My first German roommate once said to me, „Jetzt hast du den Salat.“ /jɛtst hast duː deːn zaˈlaːt/.
I looked around the kitchen. No salad. Not even a lonely lettuce leaf.
Turns out he meant “Now you’ve got a mess”—not a bowl of vegetables.
That was the day I discovered German idioms: colorful, dramatic, slightly chaotic, and absolutely essential if you want to understand real people speaking real German.
Let’s explore the idioms that Germans use all the time—short, punchy expressions that make you sound far more fluent than your grammar workbook ever could.
Quick Primer
German idioms often fall into these delicious categories:
- Food-based chaos (Germans love culinary metaphors)
- Body-part expressions
- Animal idioms
- Dramatic understatement (a national specialty)
- Old folk sayings still alive today
The key rule: Don’t translate idioms literally.
“Now you’ve got the salad” is not about vegetables.
Everyday Idioms You’ll Hear Constantly
1. Jetzt hast du den Salat.
/jɛtst hast duː deːn zaˈlaːt/
Literally: Now you have the salad.
Meaning: Now you’ve got a mess / now things are screwed up.
2. Ich drücke dir die Daumen.
/ɪç ˈdʁʏkə diːɐ̯ diː ˈdaʊ̯mən/
Literally: I press my thumbs for you.
Meaning: I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
3. Da steppt der Bär.
/daː ʃtɛpt deːɐ̯ bɛːɐ̯/
Literally: The bear dances there.
Meaning: That place will be lively / It’s going to be a fun party.
4. Jemandem die Stirn bieten.
/ˈjeːmandɛm diː ʃtɪʁn ˈbiːtən/
Literally: Offer someone your forehead.
Meaning: Stand up to someone.
Idioms With Food (The German soul in metaphor form)
| Idiom | IPA | Actual Meaning |
| Tomaten auf den Augen haben | /toˈmaːtn̩ aʊ̯f deːn ˈaʊ̯ɡn̩ ˈhaːbn̩/ | to be oblivious |
| Das ist nicht mein Bier. | /das ɪst nɪçt maɪ̯n biːɐ̯/ | not my problem |
| Das ist Wurst. | /das ɪst vʊʁst/ | it doesn’t matter |
| Alles in Butter. | /ˈaləs ɪn ˈbʊtɐ/ | everything’s fine |
Examples:
- Ich hab heute Tomaten auf den Augen.
/ɪç hap ˈhɔɪ̯tə toˈmaːtn̩ aʊ̯f deːn ˈaʊ̯ɡn̩/
I’m totally not seeing anything today. - Das ist mir Wurst.
/das ɪst miːɐ̯ vʊʁst/
I don’t care.
Idioms With Animals (Very German, very dramatic)
| Idiom | IPA | Meaning |
| Schwein haben | /ʃvaɪ̯n ˈhaːbn̩/ | to be lucky |
| Einen Bären aufbinden | /ˈaɪ̯nən ˈbɛːʁən aʊ̯fˌbɪndən/ | to tell someone a tall tale |
| Da liegt der Hund begraben | /daː liːkt deːɐ̯ hʊnt bəˈɡʁaːbn̩/ | that’s the real issue |
| Eulen nach Athen tragen | /ˈɔʏ̯lən naːx aˈteːn ˈtʁaːɡən/ | pointless action |
Examples:
- Du hast richtig Schwein gehabt!
/duː hast ˈʁɪçtɪç ʃvaɪ̯n ɡəˈhabt/
You were really lucky!
Body-Part Idioms (Surprisingly useful)
| Idiom | IPA | Meaning |
| Auf großem Fuß leben | /aʊ̯f ˈɡʁoːsəm fuːs ˈleːbn̩/ | to live extravagantly |
| Die Nase voll haben | /diː ˈnaːzə fɔl ˈhaːbn̩/ | to be fed up |
| Jemandem auf den Keks gehen | /ˈjeːmandɛm aʊ̯f deːn keːks ɡeːən/ | to annoy someone |
| Etwas im kleinen Finger haben | /ˈɛtvas ɪm ˈklaɪ̯nən ˈfɪŋɐ haːbn̩/ | to be very skilled at something |
Examples:
- Ich hab die Nase voll.
/ɪç hap diː ˈnaːzə fɔl/
I’m sick of this.
Idioms With Weather (Germans take weather seriously)
| Idiom | IPA | Meaning |
| Es regnet Bindfäden | /ɛs ˈʁeːɡnət ˈbɪntˌfɛːdn̩/ | it’s raining heavily |
| Wind von etwas bekommen | /vɪnt fɔn ˈɛtvas bəˈkɔmən/ | to hear about something |
| Unter einer Decke stecken | /ˈʊntɐ ˈaɪ̯nɐ ˈdɛkə ˈʃtɛkn̩/ | to be in cahoots |
Example:
- Da regnet’s Bindfäden!
