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German · Vocabulary · B2

German idioms: tomatoes on your eyes and other everyday images

An idiom (in German, eine Redewendung) is a fixed phrase whose meaning is not the sum of its words. German idioms are vivid and very common in speech. Each one below comes with its literal image so you can picture it, then what it actually means.

Bahnhof Tomaten auf den Augen habento miss something obvious die Daumen drückento keep your fingers crossed Ich verstehe nur Bahnhofit’s all Greek to me
Germans press their thumbs, not cross their fingers, for luck. The gesture is the idiom.

How to use this page: choose a theme. Each row shows the idiom, its literal meaning and its real meaning. Open a row to see it in a sentence with every word glossed. Idioms still follow the grammar: verbs conjugate and the verb-second rule applies.

Food

Sausage, cake and mustard: German’s favourite source of images.

Das ist mir Wurst.das ist meer VOORST literally: that is to-me sausage I couldn’t care less
KinocinemaoderorTheater?theatreDasthatistismirto-meWurst.sausage
“Cinema or theatre? I don’t mind.”
Closest English: I don’t mind either way
Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei.AL-us hat ine EN-duh, noor dee VOORST hat TSVY literally: everything has an end, only the sausage has two all good things come to an end
DertheUrlaubholidayistisvorbei.overAlleseverythinghathaseinanEnde…end
“The holiday’s over. All good things come to an end…”
Closest English: nothing lasts for ever
seinen Senf dazugebenZY-nun ZENF dah-TSOO-gay-bun literally: to add one’s mustard to give an unasked-for opinion
ErhemussmustimmeralwaysseinenhisSenfmustarddazugeben.add
“He always has to put his two cents in.”
Closest English: to put in one’s two cents
Das ist nicht mein Bier.das ist nikht mine BEER literally: that is not my beer that’s not my problem
Wiehowerhedasthatlöst,solvesistisnichtnotmeinmyBier.beer
“How he sorts that out is not my business.”
Closest English: that’s none of my business
Tomaten auf den Augen habentoh-MAH-tun owf dayn OW-gun HAH-bun literally: to have tomatoes on the eyes to miss something obvious
HasthaveduyouTomatentomatoesaufondentheAugen?eyes
“Are you blind? It’s right there!”
Closest English: to be blind to what’s in front of you
Das ist ein Kinderspiel.das ist ine KIN-duh-shpeel literally: that is a children’s game that’s very easy
KeinenoSorge,worrydasthatistiseinaKinderspiel.child’s-game
“Don’t worry, it’s child’s play.”
Closest English: it’s child’s play

Idioms still follow the grammar

The fixed words stay fixed, but the verb conjugates and moves like any other. One idiom, three sentence types:

THE FIXED PART STAYS PUT; THE VERB MOVES statementDugehstmirauf den Keks. perfectDu bist mirauf den Keksgegangen. after weil…, weil du mirauf den Keksgehst. “You’re getting on my nerves.”“You got on my nerves.”“… because you’re getting on my nerves.” literally: you go to-me onto the biscuit
German puts the conjugated verb second in a statement and last after weil, “because”; the past participle goes last too. An idiom follows the same rules (German word order). The cards below do the same with die Daumen drücken.

Related guides

Next guideConnectorsDeshalb, trotzdem, obwohl: the other B2 vocabulary set. Next guideGerman listeningHearing idioms at natural speed. Next guideFood and drinkWurst, Senf and Bier in their literal sense. Course mapGerman hubThe full course map from A1 to C2.