23 Untranslatable German Verbs You Need to Know

Learning German isn’t just about memorizing grammar rules or vocabulary. Some of the most interesting (and sometimes funny) German words are verbs that don’t have a direct English translation. They often express feelings, habits, or subtle ideas that would take a few words or even a whole sentence to explain in English.

Here’s a list of 23 “untranslatable” German verbs with practical examples, so you can use them naturally in conversation.

1. gönnen – to allow yourself/others something good

• Ich gönne mir heute ein Stück Kuchen. → I’m treating myself to a piece of cake.
• Gönn ihm doch den Erfolg! → Just let him enjoy his success!

2. fremdschämen – to feel embarrassed for someone else/cringing on behalf of someone else

• Ich muss mich für den Moderator fremdschämen. → I feel embarrassed on behalf of the host.
• Bei dieser Show kann man nur fremdschämen. → You can only cringe at this show.

3. verpeilen (slang) – to mess up/forget absentmindedly / to be scatterbrained

• Sorry, ich hab den Termin total verpeilt. → Sorry, I completely forgot the appointment.
• Er ist in letzter Zeit so verpeilt. → He’s been really scatterbrained lately.

Note: verpeilen can be used as a verb (etwas verpeilen = mess something up) or as an adjective (verpeilt sein = to be absent-minded or distracted).

4. verschlimmbessern – to “improve” something but make it worse

• Das Update hat alles verschlimmbessert. → The update made everything worse while “improving” it.
• Er wollte die Wohnung streichen, aber er hat sie verschlimmbessert. → He wanted to paint the flat but only made it worse.

5. jemandem zuhören – to listen attentively / actively

Zuhören is more than just “hearing” someone. It means actively paying attention to what a person is saying, making an effort to understand, and showing engagement. English “listen” can sometimes be passive, but zuhören always implies focus on the speaker.

• Kannst du mir bitte zuhören? → Can you please listen to me attentively?
• Sie hat ihm stundenlang zugehört. → She listened to him for hours.

Note: Zuhören is a dative verb, which means it always requires a dative object.

6. rumhängen – to hang around, do nothing, or laze about

Rumhängen describes spending time without a clear purpose, often relaxing, wasting time, or just chilling. It can be social (with friends) or solo (doing nothing at home). English has phrases like “hang out” or “laze around,” but they don’t fully capture the casual, sometimes lazy, vibe that rumhängen conveys.

• Am Wochenende hänge ich nur rum. → On the weekend, I laze around / do nothing in particular.
• Die Jugendlichen hängen im Park rum. → The teenagers are hanging out (without a plan) in the park.

Note: It’s a separable verb: in sentences, “rum” moves to the end (Ich hänge … rum), which has no direct equivalent in English.

7. umfahren – to drive around / to run over

Umfahren is tricky because it’s a true German “untranslatable” verb: the meaning completely changes depending on stress and context.

1. To drive around (avoid something), pronounced umfahren (stress on um). Example: Wir haben die Stadt umfahren. → We drove around the city to avoid traffic.
2. To run over (hit with a vehicle) – pronounced umfahren (stress on fahren). Example: Er hat beinahe den Hund umgefahren. → He almost ran over the dog.

Note: English uses two completely different verbs (“drive around an object” vs. “run over”), but in German, it’s the same word, just with different stress and context, which makes it confusing for learners.

8. schaffen – to manage / to accomplish

• Ich habe es endlich geschafft, die Prüfung zu bestehen. → I finally managed to pass the exam.
• Schaffst du es bis 18 Uhr? → Can you make it by 6 p.m.?

9. kriegen (colloquial) – to get/receive

This is the informal alternative to bekommen, commonly used in everyday spoken German.

• Ich kriege morgen Besuch. → I’m getting visitors tomorrow.
• Hast du die E-Mail gekriegt? → Did you get the email?

10. schnabulieren (colloquial) – to nibble, eat with delight

This is a playful, informal way to say you’re enjoying small bites of food, especially sweets. A common synonym is naschen, which is more neutral but has the same meaning.

• Wir haben gemütlich Schokolade geschnabuliert. → We nibbled chocolate cozily.
• Die Kinder schnabulieren Kekse. → The kids are munching cookies.
• Wir haben Schokolade genascht. → We nibbled on chocolate.

