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.
Seinen Senf dazugeben
(To add one’s mustard)
der Senf is the mustard and dazugeben means to add, so for example (zum Beispiel):
- Ich gebe Senf dazu. (I add mustard)
So you might one day order this tasty typical German sausage (diese typische deutsche Bratwurst) and they might ask you (sie könnten dich fragen):
- Möchten Sie Senf oder Ketchup dazu? (Would you like to add mustard or ketchup?)
And you might answer (Und du könntest antworten):
- Ich möchte Senf dazu. (I’d like to add mustard.)
But, if you add YOUR mustard (deinen Senf):
Ich gebe meinen Senf dazu. (I add my mustard.)
you’re expressing something totally different (etwas ganz Anderes).
You’re adding your two cents to a discussion or an argument.
So when we say in German:
- Seinen Senf dazugeben
We actually mean:
- to throw in one’s two cents worth
- to throw in one’s two pennies worth
So, you might have a colleague or a boss that is always adding something that no one has asked for (wonach niemand gefragt hat).
Then you can say to him:
- Du musst immer deinen Senf dazugeben! (You always have to add your two cents!)
You see, in German it has a more negative connotation (eine negative Bedeutung).
It’s adding two cents no one has asked for :-)
Got it?!
So here’s your action step:
Imagine you’re watching the news on Television in a bar with your German-speaking colleague Axel (mit deinem deutschsprachigen Kollegen Axel).
The moment you see a politician who is constantly adding his two cents just to show that he’s smarter than anyone else, say out loud (sag laut):
- Du musst immer deinen Senf dazugeben! (You always have to add your two cents!)
And this is what it sounds like:
Then, tell me in the comments below how your colleagues reacted :-)