German Slang Words

Cool German slang words 2008

This is a small, hand-picked collection of German slang words that have gained popularity in 2008. Some of these words you will not find in a printed German slang dictionary unless it was updated this year. Click the words below to see an English translation and example sentences of the German slang words in use.

abrippen
saugen
steil gehen
vorglühen
Nuttendiesel
Paras schieben
poppen
funzen
Hasenhirn
keimig
harzen
zocken

cool German slang: abrippen

(ab)rippen (klauen, stehlen)
Hast du die CD's abgerippt? - Nee, gekauft.

German slang translation:

to steal, to swipe, to nick
Did you swipe the CDs. Nope, bought 'em.

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cool German slang: saugen

saugen (downloaden)
Mein Bruder mag es nicht, Musik vom Internet zu saugen.

German slang translation:

to leech, to download (lit. to suck)
My brother doesn't like downloading music from the internet.

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cool German slang: steil gehen

steil gehen (party machen, wild abfeiern)
Heute gehen wir steil!

German slang translation:

to go clubbing, to party hard, to rock
Tonight we're going to rock! / Tonight we're going to party hard.

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cool German slang: vorglühen

vorglühen (vor einer Party Alkohol trinken, um in Stimmung zu kommen)
Lass uns vor der Party erst mal bei mir zu Hause vorglühen!

German slang translation:

to tank up, predrinking, to have a few drinks to get in the mood
Let's have a few drinks at my place before we hit the party!

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cool German slang: Nuttendiesel

Nuttendiesel (schlecht riechendes Parfüm)
Du riechst nach Nuttendiesel

German slang translation:

prossie perfume, overpowering perfume
You smell like Joop. / You smell like prossie perfume.

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cool German slang: Paras schieben

Paras schieben (sich starke Sorgen machen)
Vor der Klausur hab ich voll die Paras geschoben.

German slang translation:

to shit oneself, to be really nervous, to be paranoid, to freak out
I completely freaked out before the exam.

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cool German slang: poppen

poppen (Geschlechtsverkehr haben)
Hast du mit ihr gepoppt?

German slang translation:

to get laid, to bang, to shag, to get it on
Did the two of you get it on? / Did the two of you shag?

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cool German slang: funzen

funzen (funktionieren)
Funzt's?
Mein Internetanschluss funzt schon die ganze Woche nicht.

German slang translation:

to work, to function
Does it work?
My internet connection has not been working all week. /
My internet connection is numptied all week already.

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cool German slang: Hasenhirn

Hasenhirn (Dummkopf)
Mein Vermieter ist ein Hasenhirn.

German slang translation:

idiot, plonker, dipshit, moron, retard
My landlord is a moron.

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cool German slang: keimig

keimig (eklig, widerlich, dreckig)
Heute siehst du echt keimig aus.

German slang translation:

disgusting, rank, revolting
You look really rough today (Br.) / You look like shit today. (Am.)

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cool German slang: harzen

harzen (kiffen, rauchen)
Ich harze mir etwas.

German slang translation:

to smoke dope, to spark up a joint
I'm about to get wasted/ high.

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cool German slang: zocken

zocken (spielen)
Zocken wir am Computer?

German slang translation:

to play; to gamble
Wanna play some computer games?

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German slang translation and dictionary communities

German slang, English slang and the slang of any other language is volatile and each year new words become fashionable. New slang phrases either replace older phrases, or they are used in addition to more established terms. As new discoveries are made, technology advances and our society changes sometimes a whole new family of slang words are introduced that had no predecessors. German internet slang is an example of this.

New German slang words are very often introduced into the German language by the younger generation. Due to the increased exposure of foreign cultures and languages through the internet and media, it is also common for foreign words to be adopted almost unchanged as German slang. An example is the English expression "to chill" where the German slang translation is "chillen" and is often used in preference of "sich entspannen". Very often words are introduced to the German language as slang but then become so common that they are accepted as standard German. The German translation of the English "to surf the internet" is "im Internet surfen" is such an example.

A printed German slang dictionary would have a hard time keeping up with all these changes and would need to publish new dictionary editions regularly with updated slang entries and translations. The internet makes this task easier as German slang dictionary databases can be kept up to date by suggestions submitted by the internet community. The useful German slang dictionary Redensarten-Index is a good example of this.

Internet communities are also sometimes given the opportunity to rate new german slang words. The German slang dictionary collection Sprachnudel as well as MundMische allow this.

The German slang translation of English words and English translation of German words can also be openly discussed and debated in internet dictionary forums. The German English dictionary Leo.org has some very helpful German slang forum threads. The next time you need a German slang translator, I recommend checking the Leo.org forums. If you don't find the German slang translation that you're looking for, you can start a new forum thread and friendly folks will help you out.

If you're particularly interested in an Austrian German slang dictionary try Ostarrichi. Please let me know if you're familiar with a great Swiss German slang dictionary as I'm not certain about the best one to recommend.

Read 16 kickass reasons to learn German slang

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