1. Du siehst den Wald vor lauter Bäumen nicht.
Literal translation: “You don’t see the forest for all the trees.”
In life it is important to see the big picture. If we only concentrate on the latest wins or failures instead of seeing our lives as a whole, we are vulnerable to fate’s whims and get frustrated easily. So don’t give up on German just because you had a bad vocabulary day. You can pick it up again tomorrow.
2. Man muss die Dinge nehmen, wie sie kommen.
Literal translation: “You have to take things the way they come.”
In the same line of thought, life will seldom play out exactly the way we planned. It is therefore important to cultivate an adaptive mindset and deal with current surroundings and conditions instead of wishing for things to be different. So take life as it is, not as it should be.
3. Selbst ist der Mann./Selbst ist die Frau.
Literal translation: “Yourself is the man./Yourself is the woman.”
This saying is hard to translate literally. It’s English equivalent is “Self do, self have”. Oftentimes we will use waiting for others as an excuse in order to not take action. The proverb says that if you want something done, you have to do it yourself. While the original is the male version, Selbst ist die Frau is also widely used today.
4. Des Teufels liebstes Möbelstück ist die lange Bank.
Literal translation: “The devil’s favorite piece of furniture is the long bench.”
In German, putting something on the “long bench” means putting it off (etwas auf die lange Bank schieben – another very good addition to your German slang phrases). Seems like Germans knew about procrastination long before the word was on everyone’s lips. What are you putting on the “long bench” that you could take care of right now? Don’t let the devil win.
5.Erst denken, dann handeln.
Literal translation: “First think, then act.”
Although taking action is important, it is of equal importance to take the right action. Determining which one that is requires some deliberate thinking. This proverb reminds us to to set the right priorities and make decisions about what we want instead of blindly rushing into battle.
6. Kümmere Dich nicht um ungelegte Eier.
Literal translation: “Don’t worry about eggs that haven’t been laid yet.”
This one is a little bit like “don’t count your chickens before they hatch”. However, while the English version asks us not to rely on means which we do not possess at this time, the German equivalent expresses the futility of worrying about things that haven’t come to pass yet and never might. It is energy that is much better spent productively.
7. Aller Anfang ist schwer.
Literal translation: “All beginnings are hard.”
No matter what you are undertaking in life, whether it’s learning a new language, embarking on a career or working on a project, if you start something from scratch, you will suck at it at first. That’s part of the natural order and the way it should be. Don’t worry too much about it and just keep at it until you get it right.
8. Wer zwei Hasen auf einmal jagt bekommt keinen.
Literal translation: “He who chases two rabbits at once will catch none.”
This is the German way of telling you to stop multitasking. Be focused. Concentrate on one thing at a time and then move on to the next. Well done, grasshopper. By the way does anybody else think words like these should really be spoken by a some wise kung fu master?
9. Übung macht den Meister.
Literal translation: “Practice is what makes a master.”
Mastery is hard to attain. It takes continuous honing of your skills to get really good at something. If you want to reach a high level of proficiency in anything, you will have to put in the time and practice. Whether that’s business savvy, physical skills or language proficiency, there are no shortcuts.
10. Der Hunger kommt beim Essen.
Literal translation: “Appetite emerges while eating.”
If motivation runs low, one of the hardest things to do is to get started. Yes, we want to learn German. Yes, we committed to this time for our studying session. But we just don’t feel like it. Do a little bit, study for just a minute. More often than not your will find that after working for a while and easing into the process, it actually becomes fun and you will want to continue.
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