One of my teachers would always say, "You know you’re finally good at a language if you do these: dream and swear." This wisdom has been haunting me in all six languages I’ve studied. And you know what? It holds.
Unfortunately, my teacher never went beyond theory with this wisdom. So, I learned some first foreign curse words way later, not without bumps and bruises.
Luckily, our instructor Birgit isn’t that conservative. She believes in the beauty of the language from the inside out and doesn’t leave obscene words in German without giving them attention. She knows how dangerous it is to leave foreigners on their own with German Fluchen (cursing) and Schimpfwörter (swear words). One has to develop an inner feeling of what is appropriate and what isn’t – especially given that the intensity of the same curse word in German and English may be different.
Today, our German language teacher, Birgit, is taking her German learning student, Alex, and all of us on a ride around Germany to explore its profanity. Buckle up and enjoy some foul language. We are going to learn German swear words.
- Hi Alex! I bet today’s topic will beat our lesson on German pick-up lines.
- Hello Birgit! I beg you to not make any promises you can't keep.
- Then, without further ado... Ta-dah! I present to you: German swear words.
- Holy shit! No way you’re going to teach me swear words, Birgit!
- Erm, do you think I come from one of those Bavarian Catholic areas?
- Apparently not. I’m in desperate need of some curse words other than Scheiße. I just cannot express myself without a few more juicy terms.
- Das ist wahr. Having several up your sleeve is a must.
- Germans must be cursing wizards. The language is built around constructive insults.
- You’ll see for yourself. As a native speaker, I’d divide the pool of German swear words into three puddles:
- While I’m not encouraging you to use profanity, you'll hardly sound like a native if you don’t have command of popular expletives.
- Das ist mir wichtig. I enjoy a juicy curse word now and then.
- I wouldn’t say German obscene language is "juicy". For juiciness and butterflies, you should learn Spanish.
- Let me deal with German first. I'm still struggling with subjunctives and pronouns.
- You'll get there. For now, let’s dive into mild German expletives. I’ve made a table for your convenience.
- A new topic, and a good ol' approach. Birgit. You’re as German as it gets.
| German phrase | English equivalent | Literal meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Quatsch | nonsense | chat |
| Blötsinn | bullshit | dumb sense |
| Scheiße | shit | shit |
| (der) Mist | crap | manure |
| Was zur Hölle? | What the hell? | What the hell? |
| Verdammt | Damn it | condemned |
- Quatsch! Was zur Hölle? Baby babbling. I’ve been using these since the day I started to learn German. And Scheiße... everyone knows this German word, I can assure you.
- Well, first of all, you're a talented student, Alex! Second of all, Scheiße may also be used as an adjective. While the literal translation is “shit”, it has a mild meaning in German. You can hear scheißegal on daytime TV (no, they don't censor bad words) and even on a playground.
- Du spinnst wohl?
- No, really. A kid can refer to a stupid book this way: dieses scheiße Buch.
- Das ist mir scheißegal.
- Pardon me?
- Oh, I was just practicing the word. No offense.
- Sure. That would be a proper way to say “I don’t care” if you're among friends.
- Germans will be Germans. You make a curse word sound like a thesis. I need a coffee to get through this lesson. Oh, Der Mist! Mein Kaffee ist schon kalt geworden.
- Wow! I'm impressed by how you’ve just used Mist in a sentence.
- I have the gift of swearing, Frau Lehrerin.
- By the way, Mist is a perfect word to play with...
- An interesting wordplay, Birgit. As far as I remember, the exact translation of Mist is Kacke.
- Well, an animal’s manure. Anyways, add more components to this excrement term - and you'll get some beautiful phrases:
Plus, you can add a degree of offensiveness by making this swear word personal:
- What a versatile German swear word. What about Zicke?
