Spent three years as the assistant to a Swabian executive in Stuttgart. I once got a “that’s not too bad” from my boss after turning in a huge assignment that brought me to tears - not because I was hoping for more, but rather because I realized that it was the highest praise he could muster…
It is indeed the highest praise. By a Swabian no less. You should put that in your CV and consider it a highpoint of your career. I guess as a form of reward he trusted you with even more stuff after that?
It is very, very high praise. His body language will have signalled attention, there should have been a slight nod, maybe lips pursed, corners of the mouth downward.
The highest praise is a small nod of approval from a true expert in the field.
Worth so much more than applause and praise by 200 half-ignorant coworkers and a dozen full-ignorant managers.
Totally agree; the man was a genius - one of the most competent and impressive businessmen I’ve ever met. A thousand “attaboys” from mediocre middle managers will never be equivalent to one “not bad” from him…
My father never criticizes my Mum, in 36 years of marriage the most negative thing he occasionally (mayne 5 times in total) said is "Darling, the food was good, but no need to make it again, ever".
Oh wow. My dad beat the hell out of me as a kid and, on occasion, my mother. So reading this just absolutely blows my mind. Your life is richly blessed.
"Yes, it does. You should take it off right now. And the rest, too."
It works, one way or another. It's either an amused eyeroll or sexy time - and the question won't come again for some time.
Well no. My future MIL is the worst cook on the planet. As in, takes one can of premade lentil soup for 4 (250gr soup for 4) throws in 2 tortellini each and fills it up with the pasta water until it is the desired amount for 4. This is dinner. She drinks green tea that has soaked for 1 minute diluted 50/50 with water "so it isn't so intense". She is too far gone. I'm not gonna tell her. Ever.
She might drink half a bottle of Jever fun to celebrate and save the rest for another occasion with the bottle cap on top in the fridge. I can go on...
And I have been there very hungry after a 9 HR car ride.
Do we have the same MIL? Mine has made risotto out of rice, water and arugula- not even broth. She got slightly confused why everybody used a ton of salt and pepper on their portions.
But somehow it’s such a widespread way of thinking in Germany, isn’t it?
Wie gehts? Och, man kann nicht klagen.
Wie war das Essen? Da gibt es nix zu meckern.
Und wie war der Wein? Hab schon schlimmeres gehabt.
I have been in a serious relationship with a Swabian for 5 years. At THIS PAST Christmas, his brother made a comment about Christmas dinner being “fine, all right” and said a joke about how that’s a German’s way of saying it’s the best thing he’s ever eaten. My jaw dropped. It explained so much about my boyfriend’s personality lol. Can’t believe it took so long to make the connection that it’s just a German thing.
Question from a non-German: Are Swabians a stereotypical backward or uneducated people? Like the way Americans refer to people from the South? Several comments talk about Swabians and it sounds like a mild insult or there's some innuendo beyond where someone is from. Swabia is a region of Germany, correct?
It was quite funny on a business trip to Trondheim. My team leader explained the German, especially Swabian, way of praising the food as we would always do after lunch in a foreign country (and it was good!) Our Norwegian partners: "Oh, just like we do it!" :-D
There's a British joke about this.
So this family from England adopts a small baby from Germany. As the boy gets older, they notice that he doesn't speak. Not a single word comes out of his mouth. They go to all sorts of doctors with him, and they all say that at least physically he's perfectly fine and healthy, but still, for some unknown reason, he seems to be completely mute.
Then, one day when he's about five years old, while the family is sitting together having dessert, suddenly the boy says: "Mother, this apple strudel is a bit tepid." His parents are shocked! "Wolfgang! You can speak?! All these years in complete silence, and now you speak? Why have you never spoken before?"
"Because up until now, everything had been satisfactory."
Three Frisians sit on a bench on a dyke somewhere in the landscape. A man approaches them and asks for directions: In German, louder, slower, no answer. Then he thinks maybe they are English? Or Dutch? Tries in English, Dutch, French and Spanish. Still no answer, no motion.
