German idioms are an important part of everyday German. They come up all the time in both written and spoken German. Because idioms don’t always make sense literally, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the meaning and usage of each idiom. That may seem like a lot of work, but learning idioms is fun, especially when you compare German idioms to the idioms in your own language.
Wo sich Fuchs und Hase gute Nacht sagen
Literally: Where fox and hare say goodnight to one another English equivalent: In the middle of nowhere
Um den heißen Brei herumreden
Literally: to talk around the hot porridge English equivalent: to beat around the bush
Da steppt der Bär
Literally: The bear dances there English equivalent: To have a good party, to have a blast
Sich zum Affen machen
Literally: to make an ape of yourself English equivalent: to make a fool of yourself
Den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen
Literally: to hit the nail on the head English equivalent: to do exactly the right thing
Da kannst du Gift drauf nehmen
Literally: You can take poison on that. English equivalent: You can bet your life on that.
Die Kirche im Dorf lassen
Literally: to leave the church in the village English equivalent: to not get carried away
