Tell a German you “only understand train station” — “Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof” — and they will know instantly that you have lost the thread of the conversation. German is full of these sideways phrases, from a problem that is “not my beer” to the spot where “the dog lies buried.” The largest historical collection of them, assembled in the 19th century, runs to five fat volumes and hundreds of thousands of entries. This is Guide № 011 in The Love Germany Guide series.
Sprichwort or Redewendung: Two Different Beasts
German draws a clean line between a Sprichwort (a proverb) and a Redewendung (an idiom), and getting the two straight is the first step to using them well. A Sprichwort is a complete, free-standing sentence that offers a piece of folk wisdom — “Übung macht den Meister” (practice makes the master) or “Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund” (the morning hour has gold in its mouth). A Redewendung is a fixed figurative phrase that only makes sense slotted into a larger sentence, such as “die Katze im Sack kaufen” (to buy the cat in the sack, i.e. to buy blind).
The distinction matters because the two behave differently in speech. You quote a proverb whole, often to close an argument; you conjugate and bend an idiom around whatever you are actually saying. Reference works such as Duden catalogue both separately, and the free online dictionary DWDS tags example sentences so you can see each phrase working in real text rather than in isolation.
Where They Come From
Many German sayings were already old when they were first written down. The reformer Johann Agricola published an annotated collection, “Drei hundert Gemeyner Sprichwörter,” in 1529, and the humanist Sebastian Franck followed with a far larger gathering in 1541. Martin Luther’s Bible translation, completed in 1534, pushed dozens of phrases into everyday German — “Perlen vor die Säue werfen” (to throw pearls before swine) is one that travelled straight from scripture into common speech.
The monumental reference is the Deutsches Sprichwörter-Lexikon compiled by Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Wander and published between 1867 and 1880 in five volumes. It is still the standard historical source scholars reach for. Separately, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm — better known for their fairy tales — began the vast Deutsches Wörterbuch in 1838; it was not finished until 1961 and recorded the idioms and sayings attached to countless German words along the way. The digital edition is now maintained by the Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften.
A Field Guide to the Classics
A handful of sayings turn up constantly, and knowing them unlocks a lot of everyday conversation. “Das ist nicht mein Bier” (that is not my beer) means “that is not my problem.” “Da liegt der Hund begraben” (that is where the dog is buried) marks the real crux of a matter. “Tomaten auf den Augen haben” (to have tomatoes on your eyes) describes someone who cannot see what is right in front of them, while “jetzt geht’s um die Wurst” (now it is about the sausage) signals a make-or-break moment.
Some carry a wink built in. The much-loved “Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei” (everything has an end, only the sausage has two) is a deliberately silly riff on a serious proverb, and it became a pop hit in the 1980s. “Lügen haben kurze Beine” (lies have short legs) and “der Apfel fällt nicht weit vom Stamm” (the apple does not fall far from the trunk) show the plainer, moralising side of the tradition.
Sausages, Cats, and Train Stations
German idioms lean heavily on food, farm animals, and the body — a reflection of the rural, agricultural world in which most of them formed. Sausages, beer, bread, and mustard (“seinen Senf dazugeben,” to add one’s mustard, meaning to give an unwanted opinion) recur again and again. Animals do just as much work: dogs, cats, pigs, and the hare of “Mein Name ist Hase, ich weiß von nichts” (my name is hare, I know nothing), a phrase popularly traced to a Heidelberg law student named Victor von Hase around 1854.
The origins of individual phrases are often murkier than confident retellings suggest. “Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof” is commonly said to come from First World War soldiers who could think only of the train station that meant going home, though the derivation is not proven. When a saying’s backstory is uncertain, German dictionaries flag it as such rather than inventing one — a habit worth copying before you repeat any neat etymology.
How to Learn Them Properly
If you want to use these phrases rather than just collect them, pair a saying with the situation it fits — German idioms are highly context-bound and a literal translation almost always misleads. The Goethe-Institut, Germany’s official cultural and language organisation, teaches idiomatic usage in its courses worldwide, and the broadcaster Deutsche Welle offers free German-learning material that regularly explains everyday expressions with audio.
For questions of correct form and current usage, the Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache — the body that also advises the German parliament on language — publishes accessible notes on where sayings come from and how they are used today. Between these resources and a good dictionary, you can check any phrase before you deploy it at the dinner table.
Myths Worth Retiring
Myth: A proverb and an idiom are the same thing. They are not. A Sprichwort is a complete sentence of folk wisdom you quote whole; a Redewendung is a figurative phrase you build into your own sentences. German reference works treat them as separate categories.
Myth: You can work out a German idiom by translating it word for word. Rarely. “Das ist nicht mein Bier” has nothing to do with beer, and “Tomaten auf den Augen haben” involves no tomatoes. The meaning is figurative and fixed, learned as a unit.
Myth: Every saying has a tidy, documented origin. Many do not. Popular backstories for phrases like “Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof” are widely repeated but unproven, and serious dictionaries mark them as uncertain rather than stating them as fact.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common German proverb?
Among the most frequently used are “Übung macht den Meister” (practice makes the master) and “Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund” (the early hour has gold in its mouth), both offering the same kind of everyday advice as their English counterparts about practice and early rising.
Do younger Germans still use these sayings?
Yes. Core idioms like “Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof” and “das ist nicht mein Bier” remain in daily use across generations, and humorous ones such as the sausage proverb are kept alive by pop culture. Some regional or archaic sayings have faded, but the common stock is very much current.
Where can I look up a German saying I have heard?
Start with Duden or the free online dictionary DWDS, both of which list idioms with meanings and example sentences. For the background of a phrase, the Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache is a reliable, authoritative source.
More The Love Germany Guides
The Love Germany Guide is a numbered series — one tightly focused subject at a time, each with its own downloadable collectible edition. Guide № 001 is The Pretzel (Brezel), Guide № 002 is Oktoberfest, Guide № 003 is The Beer Stein, Guide № 004 is German Beer & the Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot), Guide № 005 is German Beer Garden Etiquette, Guide № 006 is German Slang & Denglisch, Guide № 007 is German Riesling & Wine Culture, Guide № 008 is Oompah Bands, Guide № 009 is Lederhosen & Dirndl, Guide № 010 is The Brothers Grimm & German Fairy Tales, This is Guide № 011. More editions are on the way.
🇩🇪 Join Love Germany
Every week, get hidden stories, local secrets, and travel inspiration from people who live and love it.
Tours & experiences in Germany
Powered by Viator. Some links are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.