Hey everyone, Dana here!
Time for another round of English sayings translated literally into German.
Why? Just for a little fun.
I did this before with sick English idioms, idioms about being sick.
And now after my video about air conditioning in the U.S. and the crazy hot, humid weather
in Florida in the summer, I’ve had weather on my mind.
So today it’s English idioms having something to do with the weather, translated word
for word into German.
I did the best that I could with the translations, but if you have a better word for word translation,
or if there is an actual German saying that means the same thing, please let me know in
the comments.
Thank you.
In English we have the saying that something is a breeze if it’s really easy.
Learning German is no big deal at all. It’s a breeze.
Of course that right there was not a true statement.
Learning German is not a breeze.
But anyway, "it’s a breeze" means that something is super easy.
So I guess “es ist eine Brise” in German.
Can you say that?
If you have so much work to do that it’s really just overwhelming you, you can say
that you’re snowed under.
Ever since we took on that new client at work, I’ve just been snowed under.
In German: Unter geschneit or geschneit unter?
But I think that make no sense at all, right?
Oh yeah, believe me.
As soon as we got wind of their plan, we left the company.
In English “to get wind of something” means to hear about something or learn that
something is going on.
I had a tricky time translating this expression word for word into German.
I guess: davon Wind bekommen. But I’m not so happy with it.
So if you have a better word for word translation for that, please let me know in the comments.
Of course, we can’t talk about weather idioms without mentioning the saying:
it’s raining cats and dogs.
Which, I just feel like must sound really funny and ridiculous translated word for word
into any language that doesn’t actually use that saying.
Ugh, Stefan, hast du das gesehen?
Es regnet Katzen und Hunde da draußen!
To me it still makes sense in German, because I grew up using the saying in English.
But I’m guessing that anyone who heard this saying for the first time would be like: what?
Cats and dogs falling from the sky? What are you talking about?
And what often comes along with rain?
Why thunder of course.
And in English you actually have to protect your thunder from getting stolen by someone else.
The same day that they got married, the best man proposed to his girlfriend.
At the wedding.
He completely stole their thunder.
Stealing someone’s thunder can mean to take the attention away from someone else.
So in German I guess "Donner stehlen."
Does that make any sense, or it just sounds really, really weird?
Sticking with rain, if someone completely ruins something for you or ruins your plans,
you can say that they rained on your parade.
I’m sorry to rain on your parade, but you can’t bring your dog on the rollercoaster.
Es tut mir Leid, auf deine Parade zu regnen, aber du kannst deinen Hund
nicht auf die Achterbahn mitnehmen.
And, still on the subject of rain: "when it rains, it pours."
Meaning that when something either good happens or bad happens, then it happens really, really
good or really, really bad.
So this saying can go in either direction, but in an extreme way.
After years of trying to make friends, I suddenly made 5 new friends in one week.
When it rains, it pours!
Or on the other end of it: today I lost my job, my car broke down, I dropped my phone
in the toilet, and now I burned my toast.
When it rains, it pours.
So in German I guess: "Wenn es regnet, dann schüttet es."
Does that make any sense at all?
I'm guessing that it does not.
There are two more that I have, but I think that these ones actually do already exist
in German as well.
You can have an icebreaker.
Which I believe is Eisbrecher in German.
And fair-weather friends: Schönwetterfreunde
So my question for you is: did these sayings make any sense in German, or just sound really weird.
What are your favorite weather idioms around the world?
And what are your favorite funny idioms translated literally, word for word into another language?
Please let me know in the comments below.
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Until next time, auf Wiedersehen!
Es tut mir Leid auf deine Parade zu regnen, aber du kannst deine...deinen Hund!
Man, was für ein Tag! Es regnet Katzen und...Hunde da draußen!
Word for word into any saying...into any language that doesn't use that saying.
Or...wait. No. Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Alright, alright. I got it.