Let’s have some fun with this weird German language!
In this series of posts, I’ll show you how to make your German speaking colleagues laugh, with ONE simple sentence.
Flöten gehen
(to go pipe)
die Flöte is the flute, and flöten is to pipe.
Hey, let’s go pipe somewhere, like the Pied Piper of Hamelin!
No, this doesn’t make any sense (das ergibt keinen Sinn) :-)
What this expression really means is something totally different (etwas ganz Anderes).
Let me explain:
Imagine you bought a brand new cushion to finally sleep well and comfortably at night (in der Nacht).
In the evening, you come home and find your pillow on the floor (auf dem Boden).
And next to it, your dog…
- Das Kissen is flöten gegangen.
So, we use this expression to express that something is broken (kaputt) or you’ve lost something
- The pillow has gone down the drain!
- The pillow has gone for a burton!
Got it!?
So here’s your action step:
Imagine you step into the office of your German-speaking colleague Karl-Winfried.
You see him making some weird tests on his new Apple watch to see how resistant it is (um zu sehen wie widerstandsfähig sie ist).
Take a look over his shoulder and once you see the result of his weird test, tell him:
- Ich glaube, die Uhr ist flöten gegangen! (I think, the watch has gone down the drain!)
And this is what it sounds like:
Then, tell me in the comments below how he reacted :-)