A Redewendung (idiom) is a fixed phrase whose meaning cannot be worked out from the individual words. If you translate Schwein haben word for word you get "to have a pig," which tells you nothing — the phrase actually means "to be lucky." Idioms are where a language hides its culture and its humor, and they are also where literal-minded learners get caught out most badly. This page collects the most common German idioms, organized by the image they use, and gives you both readings — the literal picture (which is your memory hook) and the real meaning (which is what you must learn whole).
Why German idioms feel so strange
Every language builds idioms from concrete, everyday images — but each language picks different images, so the result is opaque to outsiders. English says "to kick the bucket"; German says ins Gras beißen ("to bite into the grass"). Neither is more logical than the other. The cultural insight competitors skip is that German leans heavily on animals, food, and body parts for its figurative phrases, and the picture is usually vivid enough to help you remember the meaning once you know it. A pig (Schwein) was historically a sign of wealth and good fortune at fairs, so Schwein haben = "to be lucky." Once you see the logic behind the image, the idiom sticks.
The danger runs in both directions. English speakers either (1) translate a German idiom literally and end up confused, or (2) translate an English idiom directly into German, where it simply does not exist and produces nonsense.
Idioms with animals
German is full of animal idioms, and the animals rarely mean what an English speaker would guess.
Da hatte ich vielleicht Schwein! Der Zug war schon weg, aber sie haben extra für mich noch mal die Türen aufgemacht.
Was I ever lucky! The train had already left, but they opened the doors again just for me.
Du willst die Wohnung mieten, ohne sie vorher anzuschauen? Das wäre doch die Katze im Sack kaufen.
You want to rent the flat without viewing it first? That would be buying a pig in a poke.
Binde mir keinen Bären auf! Du warst gar nicht in New York.
Don't tell me a tall tale! You weren't in New York at all.
Notice that English also says "buy a pig in a poke," but German puts a cat in the sack, not a pig — proof that the same idea picks different animals in each language. And jemandem einen Bären aufbinden ("to tie a bear onto someone") means to spin them an unbelievable story.
Idioms with food
Die Lösung lag direkt vor dir und du hast sie nicht gesehen — hast du Tomaten auf den Augen?
The solution was right in front of you and you didn't see it — are you blind / oblivious?
Ob wir am Wochenende fahren oder nicht, das ist mir Wurst.
Whether we go this weekend or not, I couldn't care less.
Keine Sorge, der Vertrag ist unterschrieben — jetzt ist alles in Butter.
Don't worry, the contract is signed — now everything's fine.
Tomaten auf den Augen haben ("to have tomatoes on your eyes") is the perfect example of an image that aids memory: picture someone with tomatoes covering their eyes, unable to see the obvious. Das ist mir Wurst ("that is sausage to me," informal) is one of the most common ways Germans express indifference. Alles in Butter ("everything in butter," informal) goes back to medieval merchants packing fragile goods in butter so they wouldn't break in transit.
Idioms with body parts
Ich drücke dir für die Prüfung morgen die Daumen!
I'll keep my fingers crossed for your exam tomorrow!
Dein Kollege geht mir langsam echt auf den Keks mit seinen ständigen Fragen.
Your colleague is really starting to get on my nerves with his constant questions.
Mit dieser Bemerkung hast du wirklich den Nagel auf den Kopf getroffen.
With that remark you really hit the nail on the head.
Here the gesture itself differs from English: Germans don't cross fingers, they press their thumbs (die Daumen drücken) to wish someone luck. Jemandem auf den Keks gehen literally means "to go on someone's biscuit" (informal) — the Keks is slang for head — and means to annoy. Den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen happens to map exactly onto the English "hit the nail on the head," a rare case where the image is identical.
Idioms about confusion, luck, and saying nothing useful
A cluster of very common idioms describes mental states and conversational moves.
Der Professor hat das so kompliziert erklärt, dass ich nur Bahnhof verstanden habe.
The professor explained it so complicatedly that I didn't understand a thing.
Sag mir doch einfach, ob du mitkommst, und red nicht ständig um den heißen Brei herum.
Just tell me whether you're coming and stop beating around the bush.
Bei der Firmenfeier habe ich den Chef mit jemand anderem verwechselt — das war echt ein Fettnäpfchen.
At the company party I mistook the boss for someone else — that was really putting my foot in it.