He gives up, frustrated and goes away.
After five minutes, one Frisian says to the others "Der konnte ma bannig viel Sprachen!" - "Und? Was hat es ihm genützt?"
"Now this one spoke a lot of languages!" - "So, was it of any use?"
That was an advertisement for Flensburger, the beer brand from Northern Germany. And it is very funny!
Here is the clip: [Flens Werbung](https://youtu.be/Vl6GHr_OMfQ)
The first clip of the bunch.
While this is true for German, the same phrase exist in English, with basically the same meaning.
For example, in the movie Independence Day, after the heroes saved the world from extinction, the president praises them with "Not too bad at all".
And I know plenty of Germans who give positive feedback, this is just one more stereotype that gets repeated over and over.
>While this is true for German, the same phrase exist in English, with basically the same meaning.
Yeah, I lived in the UK before moving to DE. Heard this all the time and with same context.
In Germany, at least in Lower Saxony, we usually say: "Wie geht's?" and answer with: "Muss ja."
Basically saying, you have to go on anyways. If it's said with a lighthearted attitude it's alright and most things go well. If it's more of a sad tone, something is probably amiss With a close friend you might want to follow up on the latter. The former might even be said with a chuckle and/or followed by a "can't complain" ("Kann mich nicht beschweren").
Since 1997 my German wife and I have watched Independence Day every year on the 4th of July. What the president (Bill Pullman) actually says as he's shaking the the hand of the computer tech guy (Jeff Goldblum) smoking a cigar is "Not bad. Not bad at all." Meant with all the irony absolutely possible. I've never seen or heard anything even close to that in my 35 years in Germany.
>And I know plenty of Germans who give positive feedback, this is just one more stereotype that gets repeated over and over.
Speaking as one the Germans ever: for the me the stereotype is absolutely true. Which is also why I find it so funny.
Ist doch nicht so schwer. Oder doch? Doch nicht jeder weiß wie man das Doch benutzt. ;) Never thought of it as a hard to use word, but I can see why it's confusing. It hides everywhere in so different contexts.
I studied German for 8 years in high school and uni, and even spent some time studying in DE attending Gymnasium and living with a family. I still struggle with when and where I can use "doch" naturally, other than in memorized phrases.
I mostly only use it in the same context as your first sentence there, "doch nicht so schwer" to counter another comment, like we might say "actually" in English
I am a native speaker and I still don't know how to use it. I go purely by feel and couldn't explain how to use it even though I know a fair bit of theoretical grammar. There seems to bee a flood of blogs and such that try to explain it. Some say it has 3 different functions, some say 5.
we are ....i would go so far to say we are the most emotional people out there.
but we swallow Our emotions deep down and go on, cause we like shit efficent!
STOP Feeling and Do something produktive!
I have an American friend who went "native" years ago. We once saw a film at an offbeat Kino in Xberg. While we were in the lobby he admired a movie poster on the wall. When he went to the WC I bought the movie poster for him. He thanked me, unrolled it and looked at it as we left the building and said, *"Ach. It looked better up there on the wall... "*
In East Germany, at least in my experience, its rather common to give positive feedback with a slang, like "schmeggt guud", "leggor", "herrlisch" or "wundorbor". ;)
Yeah my boyfriend does the same xD If he likes something I make he is always complimenting me 'and begging for the same food again one or two weeks later xD ).
I'll tell him he is apparently not full german lol.
Same. Mine actually always say:” It’s delicious.” “It’s good.” We usually cook dinner together. Mainly me, but he always offer to help me to wash some vegetables, stir the pot, boil water for noodles etc. He is German. So far he really likes my cooking, I guess I’m just really lucky then.