- That’s a good one. I’d call this term a sibling of Miststück. Oh, and do you want something truly German? Combine Mist or Scheiße with verdammt. You’ll receive verdammter Mist! or verdammte Scheiße! Verdammt as an adverb or adjective covers an entire spectrum of emotions. While it has a positive meaning in verdammt lecker, it means “bloody” in die verdammte Kuh.
- Du Bastard! You sound like a German version of Eric Cartman.
-I’m also a foodie, just like him. Now, back to our “crap” discourse.
- You sure know how to sound professional, don’t you?
- You bet. Anyway, people in this video confirm Scheiße is the most beloved German swear word:
- It's like you want to sound harsh but feel reluctant to go all the way up Fick dich. Honestly, Birgit, I use these when I spill coffee. I need stronger words in German for when a Sohn einer Hündin gets on my nerves.
- Say no more.
The literal translation of English "fuck" is ficken. While the German verb sounds similar, it is reserved for the sexual context. Few German swear phrases make use of it. So, most English f-phrases are rendered by means of compound words that contain either Arsch or Scheiße.
- So, let’s get personal.
- I hope the list is long. I wanna go diverse with these German words.
- Finally! A topic you're passionate about. Check the Personal Insults below
| German phrase | English equivalent | Literal meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Halt deinen Mund! Halt die Klappe! | Shut up! | keep your mouth shut |
| Bist du behindert? | Are you doof? | Are you disabled? |
| Spasti | retard, freak | suffering a spasm (from Spastiker) |
| Schleich dich | Get lost! | schleichen = creep |
| Geh zum Teufel! | Go to hell! | go to devil |
| Küss meinen Arsch! | Kiss my ass | kiss my ass |
| Trottel | jackass | idiot |
| Depp | moron, douchebag | stupid |
| Arschloch / Arsch | asshole | ass hole / ass |
| Arschgeige | dickhead | ass violin |
| das Schwein / die Sau | pig | pig, sow |
| blöde Kuh | stupid bitch | stupid cow |
| Sohn einer Hündin | son of a bitch | son of a bitch |
| Wichser | wanker | one who jerks off |
- Now we’re talking! Halt deinen Mund! And, your arms and legs are tied as a gangster kicks the chair you’re sitting on out from under you.
- Oh, he’d more likely go with Halt die Fresse! or Halt die Schnauze! These would sound similar to “Shut the fuck up!”
- Hearing this profanity come from your mouth sounds surreal.
- Well, today’s lesson shows you my darker side.
- Your curse-loving alter ego. By the way, I often hear variations of the Teufel phrase you listed.
- We use them a lot. You can say, Wer zum Teufel hat das gemacht? (Who the hell did it?) or the simple Zum Teufel!
- Sounds like our "dammit".
-Exactly. Now, Geh zum Teufel or Hol dich der Teufel! are more intense equivalents of Schleich dich! Either of these implies you want the person to disappear.
- Geh zum Teufel, du Hurensohn! Was für ein Arschloch! Just trying on what I usually say in English. It does sound harsher in German.
- You’ve got it.
- Yeah, they’ll stick with me. Do you have a favorite bad word?
- Err… I use Depp a lot, like Sei kein Depp! which could be literally translated as “Don’t be a moron!”. I also like the corresponding adjective, albeit more typical in Austria and southern Germany – deppert (stupid). I’d go, Bist du deppert, oder?
- ...oder Schwein?
- Well, the German oder does not presuppose an alternative. But I would still never use Schwein or Kuh, really. I mean animal names are too insulting, especially Schwein, Schweinehund (pig dog), or Drecksau (dirty pig).
- Poor pigs. Wait, one can only use Schwein or Sau for a lady. What about guys?
- Well, a lady wouldn’t be called die Sau, normally. But I get your point. You’d go for Du Schweinehund! or Du Dreckskerl! with men.
- Would you use any of these with close friends?
- Erm, it depends on the context. You have a circle of close friends, and you grow accustomed to certain, even harsh, words. But it’s generally safe to use Du, Arschgeige with a degree of affection.