/daː ˈʁeːɡnəts ˈbɪntfɛːdn̩/
It’s pouring!
Essential Idioms Every Learner Should Master
1. Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei.
/ˈaləs hat aɪ̯n ˈɛndə nuːɐ̯ diː vʊʁst hat t͡svaɪ̯/
Everything has an end—only the sausage has two.
Meaning: everything eventually ends.
2. Schmetterlinge im Bauch haben.
/ˈʃmɛtɐlɪŋə ɪm baʊ̯x ˈhaːbn̩/
To be in love (“butterflies in the stomach”).
3. Den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen.
/deːn ˈnaːɡl̩ aʊ̯f deːn kɔpf ˈtʁɛfn̩/
To be exactly right.
4. Da sehe ich schwarz.
/daː ˈzeːə ɪç ʃvaʁt͡s/
I don’t see this going well.
5. Nicht alle Tassen im Schrank haben.
/nɪçt ˈalə ˈtasn̩ ɪm ʃʁaŋk ˈhaːbn̩/
Literally: Not have all cups in the cupboard.
Meaning: to be a bit crazy.
Region Notes
These idioms are understood in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Some things to note:
- Austrians adore food idioms even more (expect even more sausage references).
- Swiss German has its own idioms, but Standard German ones are fully understood.
- Idioms based on old proverbs can sound slightly formal in Austria, but perfectly fine.
For everyday conversations, stick to the ones above—you’ll sound natural everywhere.
Mini Dialogues
Dialogue 1 – Bad Luck
Na super… jetzt hab ich den Salat.
/naː ˈzuːpɐ jɛtst hap ɪç deːn zaˈlaːt/
Great… now I’ve got a mess.
Ach, Kopf hoch. Ich drück dir die Daumen.
/ax kɔpf hoːx ɪç dʁʏk diːɐ̯ diː ˈdaʊ̯mən/
Cheer up. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Dialogue 2 – Annoying Coworker
Der Typ geht mir echt auf den Keks.
/deːɐ̯ tyːp ɡeːt miːɐ̯ ɛçt aʊ̯f deːn keːks/
That guy really gets on my nerves.
Ja, aber der hat nicht alle Tassen im Schrank.
/jaː ˈaːbɐ deːɐ̯ hat nɪçt ˈalə ˈtasn̩ ɪm ʃʁaŋk/
Yeah, he’s a little crazy.
Dialogue 3 – Relationship Advice
Ich hab wieder Schmetterlinge im Bauch.
/ɪç hap ˈviːdɐ ˈʃmɛtɐlɪŋə ɪm baʊ̯x/
I have butterflies again.
Na, da steppt der Bär!
/naː daː ʃtɛpt deːɐ̯ bɛːɐ̯/
Well, sounds like things are getting exciting!
Quick Reference
| Idiom | IPA | Meaning |
| den Salat haben | /deːn zaˈlaːt haːbn̩/ | to have a mess |
| Da steppt der Bär | /daː ʃtɛpt deːɐ̯ bɛːɐ̯/ | it’ll be lively |
| die Daumen drücken | /diː ˈdaʊ̯mən ˈdʁʏkən/ | fingers crossed |
| Schwein haben | /ʃvaɪ̯n ˈhaːbn̩/ | to be lucky |
| Nase voll haben | /ˈnaːzə fɔl/ | fed up |
| Tomaten auf den Augen haben | /toˈmaːtn̩ aʊ̯f…/ | not noticing |
| Wurst sein | /vʊʁst zaɪ̯n/ | not matter |
| Nicht alle Tassen im Schrank haben | /nɪçt ˈalə ˈtasn̩…/ | be crazy |
| Schmetterlinge im Bauch | /ˈʃmɛtɐlɪŋə …/ | butterflies |
Five-Minute Practice Plan
- Say three idioms aloud and try to picture their literal meaning.
- Make a short sentence with Schwein haben, Nase voll haben, and die Daumen drücken.
- Shadow Dialogue 2 once slowly.
- Pick one idiom and use it about your day.
- Try replacing a boring English expression with a German idiom.
- Teach one idiom to someone else—your brain will lock it in.
Idioms Make Your German Come Alive
German idioms are where the language gets funny, dramatic, sarcastic, and wonderfully expressive.
Once you start using them, your German stops sounding like a textbook and starts sounding like real life—messy, warm, and full of dancing bears and missing cupboard cups.