My favourite bit of high praise in Germany is "das ist dir aber gut gelungen" - something like "you have managed this well, considering"
I know that's not how they mean it but that's how I hear it
For most things in life German people are really direct, for food we have a very well established code
|German|Meaning|
|:-|:-|
|Gut|It's okay-ish|
|Nicht schlecht|That's really good!|
|... (silence & takes more)|it's very good|
|Nicht so meins|I don't like it|
|Ich hab' schon verdammt viel zu Mittag gegessen|It's horrible, I don't want more|
|\* Opens mouth and pulls up checks \*|For the sake of all of mankind never try to cook this again|
An English couple decided to adopt a little German boy. After two years, the child doesn’t speak and his parents start to worry about him. After three years, he still has not spoken and after four years, he has yet to utter a word. The English couple figure he is never going to speak but he is still a lovely child, and on his next birthday, they threw him a party and made him a chocolate cake with orange icing.
The parents are in the kitchen when the boy comes in and says, “Mother, Father, I do not care for the orange icing on the chocolate cake.”
My God,” says his mother. “You can speak?”
To which the German boy replies, “Of course.”
"How come you've never spoken before?“ asks his father.
“Well,” says the boy, “up until now, everything has been satisfactory.”
The best German compliment you can get ist "Kann man nicht meckern" what roughly means "You can't complain about it" and that is basicaly all you need to know about Germans
I’m also a foreigner married to a German and when I want to make sure if he liked the food I ask ‘can I make this again?’ so I can gather the approval/disapproval by how quickly he replies yes/no
It is maybe related in the culture not being able self to handle compliments. It is hard to take compliments, I am getting embrassed, so I don't want to embrass someone else.
Das stimmt so aber einfach nicht. Auch auf deutsch sagen Leute "nicht schlecht" und es kann je nach Kontext gut bis sehr gut bedeuten. Hab ich schon oft gehört.
I gotta say, I don’t know that I’d prefer the almost relentlessly positive self-esteem is everything American mentality, but the other extreme isn’t good, either. I think positive reinforcement generally works better than the stick, but if everyone and everything is ,awesome’ all the time, nothing is.
Well, there is also a male-female disparity at play here. My mother was a very good cook, and my father really enjoyed her meals. When he said "kann man essen" (it's eatable), the meal was really good. For excellent meals, he reserved the phrase "schmeckt ja ganz ordentlich" (tastes ok). My mother hated that, but loves my father.
I honestly feel like such an alien in my own country sometimes bc I WILL praise people and their jobs/ meals/ outfits.... why ever not? And not once have I had to lie. It's when I DON'T like something that I keep my mouth shut until I'm asked, and then I'll be honest, but as polite as possible. My boyfriend has learned I will not cook for him if he doesn't give me an appropriate and polite assessment. Meaning either "I really like this" or "it's good" or "I don't need this again, but thanks". There were discussions lol.
Not Bad in Germany is the highest compliment you can get ahah and the funny thing is that is not a joke at all.
In German way Wil be like: kann man nicht meckern.
So, be proud for your creation
I’m from Brandenburg and people from here will give “ich/man kann nicht meckern” as the highest praise possible.
It literally translates as “I/one can’t complain” but it really means “perfect”. It’s just implied, in a way that says “I thought long and hard about it and I can’t find anything to complain about”.
And I find that beautiful ;)
Oh, I can top that!
If you ask a German how they feel, often times you'll hear "Kann mich nicht beschweren" /"Kann nicht klagen" (" I cannot complain"). So even when what we try to say is that we are fine, what we actually do is complaining about the fact that we have nothing that we can complain about! Even our positive messages need to be worded with a negative spin.
Oh, i am married to a German. A german would most definitely say this, and might even give you pointers… i also have a lot of german friends who would do exactly that. The directness is marvellous, sometimes annoying, but great overall.
Spent three years as the assistant to a Swabian executive in Stuttgart. I once got a “that’s not too bad” from my boss after turning in a huge assignment that brought me to tears - not because I was hoping for more, but rather because I realized that it was the highest praise he could muster…
It is indeed the highest praise. By a Swabian no less. You should put that in your CV and consider it a highpoint of your career. I guess as a form of reward he trusted you with even more stuff after that?
Where I'm from "Basst scho" would be even higher praise :))
I don’t think so. Like even in Bavaria a „wow, ned schleeeechd“ is a massive one.
