Remember the time when you wished you’d know a particular word which would exactly describe a situation, so you didn’t have to describe what you feel in a whole paragraph? Well, one of the best thing about German language is you get to describe these situations in ONE word.
Here are 10 German words, which do not exist in English, describing that exact feeling:
- Schadenfreude (happiness from the sadness):
That time when you are unprepared for that dreadful Math test, but it gets cancelled because your teacher catches a flu. Or the time when your friends go to a movie without you but the show is houseful. That moment of sheer devilish happiness is called ‘Schadenfreude’. It is a pleasure derived by someone from another person’s misfortune. - Anstandswauwau (the third wheel):
So one day in the class your crush sits next to you and you are absolutely ecstatic. But your friend just won’t get your signals and decides to sit in between. In this case your friend is the ‘Anstandswauwau’ or what we call “the third wheel”.
. - Treppenwitz (the staircase joke):
Have you ever noticed how all the great come backs occur to you 10 hours after the argument? That’s the so-called Treppenwitz. It’s the joke or the clever argument that comes to you long after the incident. - Ohrwurm (earworm):
Yes!! “Ohrwurm” literally translates to “ear worm”. And no, it is not some disgusting parasite. It is that frustrating song which you had heard just ONCE on the way to work but now it is stuck in your head and you can’t think of anything else. “Ohrwurm” describes the situation of having a song stuck in your head as if it wriggled itself into your brain through ear. - Fernweh ( distance pain):
This gem of a word describes the feeling of wanting to be somewhere else. It’s the exactly opposite of homesickness. It is longing for a place that isn’t where you are right now. - Torschlusspanik (closing door panic):
As people get older, some find themselves worrying about the roads not taken or milestones they meant to achieve by a certain age but haven’t. “Torschlusspanik “is the feeling of urgency to accomplish them before some imaginary gate closes and “it’s all too late”. - Drachenfutter (dragon fodder):
The expensive 5 carat princess cut diamond ring you gift to your wife after forgetting her birthday is “Drachenfutter”. It is a gift or some other form of peace-offering usually from a husband or boyfriend in order to appease an angry wife or girlfriend (because women NEVER forget birthdays and anniversaries!!). - Kopfkino (the head theatre): So you are on your way to interview. You are all prepared and perfectly qualified. But your cynical brain starts imagining all the things that could possibly go wrong, right from discovering a hole in your shirt to forgetting how to speak. “Kopfkino” happens when you involuntarily use your imagination to think of troubling or disgusting things in graphic details.
- Schnappsidee (the Schnapps idea):
Back in 2008 Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp were discussing how difficult it is to get a taxi over a beer, and that’s how Uber taxi concept was born. That is “Schnappsidee” or schnapps idea- a crazy but genius idea that was fuelled by an influential quantity of strong alcohol. - Verschlimbessern ( making it worse):
When you make something worse in the act of trying to improve it, you “Verschlimbessern” the situation. For example, you realize you have put on a little weight, and the thought depresses you, but instead of getting out of bed and going to the gym, you just end up eating that huge tub of ice cream all by yourself, to cheer yourself up. Or when you’re unprepared for the exams, you end up stressing over the exams all day instead of studying for it!!
