes Wohnen - Architekturpreis Green Building
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Many of these adjectives don't have a fixed translation ("outstanding," "awesome"), but are instead best translated with the positive adjective that fits in the context.
Es ist wirklich großartig, von Ihnen zu hören.
It is really great to hear from you.
Caption 20, Berufsleben - das Vorstellungsgespräch
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Das ist natürlich auch toll, wenn man 'ne gemeinsame Sache hat.
Of course, it's also great when you have something in common.
Caption 8, 2raumwohnung - Liebe mit Musik am Laufen halten
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Das klingt hervorragend.
That sounds amazing.
Caption 42, Berufsleben - Probleme mit Mitarbeitern
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Of course, the adjectives super, fantastisch, and exzellent will sound quite familiar to anyone who speaks English. Also easy to recognize is the adjective wunderbar:
Und da ist dann der Balkon. -Ah, mit Balkon, wunderbar.
And there then is the balcony. -Ah, with a balcony, wonderful.
Caption 43, Fine - sucht eine Wohnung
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Another adjective you may come across, especially with younger Germans, is geil. Yes, this does indeed also have a meaning that is not appropriate in most conversations! But it is a common, albeit slang, term for "awesome" or "fantastic" as well.
Und wie war's? -Geil, wie immer. -Was speziell?
And how was it? -Awesome, as always. -What especially?
Caption 10, Abenteuer und Sport - Fallschirmspringen
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Further Learning
All of these adjectives and more can be found on Yabla German. Pay attention to adjective declension any time they precede a noun.
I still sometimes find it difficult, despite speaking German for decades, to distinguish between the two nouns die Gelegenheit and die Angelegenheit. In all fairness, though, the fact that prefixes like an-, be-, ver-, ent-, etc. radically alter the meanings of German words is part of what makes German difficult for English speakers.
Let's start by stripping Gelegenheit of its -heit suffix, leaving us with the adverb/adjective gelegen:
...eine Kleinstadt für sich, gelegen entlang der schweiz-französischen Grenze.
...a small town on its own, located along the Swiss-French border.
Caption 2, Die Weltmaschine - Der LHC-Teilchenbeschleuniger
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Vor der abseits gelegenen Düne gelang ihm eine sensationelle Entdeckung:
In front of this remotely situated dune, he managed to make a sensational discovery:
Captions 22-23, Abenteuer Nordsee - Unter Riesenhaien und Tintenfischen
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Thus gelegen is usually translated as "located" or situated," though it also can mean "desired" (erwünscht) or "opportune" (günstig). When we add the suffix -heit and make it a noun, it becomes:
Die Gelegenheit lässt sich Florian nicht entgehen.
Florian doesn't let this opportunity slip by.
Caption 18, Abenteuer Nordsee - Unter Riesenhaien und Tintenfischen
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Dann lernst du ihn auch gleich kennen bei der Gelegenheit.
Then you'll also get to know him right away on this occasion.
Caption 28, Fine - sucht einen Hammer
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Die Gelegenheit is almost always translated as "opportunity," except when preceded with the preposition bei, when it's usually translated as "occasion." On a more humorous note, just as "the facilities" are used in English as a polite euphemism for the toilet, so too is die Gelegenheit an old-fashioned euphemism in German for das WC. A perhaps overly polite way to ask where the toilet is would be Wo ist hier die Gelegenheit, bitte?
Die Angelegenheit is, on the other hand, literally a different matter altogether:
Die Königin war fuchsteufelswild und beschloss, die Angelegenheit jetzt selbst in die Hand zu nehmen.
The Queen was "fox devil wild" [slang: angry] and decided to take the matter into her own hands now.
Captions 55-56, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Schneewittchen
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Musste zufällig jemand den Kaiser in kaiserlichen Angelegenheiten sprechen, gaben seine Diener stets dieselbe Antwort.
Should someone need to speak to the emperor about imperial affairs, his servants always gave the same answer.
Captions 20-21, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Des Kaisers neue Kleider
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I use this mnemonic device to remember the difference between Gelegenheit and Angelegenheit:
–An "opportunity" should be easy and is thus the shorter of the two words, Gelegenheit.
–A political affair or business matter tends to suggest difficult bureaucratic procedures and is thus the longer word Angelegenheit.
Further Learning
Go to Yabla German to find other examples of gelegen, Gelegenheit and Angelegenheit as used in real-world context.
It's sometimes not a bad idea to make sure some of that "old knowledge" is still accurate, so let's get back to basics: adjective declensions with definite articles. To make it as easy as possible, remember the following three rules for adjective endings:
1. All adjectives in the singular nominative case end in -e, regardless of noun gender. Here is an example with the singular masculine nominative:
Der alte Minister ging in den Saal.
The old minister went into the hall.
Caption 37, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Des Kaisers neue Kleider
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2. All adjectives in the dative or genitive cases, as well as all adjectives in plural form, end in -en regardless of the noun's gender. Here is an example with the plural genitive:
Der Kaufmann ließ es sich schmecken
The Merchant enjoyed the meal
und verbrachte die Nacht in einem der schönen Schlafräume.
and spent the night in one of the beautiful bedrooms.
Captions 25-26, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Die Schöne und das Biest
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3. This is the hard one: Adjectives for masculine nouns in the singular accusative case end in -en, but adjectives for feminine and neuter nouns in the singular accusative case end in -e. Here is an example with the single masculine accusative:
So gibt es hier die elektrische Gitarre für den abgebrühten [Umgangssprache] Rockstar.
Thus there is the electric guitar here for the jaded rock star.
Caption 2, Rheinmain im Blick - Musikmesse in Frankfurt
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If the noun above had been feminine (or neuter), it would have dropped the -n: ...für die abgebrühte Musikerin.
Further Learning
There is a system for remembering adjective endings that many people find easy to remember called the Oklahoma — see if it works for you. (A special tip of the hat to Yabla subscriber Mike S. for that!) You can also search for some of your favorite adjectives on Yabla German and review the ways the adjectives end in the different cases with different noun genders.
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