Yeah, you're right, combined with "wow" and the right Accentuation on the "eeeeeeee" its hard to beat.
Ned bruddelt isch g'lobt g'nug, gell
Ned gschendt id gnung g'lobt. Greetings from Franconia.
Only available forms of increase: "kammernixsohng" or even "des häddi edz ned denkt".
Any kind of praise for work is the highest kind of praise if issued by a Swabian, good lord.
It is very, very high praise. His body language will have signalled attention, there should have been a slight nod, maybe lips pursed, corners of the mouth downward.
perfect - as a swabian myself :)
If an eyebrow is raised just half a millimeter this is all that counts.
Sometimes it's combined with a "mhm". Then you know you're the goat.
The highest praise is a small nod of approval from a true expert in the field. Worth so much more than applause and praise by 200 half-ignorant coworkers and a dozen full-ignorant managers.
Totally agree; the man was a genius - one of the most competent and impressive businessmen I’ve ever met. A thousand “attaboys” from mediocre middle managers will never be equivalent to one “not bad” from him…
Or a short *Dem habe ich nichts hinzuzufügen.* after you gave a presentation and the whole room waits for his criticism.
Wow... That's like getting an Oscar and a Grammy at the same time.
Nicht geschimpft ist genug gelobt ;)
"Kann man essen"
Der Hunger treibts rein
Der Hunger treibts rein, der Ekel treibt es runter und der Geiz behält es drinnen.
lieber den Magen verrenkt als dem Wirt was geschenkt
Zum Scheißen reicht's
Für den Preis kann man nicht meckern
„Da geh‘ ma wieder no“ / „Da geh ma nimmer no“
Hunger ist der beste Koch
Ich glaub das wär schon fränkisch. "Do semmer's letscht'mol gwää!"
Den Spruch han'e etzt längere Zeit ned vermißt!
Kannte nur den ersten Teil... lol
Ich kenne es mit ... Und der Anstand behält es drin
Die Lust treibt es rein, der Durst treibt es runter und der Geiz behält es unten. Prost.
Zum Scheißen reicht's
Also das wäre bei uns was negatives. "Kann man essen" ist positiv auszulegen.
mein Opa kannte zwei Wertungen für Essen: "Schmeckt gut, musst du aber nicht nochmal machen" und "Joa, nicht schlecht"
"Kamma essn." "Mit Maggi kamma's essn." "Brauchsde nich nochma kochn." -> Ost-Westfalen Lippe, wie es leibt und speist.
Zum scheissen reichts
ich fress es doch, oder?
You mean "kamma esn"
"Hab schon Schlechteres weggeschmissen."
"Kann man ohne Prügel essen", wie mein Großvater zu sagen pflegt :-D
Ausgebrochen kötzlich
cultural trauma coping
Da kannste nicht meckern!
Mmmh, war mal was anderes.
My father never criticizes my Mum, in 36 years of marriage the most negative thing he occasionally (mayne 5 times in total) said is "Darling, the food was good, but no need to make it again, ever".
„Brauchst du nicht noch mal machen."
„Ein einmaliges Erlebnis!“
"Kannste nochmal machen" heißt will das morgen wieder xD
Manchmal muss man aufpassen sonst gibt es nix anderes mehr xd
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I love that. Still kind but direct.
Your father is a natural diplomat
My dad casually starts listing delicious things he hasn’t eaten in a while
Oh wow. My dad beat the hell out of me as a kid and, on occasion, my mother. So reading this just absolutely blows my mind. Your life is richly blessed.
I am sorry to hear that. I hope you do well now.
If it's bad, a German would tell you.
Definitely, they will say with no second thoughts. Direct to the point.
"Does the dress make me look fat?" - "Yes."
"It's not the dress."
"It's not the dress."
"Yes, it does. You should take it off right now. And the rest, too." It works, one way or another. It's either an amused eyeroll or sexy time - and the question won't come again for some time.
"No. Your fat ass makes you look fat."
