14 Everyday German Idioms (With Literal Translations)

Idioms are where textbook German and real German diverge the most. Understanding grammar gets you through a sentence; understanding idioms gets you the joke, the sigh, and the eye-roll. Here are 14 that come up constantly in everyday speech.

1. Schwein haben

Literally: to have pig. Meaning: to be lucky. Example: Ich habe den letzten Zug noch erwischt — Schwein gehabt! (I just caught the last train — lucky me!)

2. Die Daumen drücken

Literally: to press the thumbs. Meaning: to keep your fingers crossed for someone. Example: Ich drücke dir die Daumen für die Prüfung. (I'll keep my fingers crossed for you for the exam.)

3. Die Nase voll haben

Literally: to have a full nose. Meaning: to be fed up with something. Example: Ich habe die Nase voll von diesem Wetter. (I'm fed up with this weather.)

4. Ins Fettnäpfchen treten

Literally: to step into the little fat pot. Meaning: to put your foot in it, to say something embarrassing or tactless. Example: Ich bin voll ins Fettnäpfchen getreten, als ich nach ihrem Ex gefragt habe. (I really put my foot in it when I asked about her ex.)

5. Da liegt der Hund begraben

Literally: that's where the dog is buried. Meaning: that's the real root of the problem. Example: Ah, da liegt der Hund begraben — das Passwort war falsch. (Ah, that's the real issue — the password was wrong.)

6. Jemandem einen Bären aufbinden

Literally: to tie a bear onto someone. Meaning: to tell someone a tall tale, to trick them into believing something false. Example: Glaub ihm nicht, der bindet dir einen Bären auf. (Don't believe him, he's spinning you a tall tale.)

7. Um den heißen Brei herumreden

Literally: to talk around the hot porridge. Meaning: to beat around the bush. Example: Red nicht um den heißen Brei herum, sag einfach, was los ist. (Don't beat around the bush, just say what's going on.)

8. Alles in Butter

Literally: everything in butter. Meaning: everything is fine, all good. Example: Keine Sorge, alles in Butter! (Don't worry, everything's fine!)

9. Tomaten auf den Augen haben

Literally: to have tomatoes on your eyes. Meaning: to fail to notice something obvious. Example: Der Schlüssel lag direkt vor dir — hast du Tomaten auf den Augen? (The key was right in front of you — are you blind?)

10. Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof

Literally: I only understand train station. Meaning: I don't understand a thing (about a topic or explanation). Example: Bei diesem Steuerformular verstehe ich nur Bahnhof. (I don't understand a word of this tax form.)

11. Jemandem die Daumen halten

Note: a regional variant of #2, meaning the same "keeping fingers crossed" — you'll hear both Daumen drücken and Daumen halten depending on the region.

12. Die Kirche im Dorf lassen

Literally: to leave the church in the village. Meaning: to not exaggerate, to keep things in proportion. Example: Es war nur ein kleiner Fehler — lass die Kirche im Dorf. (It was just a small mistake — don't blow it out of proportion.)

13. Jacke wie Hose

Literally: jacket like trousers. Meaning: it makes no difference, it's all the same. Example: Ob wir heute oder morgen fahren, ist mir Jacke wie Hose. (Whether we go today or tomorrow makes no difference to me.)

14. Aus einer Mücke einen Elefanten machen

Literally: to make an elephant out of a mosquito. Meaning: to make a mountain out of a molehill. Example: Mach doch nicht aus einer Mücke einen Elefanten. (Don't make a mountain out of a molehill.)

Learning idioms as a system, not a list

These expressions stop being trivia once you notice the pattern: German idioms lean heavily on food (Butter, Brei, Mücke/Elefant as a size contrast), body parts (Daumen, Nase, Augen), and animals (Schwein, Hund, Bär). Grouping new idioms by theme makes them far easier to retain than memorizing them as an unconnected list.

Hear these idioms used in natural context and quiz yourself on them in our practice courses.