24 German words without translation

In this post we bring you 24 words in German that have no specific meaning in Spanish, or that cannot be expressed with a word. The German language is one of the richest in vocabulary of all that exist . It is a language full of nuances, with the right word for every situation, every fact, every object, every action. Many of these words are so specific (and so beautiful at the same time) that they do not have a homologous word in other languages, making it one of the richest and most beautiful languages, contrary to what people usually think of this language.

We leave you 24 examples of words in German that do not exist in English. They are concise, useful words. Great words that have no translation. We hope you enjoy them!

Schadenfreude

It expresses the feeling of joy that occurs when observing the suffering of others.

Schilderwald

It is a street with so many signs that it ends up confusing you even more.

Backpfeifengesicht

This is a very curious expression, and it means a face that deserves to be hit, or that cries out for a hit.

Waldeinsamkeit

It is the feeling of loneliness, the feeling of being alone in the forest and connected with nature. Nice word that perhaps sums up that art of doing nothing that can be experienced in a Finnish cabin.

Ohrwurm

They refer to those catchy songs that they get into your head and repeat themselves over and over again, songs that you constantly hum. It literally means “ear worm.”

Heimweh

The literal translation would be “home pain” and refers to when one misses his homeland. (It would be the “morriña” that is usually said in Spanish).

Verschlimmbessern

Make something worse when you are trying to improve it.

Kummerspeck

It literally means “grief bacon” and refers to the weight you gain when you eat too much for emotional reasons.

Gemütlichkeit

It is the feeling of being comfortable at home, of feeling wrapped up, warm and comfortable at home.

Fernweh

A word without translation and with an absolutely wonderful meaning that refers to the feeling of missing a place that has never been.

It is related to that desire to explore, but it designates that feeling of nostalgia for what is far away and that we long to know.

Blitzkrieg

It would be a “blitzkrieg” and refers to a very violent and rapid military incursion.

Vorfreude

This word reflects the state of mind that someone experiences when thinking that something good is about to happen.

Stammtisch

It refers to a group of people (usually men) who meet periodically in a local. It serves to refer both to it and to the table at which they meet.

Torschlusspanik

Literally, it means “panic behind closed doors” and it is the fear that opportunities, especially work opportunities, diminish as we get older.

Sandkastenfreund

It is the friend that you have known since childhood. It literally means “litter box friend.”

Zwischenraum

It is the word that designates the intermediate space between things.

Drachenfutter

Literally “dragon food”. It is the gift you give someone when you have done something wrong and you want to appease the anger they will have.

Rabenmutter

It is used to describe a mother who spends little time with her children. Literal translation: mother raven.

Treppenwitz

Literal translation: ladder joke. It is the comment or reply that occurs to you 10 minutes later.

Schlimmbesserung

It means “bad improvement”, that is, it is when an improvement is introduced that ends up making things worse.

 Wanderlust

It means “desire to walk”, but it refers to the strong desire to explore and know the world. So if we feel like traveling the world, what we feel is neither more nor less than wanderlust …

Whip

He is the man who likes to show his muscles and dress provocatively.

Zeitgeist

It means “the spirit (Geist) of the time (Zeit)” and refers to the intellectual and cultural climate of an era.

Freizeitstress

It is the stress that causes having free time and all the activities we do to occupy that time.

Are you preparing for an official German exam? Here we leave you the next available calls.

Until the next post! 🙂