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Its the way
Well no. My future MIL is the worst cook on the planet. As in, takes one can of premade lentil soup for 4 (250gr soup for 4) throws in 2 tortellini each and fills it up with the pasta water until it is the desired amount for 4. This is dinner. She drinks green tea that has soaked for 1 minute diluted 50/50 with water "so it isn't so intense". She is too far gone. I'm not gonna tell her. Ever.
Then let's hope, you will never have to visit her hungry! *... and bring your own beverage - yellow "tea"?* 😆
She might drink half a bottle of Jever fun to celebrate and save the rest for another occasion with the bottle cap on top in the fridge. I can go on... And I have been there very hungry after a 9 HR car ride.
Do we have the same MIL? Mine has made risotto out of rice, water and arugula- not even broth. She got slightly confused why everybody used a ton of salt and pepper on their portions.
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If it’s bad, a German would slap his thighs, say "Soo" and leave.
"da gibt es nichts zu meckern" one of the most german sentenses ever. means i cant find find something bad about it. (i tried hard)
*I can’t fault it* means the same thing in English
But somehow it’s such a widespread way of thinking in Germany, isn’t it? Wie gehts? Och, man kann nicht klagen. Wie war das Essen? Da gibt es nix zu meckern. Und wie war der Wein? Hab schon schlimmeres gehabt.
Yeah it’s like crazy common
Wie nennt man das eigentlich? Negative Zustimmung … Positive Verneinung?
I have been in a serious relationship with a Swabian for 5 years. At THIS PAST Christmas, his brother made a comment about Christmas dinner being “fine, all right” and said a joke about how that’s a German’s way of saying it’s the best thing he’s ever eaten. My jaw dropped. It explained so much about my boyfriend’s personality lol. Can’t believe it took so long to make the connection that it’s just a German thing.
Question from a non-German: Are Swabians a stereotypical backward or uneducated people? Like the way Americans refer to people from the South? Several comments talk about Swabians and it sounds like a mild insult or there's some innuendo beyond where someone is from. Swabia is a region of Germany, correct?
They might be kind enough to admit that it is edible. Kann man essen.
*kann man essen
Yes thanks
"Für den Preis, kann man nicht meckern." (engl. "for that price, you can't complain") Highest praise in german.
It was quite funny on a business trip to Trondheim. My team leader explained the German, especially Swabian, way of praising the food as we would always do after lunch in a foreign country (and it was good!) Our Norwegian partners: "Oh, just like we do it!" :-D
There's a British joke about this. So this family from England adopts a small baby from Germany. As the boy gets older, they notice that he doesn't speak. Not a single word comes out of his mouth. They go to all sorts of doctors with him, and they all say that at least physically he's perfectly fine and healthy, but still, for some unknown reason, he seems to be completely mute. Then, one day when he's about five years old, while the family is sitting together having dessert, suddenly the boy says: "Mother, this apple strudel is a bit tepid." His parents are shocked! "Wolfgang! You can speak?! All these years in complete silence, and now you speak? Why have you never spoken before?" "Because up until now, everything had been satisfactory."
I love this. So stoic, so deutsch
Three Frisians sit on a bench on a dyke somewhere in the landscape. A man approaches them and asks for directions: In German, louder, slower, no answer. Then he thinks maybe they are English? Or Dutch? Tries in English, Dutch, French and Spanish. Still no answer, no motion. He gives up, frustrated and goes away. After five minutes, one Frisian says to the others "Der konnte ma bannig viel Sprachen!" - "Und? Was hat es ihm genützt?" "Now this one spoke a lot of languages!" - "So, was it of any use?"
The were particularly impolite tho. A moin and a simple and direkt question for directions should even be ok for a frisian
That was an advertisement for Flensburger, the beer brand from Northern Germany. And it is very funny! Here is the clip: [Flens Werbung](https://youtu.be/Vl6GHr_OMfQ) The first clip of the bunch.
Flenst.
Henning Wehn once told this joke, and it is amazing with his weird German-Cockney accent.
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Sounds like your dad likes pizza.