- Yeah, ‘cuz an “ass violin” is such a cute thing. Is Wichser also among these "innocent" German words?
- Oh, not this one. It's tough, and Germans tend to toughen it further - Flachwichser (motherfucker). That should be reserved for someone you have a real problem with.
- Fahr zur Hölle, du Flachwichser! I learn German fast.
- You do.
- And what’s going on with Bist du behindert? I mean for me that’s sick.
- I myself never perceived it as too offensive before I saw this video – the chap is indeed handicapped. How insulted he must be to hear this?
- What? Auf jeden Fall? The guy just says these exact words to his face.
To really get to a German, use a mother or grandmother reference. These phrases sound very offensive:
Such insults sound totally mental and belong to the category of the harshest German swear words.
- Here comes the language even Eric Cartman would hesitate to use.
- I doubt that. And I’m a big fan of this chap.
- And strong cursing?
- That too.
- Don’t take my examples personally, please. They might hit hard at times.
- I’ll manage this, Birgit.
- So, if Geh zum Teufel! or Schleim dich! hasn’t worked out, resort to Fick dich! It’s also common to extend these with a direct insult, e.g. Fick dich, Arschloch!
- Oh, savage!
- It is, even for German speakers. Check this interview, where a girl narrates having been a mobbing victim back in school. Verpiss dich, Fotze! would be the usual greeting she got.
- Would you check the table below for similar insults?
- Oh, boy, will I!
| German phrase | English equivalent | Literal meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Verpiss dich! | Fuck off! | urinate yourself |
| Fick dich! | Fuck you! | = |
| Leck mich am Arsch | Lick my ass | = |
| Arschgesicht | fuckface | ass face |
| Schlampe | whore | slut |
| Fotze | cunt, twat | vagina |
| Hurensohn! | son of a bitch | son of a whore |
- Leck mich am Arsch or Küss meinen Arsch! phrases are disgusting. This Arsch kiss gets too visual in my head.
- Hah.
- Do you guys also have all kinds of “ass” phrases?
- We do. The word Arsch always adds emotional intensity:
- Yeah, crap and asses go a long way in languages.
- That reminds me of another Scheiß-word – Klugscheißer or “smart shitter”.
- A know-it-all? What’s wrong with people making up these body expletives anyway? They’re literally nauseating. Es bringt mich echt zum Kotzen when someone calls a woman Du, Fotze.
- Yeah, phrases linked to either a whore/slut image or body parts are at the most extreme of the vulgarity spectrum. It still depends on how you use it. I’ve stumbled upon a great video, where a linguistics professor talks about German swear words and nonverbal cues. This commentary is a nice summary of our lesson: Schimpfwörter an sich haben keine feste Bedeutung (Swear words as such have no fixed meaning).
- Du liebes Arschloch! I hope a day comes when I get this one from a German girlfriend.
Native German speakers do not always use swear words to offend a person. Gestures may also serve the purpose. For instance, waving a cupped fist in front of someone means "you're such an idiot". If a German is pointing an index finger toward his head, he lets you know you're saying nonsense. Then, using a middle finger works the same as in many other countries - to convey strong irritation.
Even if you think you feel the degree of intensity with German words, tread this ground cautiously. There might be a lot of linguistic and contextual mines. From our side, we've given you the most popular German swear words to make sure you understand them. That’s not a stimulus for you to fill your speech with profanity. Actually, it’s always better to underuse rather than overuse German swear words, to listen carefully but only say them aloud in exclusive cases. Here’s an essential tip that works for any language, native or foreign: evaluate the situation before reaching out for an even mild swear word. While some people might take it with humor, others will become gravely offended. Knowing what and when to say something is a large part of being conversant in a target language.
So, how did you like today’s lesson? Birgit and Alex are not scared to engage with either seemingly boring grammar topics or highly provocative ones. Follow their language adventures to stay tuned and have fun while polishing your German.