11. verknallen (sich) – to have a crush/to fall for someone

• Sie hat sich in ihren Kollegen verknallt. → She has a crush on her colleague.
• Ich hab mich total in ihn verknallt. → I totally fell for him.

12. auskurieren – to properly recover from an illness

• Du musst dich richtig auskurieren. → You need to fully recover.
• Sie hat ihre Grippe endlich auskuriert. → She finally got over her flu.

13. blamieren (sich) – to make a fool of oneself

Sich blamieren means looking foolish or incompetent in front of others. English uses the phrase “make a fool of oneself,” which conveys the same meaning.

• Ich habe mich total blamiert. → I totally made a fool of myself.
• Er blamiert sich immer in Meetings. → He always makes a fool of himself in meetings.

Note: Sich blamieren is a reflexive verb. The reflexive object sich is important. It shows the action is directed back at the subject, which is key in German.

14. jemanden aufmuntern – to cheer someone up / lift someone’s spirits

Jemanden aufmuntern isn’t just “making someone happy.” It means actively helping someone feel better when they’re sad, stressed, or down. English has phrases like “cheer up” or “lift someone’s spirits,” but these are multi-word phrases, whereas German expresses it in a single verb.

• Ich will dich aufmuntern. → I want to cheer you up / make you feel better.
• Das Lied muntert mich immer auf. → This song always lifts me / cheers me up.

Note: The verb can be used with a person or a situation that improves someone’s mood, and it often carries a friendly, supportive tone, which is harder to capture in English with one word.

15. plaudern – to chat casually

• Wir haben stundenlang im Café geplaudert. → We chatted for hours in the café.
• Sie plaudert gerne mit den Nachbarn. → She likes to chat with the neighbors.

16. quatschen – to chit-chat, sometimes meaningless

• Wir haben die ganze Nacht gequatscht. → We chatted the whole night.
• Hör auf zu quatschen! → Stop babbling!

17. trödeln – to dawdle

• Trödel nicht, wir kommen zu spät! → Don’t dawdle, we’ll be late!
• Er trödelt morgens immer herum. → He always wastes time in the morning.

18. sich auskennen (mit …) – to be familiar/knowledgeable/to know a place well

• Er kennt sich mit Computern aus. → He knows his way around computers.
• Kennst du dich hier aus? → Do you know your way around here?

19. klarkommen (mit …) – to cope / get along with someone

• Sie kommt mit der Situation nicht klar. → She can’t cope with the situation.
• Wir kommen gut miteinander klar. → We get along well.

20. verreisen – to go away on a trip / take a vacation

Verreisen is a single German verb that expresses leaving home temporarily to go on a trip or holiday. English doesn’t have one verb that captures all of this. You always need a phrase like “go on a trip,” “go away,” or “go on vacation.”

• Wir sind übers Wochenende verreist. → We went away for the weekend / took a weekend trip.
• Er verreist jeden Sommer nach Italien. → He goes on a trip to Italy every summer.

Note: German uses a single verb, whereas English requires multiple words. Verreisen implies a short-term trip or leisure travel, not permanent relocation. German speakers can easily say Ich verreise morgen, which translates in English to a longer phrase: “I’m leaving tomorrow for a trip.”

21. verduften (slang) – to disappear quickly

• Die Kinder sind verduftet, als es Ärger gab. → The kids vanished when trouble came.
• Er ist einfach verduftet. → He just disappeared.

22. ausflippen – to freak out (positively or negatively)

• Sie ist vor Freude ausgeflippt. → She freaked out with joy.
• Er ist total ausgeflippt, als er das gesehen hat. → He totally freaked out when he saw that.

23. schweigen – to remain silent (more intense than “be quiet”)

• Er schwieg die ganze Zeit. → He remained silent the whole time.
• Schweigen ist manchmal besser als reden. → Silence is sometimes better than talking.

Final Thoughts

These 23 verbs show how rich, emotional, and culture-specific German can be. Instead of translating word for word into English, try to use them in context. The more you play with verbs like gönnen, fremdschämen, or verschlimmbessern, the more authentic your German will sound.