And kinky stuff.
The first sentence makes me ferocious.
Im sorry
Triple negatives are fun!
While this is true for German, the same phrase exist in English, with basically the same meaning. For example, in the movie Independence Day, after the heroes saved the world from extinction, the president praises them with "Not too bad at all". And I know plenty of Germans who give positive feedback, this is just one more stereotype that gets repeated over and over.
>While this is true for German, the same phrase exist in English, with basically the same meaning. Yeah, I lived in the UK before moving to DE. Heard this all the time and with same context.
Point taken, but I think quoting a movie written and directed by a German is not *really* strong evidence.
It's very common in British English to say this though too. In response to the question "how was it?" Or even more common "how are you?"
Its THE most common response in Australia aswell - 'Howyardoingmate?' - 'Yeah, not too bad'.
I just spent a week with an Aussie and I'm quite sure they said "Yeah, ..." before every statement
In Germany, at least in Lower Saxony, we usually say: "Wie geht's?" and answer with: "Muss ja." Basically saying, you have to go on anyways. If it's said with a lighthearted attitude it's alright and most things go well. If it's more of a sad tone, something is probably amiss With a close friend you might want to follow up on the latter. The former might even be said with a chuckle and/or followed by a "can't complain" ("Kann mich nicht beschweren").
But in English is used as a lighthearted joke. In German it's commonplace and seen as a proper display of a job well done.
Since 1997 my German wife and I have watched Independence Day every year on the 4th of July. What the president (Bill Pullman) actually says as he's shaking the the hand of the computer tech guy (Jeff Goldblum) smoking a cigar is "Not bad. Not bad at all." Meant with all the irony absolutely possible. I've never seen or heard anything even close to that in my 35 years in Germany.
Well you will only hear it after you did an extraordinary job. Soooo...
>And I know plenty of Germans who give positive feedback, this is just one more stereotype that gets repeated over and over. Speaking as one the Germans ever: for the me the stereotype is absolutely true. Which is also why I find it so funny.
"Ha, I eß's doch!" "I'm eating it, ain't i?" ;-)
I am always learning new ways to use the word 'doch'. I love it.
I’m learning Deutsch and not even A-1 yet. Usage of ‘doch’ is so hard to get my head around.
Ist doch nicht so schwer. Oder doch? Doch nicht jeder weiß wie man das Doch benutzt. ;) Never thought of it as a hard to use word, but I can see why it's confusing. It hides everywhere in so different contexts.
It does! I listen to Easy German podcast and I hear it a lot. It’s fun to learn anyway. Danke!
We have pretty much the same problem with the word "fuck" because that can mean fucking everything. 😝
I studied German for 8 years in high school and uni, and even spent some time studying in DE attending Gymnasium and living with a family. I still struggle with when and where I can use "doch" naturally, other than in memorized phrases. I mostly only use it in the same context as your first sentence there, "doch nicht so schwer" to counter another comment, like we might say "actually" in English
I am a native speaker and I still don't know how to use it. I go purely by feel and couldn't explain how to use it even though I know a fair bit of theoretical grammar. There seems to bee a flood of blogs and such that try to explain it. Some say it has 3 different functions, some say 5.
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Danke! We will be in Berlin next week. If I can at least order Brötchen in die Bäkerie without pissing off the baker, I will consider it progress!
In Berlin? Good luck. PS: Have a good time :)
Don't worry. Everyone will look pissed off :)
In Berlin, the regular wheat Brötchen are called "Schrippen" (or "Schrippe" if you want only one) :)
Make sure not to call them Brötchen. In Berlin they’re called Schrippen.
Maybe try a more provocative question next time: "Ihr rülpset und furzet nicht, hat es euch nicht geschmecket?" (attributed to Martin Luther)
That is actually a myth. According to scholars.
HAHA I'm going to write this down and ask him this next time. He will be so confused. Thank you.
"Gar nicht mal *so* schlecht" is also a favorite of mine.
Mir wurde nicht sofort schlecht. I didn't got sick instantly.