Nur Bahnhof verstehen ("to understand only train station") supposedly comes from World War I soldiers who, longing for home, only wanted to hear about the train station that would take them there — so "train station" became all they registered. Um den heißen Brei reden ("to talk around the hot porridge") pictures someone circling a bowl too hot to dig into. Ins Fettnäpfchen treten ("to step into the little grease pot") means to commit a social blunder.
Idioms for wishing luck — and the strangest one of all
German has two everyday luck-wishing idioms, and the contrast with English is sharp.
Morgen ist deine Premiere — Hals- und Beinbruch!
Tomorrow's your opening night — break a leg!
Wenn die Band loslegt, dann steppt der Bär — das wird ein super Abend.
Once the band starts up, the place will be jumping — it's going to be a great evening.
Hals- und Beinbruch literally wishes someone "neck and leg break," yet it means "good luck" — the same superstitious logic as the English "break a leg," where wishing the opposite supposedly wards off bad fortune. And Da steppt der Bär ("there the bear tap-dances," informal) is the German way of saying a party is lively.
Das ist mir Wurst, auf den Keks gehen, and Da steppt der Bär are informal — fine among friends, out of place in a job interview. Den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen and ins Fettnäpfchen treten are neutral and work everywhere.A reference table of the core idioms
| Idiom | Literal image | Real meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schwein haben | to have a pig | to be lucky | informal |
| die Katze im Sack kaufen | to buy the cat in the sack | to buy sight unseen | neutral |
| Tomaten auf den Augen haben | to have tomatoes on one's eyes | to not see the obvious | informal |
| jemandem einen Bären aufbinden | to tie a bear onto someone | to tell a tall tale | neutral |
| das ist mir Wurst | that is sausage to me | I don't care | informal |
| alles in Butter | everything in butter | everything's fine | informal |
| die Daumen drücken | to press the thumbs | to wish luck | neutral |
| jemandem auf den Keks gehen | to go on someone's biscuit | to annoy someone | informal |
| den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen | to hit the nail on the head | to be exactly right | neutral |
| nur Bahnhof verstehen | to understand only train station | to understand nothing | informal |
| um den heißen Brei reden | to talk around the hot porridge | to beat around the bush | neutral |
| ins Fettnäpfchen treten | to step into the grease pot | to put one's foot in it | neutral |
| Hals- und Beinbruch | neck and leg break | good luck / break a leg | informal |
| ins Gras beißen | to bite into the grass | to die / kick the bucket | informal |
| die Kirche im Dorf lassen | to leave the church in the village | not to overreact | neutral |
Common Mistakes
1. Translating a German idiom literally and missing the point.
❌ I have a pig. (as a translation of „Ich habe Schwein.“)
Wrong reading — this is not about owning a pig.
✅ Ich habe Schwein gehabt.
I got lucky. (Schwein haben = to be lucky)
The phrase has nothing to do with pigs you can buy; it is a frozen unit meaning "to be lucky."
2. Translating an English idiom directly into German, where it doesn't exist.
❌ Es regnet Katzen und Hunde.
Incorrect — a word-for-word calque of 'raining cats and dogs' that Germans do not say.
✅ Es regnet in Strömen. / Es schüttet wie aus Eimern.
It's pouring / bucketing down. (the idiomatic German equivalents)
English idioms almost never survive a literal trip into German. Look up the German equivalent instead of inventing one.
3. Mishandling the fixed body-part image.
❌ Ich kreuze die Finger für dich.
Incorrect — Germans don't 'cross fingers'; this is calqued from English.
✅ Ich drücke dir die Daumen.
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. (literally: I press my thumbs for you)
The German gesture and idiom use thumbs, not crossed fingers.
4. Getting the register wrong in a formal setting.
❌ (in einer Bewerbung) Ob ich Überstunden mache, ist mir Wurst.
Incorrect register — slang in a job application sounds careless and disrespectful.
✅ (in einer Bewerbung) Ob ich Überstunden mache, ist für mich nicht entscheidend.
Whether I work overtime is not a deciding factor for me. (neutral, appropriate)
Das ist mir Wurst is fine with friends but jarring in writing or a formal exchange.
Key Takeaways
- A Redewendung is one vocabulary item made of several words; never translate the parts.
- German favors animal, food, and body-part imagery — the vivid picture is your memory hook, not the meaning.
- The same idea often uses a different image than English (cat vs. pig in the sack, thumbs vs. crossed fingers, train station vs. nothing).
- English idioms do not transfer into German; always learn the native equivalent.
- Learn each idiom with its register: many of the most common ones are informal.
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