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.
Auf die Tube drücken
(On the tube press)
die Tube is the tube, the collapsible tube, like die Zahnpastatube (the toothpaste tube).
And yes, auf die Zahnpastatube drücken means to press on the toothbrush tube, but the meaning of “auf die Tube drücken” is more metaphorical (ist eher metaphorisch).
It means:
- to put one’s foot down
- to step on it
so to speed up, to accelerate, like superwoman:
Got it?!
So here’s your action step:
Imagine you’re driving with your brand new “Made in Germany” car, which you bought after getting your first pay raise (nachdem du deine erste Gehaltserhöhung bekommen hast).
You’re driving with your German-speaking colleague Dietmar on this German highspeed highway (auf dieser deutschen Autobahn).
You enter the section with no speed limits (ohne Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung).
Look at your colleague seriously in the eyes, and tell him:
- Pass auf, jetzt drücke ich auf die Tube! (Pay attention, now I’ll put my foot down!)
And this is what it sounds like:
Then, tell me in the comments below how he reacted :-)