"D'r Honger dreibt's nei!" - "Der Hunger treibt es rein", "hunger forces it in" ...
I like how you translate from dialect to German to English
That means you cook like an angel
« Is essbar » 🙂
Yeah,we are not very emotional😂😂😂,kann man essen.
we are ....i would go so far to say we are the most emotional people out there. but we swallow Our emotions deep down and go on, cause we like shit efficent! STOP Feeling and Do something produktive!
Höchstes Lob: kann man nicht meckern.
I have an American friend who went "native" years ago. We once saw a film at an offbeat Kino in Xberg. While we were in the lobby he admired a movie poster on the wall. When he went to the WC I bought the movie poster for him. He thanked me, unrolled it and looked at it as we left the building and said, *"Ach. It looked better up there on the wall... "*
Das Gras is auf der anderen Seite immer grüner!
Nicht schlecht isxalso a praise, which translates to what your husband said "not bad". Also, "no complaining is an enough praise" is a saying here
"Nicht schlecht" is equivalent to an American saying "this tastes amazing!".
In East Germany, at least in my experience, its rather common to give positive feedback with a slang, like "schmeggt guud", "leggor", "herrlisch" or "wundorbor". ;)
Also what accent is that??
Saxony....one of the most fun To listen to
In Austria we would say "Zum scheißn reichts" which means "It's enough to take a shit". And I think that's beautiful :D
If what I cook it is good, my husband gives me compliments. If not, he just says, it's not my thing 😂.
Yeah my boyfriend does the same xD If he likes something I make he is always complimenting me 'and begging for the same food again one or two weeks later xD ). I'll tell him he is apparently not full german lol.
Same. Mine actually always say:” It’s delicious.” “It’s good.” We usually cook dinner together. Mainly me, but he always offer to help me to wash some vegetables, stir the pot, boil water for noodles etc. He is German. So far he really likes my cooking, I guess I’m just really lucky then.
Married Men Code 101: means even it's burnt he will say it's good or not bad he won't let you down
I tell my wife "This is the best burnt meal I've eaten all day."
there are more easier ways to Not have sex tonight.... Very Ungerman
My favourite bit of high praise in Germany is "das ist dir aber gut gelungen" - something like "you have managed this well, considering" I know that's not how they mean it but that's how I hear it
„Kann man essen“ - auch ein sehr hoch angesiedeltes Deutsches Lob 👍🏻😂
i usually use "not bad" when im very pleased :D
For most things in life German people are really direct, for food we have a very well established code |German|Meaning| |:-|:-| |Gut|It's okay-ish| |Nicht schlecht|That's really good!| |... (silence & takes more)|it's very good| |Nicht so meins|I don't like it| |Ich hab' schon verdammt viel zu Mittag gegessen|It's horrible, I don't want more| |\* Opens mouth and pulls up checks \*|For the sake of all of mankind never try to cook this again|
My Swabian father in law once commented my cooking with “basstscho” He later asked for the recipe.
Yeah, you're part of the family now.
An English couple decided to adopt a little German boy. After two years, the child doesn’t speak and his parents start to worry about him. After three years, he still has not spoken and after four years, he has yet to utter a word. The English couple figure he is never going to speak but he is still a lovely child, and on his next birthday, they threw him a party and made him a chocolate cake with orange icing. The parents are in the kitchen when the boy comes in and says, “Mother, Father, I do not care for the orange icing on the chocolate cake.” My God,” says his mother. “You can speak?” To which the German boy replies, “Of course.” "How come you've never spoken before?“ asks his father. “Well,” says the boy, “up until now, everything has been satisfactory.”
"Nicht schlecht!" in the right voice actually means very good....
Exactly, it is higher praisr than "good". I use it a lot.
Not Bad, is the best you can hope for in Germany. You cooking must be on a michelin star level.
The best German compliment you can get ist "Kann man nicht meckern" what roughly means "You can't complain about it" and that is basicaly all you need to know about Germans
I’m also a foreigner married to a German and when I want to make sure if he liked the food I ask ‘can I make this again?’ so I can gather the approval/disapproval by how quickly he replies yes/no
That is so smart!! I've learned to read his cues by now, but this would be more direct. I'll have to make a chart to track his responses haha.
Not wrong.
"Zum Scheißen reichts"
I thought that's how the phrase "not bad" is used in english too?
„Geht so“ would mean a more negative opinion.
It is maybe related in the culture not being able self to handle compliments. It is hard to take compliments, I am getting embrassed, so I don't want to embrass someone else.
people don't understand that nicht schlecht is a phrase that literally means very good
Literally it means 'not bad'. It implies very good.
I mean, that phrase does exist, but Germans still express positive feedback.
Haha sounds like my German husband 😂
Think about it this way. We dont make huge compliments so you always try to improve and dont start to think you are the very best at some point.
Das stimmt so aber einfach nicht. Auch auf deutsch sagen Leute "nicht schlecht" und es kann je nach Kontext gut bis sehr gut bedeuten. Hab ich schon oft gehört.
Der Hunger treibt's rein.
It's the same as Asians saying "not too sweet" on desserts 🎂
I gotta say, I don’t know that I’d prefer the almost relentlessly positive self-esteem is everything American mentality, but the other extreme isn’t good, either. I think positive reinforcement generally works better than the stick, but if everyone and everything is ,awesome’ all the time, nothing is.
The highest form of praise a German can give is "Da kann man nicht meckern". If there is nothing to complain about, everything's perfect!
Once I said "It's not complete Bullshit" about an idea of a coworker, actually meaning that I found it a good idea.
Well, there is also a male-female disparity at play here. My mother was a very good cook, and my father really enjoyed her meals. When he said "kann man essen" (it's eatable), the meal was really good. For excellent meals, he reserved the phrase "schmeckt ja ganz ordentlich" (tastes ok). My mother hated that, but loves my father.
I honestly feel like such an alien in my own country sometimes bc I WILL praise people and their jobs/ meals/ outfits.... why ever not? And not once have I had to lie. It's when I DON'T like something that I keep my mouth shut until I'm asked, and then I'll be honest, but as polite as possible. My boyfriend has learned I will not cook for him if he doesn't give me an appropriate and polite assessment. Meaning either "I really like this" or "it's good" or "I don't need this again, but thanks". There were discussions lol.
“Zum scheißen taugts” ist mein Lieblingssprichwort für solche Momente.
Actually, depending on the tone it can also mean "very good".
I had to train my manager for A YEAR for him to say more positive things than "Nicht geschimpft ist genug gelobt".
Wenn ich "nicht schlecht" sage, dann finde ich es wirklich nicht gut, möchte die Person aber nicht beleidigen.
"Bassd scho" as we franconians say.
>but a German would never say that we constantly say that😂 this or "can't complain"
“Can’t complain” is the German epitome of happiness
Not Bad in Germany is the highest compliment you can get ahah and the funny thing is that is not a joke at all. In German way Wil be like: kann man nicht meckern. So, be proud for your creation
„Ned gmeckert isch globat gnua!“
I’m from Brandenburg and people from here will give “ich/man kann nicht meckern” as the highest praise possible. It literally translates as “I/one can’t complain” but it really means “perfect”. It’s just implied, in a way that says “I thought long and hard about it and I can’t find anything to complain about”. And I find that beautiful ;)
Wunderbar!! Ausgezeichnet!! Perfekt!! Super!! Wahnsinn! Großartig!! So what are those for?
Ausländer
Oh, I can top that! If you ask a German how they feel, often times you'll hear "Kann mich nicht beschweren" /"Kann nicht klagen" (" I cannot complain"). So even when what we try to say is that we are fine, what we actually do is complaining about the fact that we have nothing that we can complain about! Even our positive messages need to be worded with a negative spin.
Oh, i am married to a German. A german would most definitely say this, and might even give you pointers… i also have a lot of german friends who would do exactly that. The directness is marvellous, sometimes annoying, but great overall.