{"id":93812,"date":"2023-03-31T03:29:52","date_gmt":"2023-03-31T07:29:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/austrian-german-phrases\/"},"modified":"2025-01-13T20:40:51","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T01:40:51","slug":"austrian-german-phrases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/german\/austrian-german-phrases\/","title":{"rendered":"39 Austrian German Phrases and Slang"},"content":{"rendered":"

Austrians have their own German phrases<\/a> and slang for a wide range of situations, from saying hello and goodbye to drinking off a hangover.<\/p>\n

And while you can certainly get by in Austria with basic German words<\/a>, nothing makes an Austrian happier than a foreigner making an effort to understand the local language.<\/p>\n

In this post, we’ll give you tons of Austrian slang and phrases<\/strong>, with equivalents provided in both standard German and English.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc skip=4]<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Are German and Austrian Two Different Languages?<\/h2>\n

The renowned Austrian writer and journalist Karl Kraus used to say:<\/p>\n

Was die Deutschen und \u00d6sterreicher trennt ist ihre gemeinsame Sprache.
\n<\/em>What distinguishes the Germans from the Austrians is their common language.<\/p>\n

Germany and Austria share the same language, but with fundamental differences in the way they use it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Austrian Hochdeutsch <\/em>(“high” German) used in writing and formal contexts is fairly similar to the German Hochdeutsch<\/em>, however, there are huge differences in the way German is spoken in everyday life<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The so-called Mundart<\/em>\u00a0(vernacular) is strong and exists in many different forms, varying from region to region. Many words are used exclusively in spoken Austrian and therefore there’s no set way to spell them.<\/p>\n

If you’re an advanced German speaker, you may even notice that the spirit of the Austrian language is different: Germans are very direct and straight to the point, while Austrians tend to sound a bit more vague and ambiguous.<\/p>\n

Austrian German is also a bit more ironic, which occasionally leads to small misunderstandings\u2013Germans sometimes accuse Austrians of being inappropriate and Austrians criticize their neighbors\u2019 lack of humor.<\/p>\n

Austrian Greetings<\/a> and Goodbyes<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Austrian German<\/th>German<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Guten Morgen <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Guten Morgen <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Good morning<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gr\u00fcss Gott <\/a>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/td> Guten Tag <\/a>\n
\r\n Abend <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>		Good afternoon \/ evening<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Servus <\/a>\n
\n Hallo <\/a>\n
\n Gr\u00fcss dich <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>		 Hallo <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Hello (informal)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Auf Wiedersehen <\/a>\n
\n Auf Wiederschauen <\/a>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/td>		 Auf Wiedersehen <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Goodbye<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tsch\u00fcss, Priat di <\/a>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/td> Tsch\u00fcss <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Bye (informal)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pfiat di <\/a>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/td> Tsch\u00fcss <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Bye (informal)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Before 10 a.m., we usually say Guten Morgen<\/em>\u2014the same as in Germany. This can be shortened to Morgen \u00a0<\/em>and will often be pronounced as Moagn .<\/em><\/p>\n

For the rest of the day, we use Gr\u00fcss Gott<\/em>, which translates into “greet God.” The German Guten Tag<\/em> and Guten Abend<\/em> aren’t too common. In an informal context, you can always say Hallo<\/em>, Servus <\/em>or Gr\u00fcss dich.<\/em><\/p>\n

The formal version of goodbye is Auf Wiedersehen <\/em>or Auf Wiederschauen<\/em>. Among friends and family, it’s common to use Tsch\u00fcss<\/em> and Pfiat di.<\/em><\/p>\n

Austrian Culinary Phrases<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Austrian German<\/th>German<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Gasthaus <\/a>\n <\/em>
\n Restaurant <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>		 Gasthaus <\/a>\n <\/em>
\n Restaurant <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>		Restaurant<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fritattensuppe <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Fl\u00e4dlisuppe <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Soup with sliced pancakes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wiener Schnitzel <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Wiener Schnitzel <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Viennese Schnitzel<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gastgarten <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Biergarten <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Beer garden<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jause <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Imbiss <\/a>\n <\/em>
\n Snack <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>		Snack<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eine Halbe Bier <\/a>\n <\/em>
\n A Hoibe <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>		 Grosses Bier <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Large beer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ein Seiterl Bier <\/a>\n <\/em>
\n A Seidl <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>		 Kleines Bier <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Small beer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Reparaturseidl <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>(No German equivalent)<\/td>Small beer that should cure your hangover<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Topfenstrudel mit Schlagobers <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Quarkstrudel mit Sahne <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Cheesecake with whipped cream<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Palatschinken <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Pfannkuchen <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Pancakes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
H\u00e4ferlkaffee <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Kaffee mit Milch <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Coffee with milk<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kaiserschmarrn <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Kaiserschmarrn <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Emperor's mess; shredded pancake<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kasnocken <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> K\u00e4sesp\u00e4tzle <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Typical Austrian dish similar to pasta<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
G\u2019r\u00f6ste Kn\u00f6del mit Ei <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Ger\u00f6stete Kn\u00f6del mit Ei <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Fried dumplings with egg<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Almh\u00fctte <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Almh\u00fctte <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Chalet in the mountains<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sich ausrasten <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Sich ausruhen <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>To relax<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Austria’s gastronomic vocabulary is endless. Whereas a Gasthaus<\/em> serves mostly local and traditional foods, such as Fritattensuppe<\/em> and Wienerschnitzel<\/em>, a Restaurant<\/em> is a bit more elegant and offers a broader variety of food.<\/p>\n

You can also enjoy Jause\u00a0<\/em>and some beers at a Gastgarten<\/em>, the Austrian form of the German Biergarten<\/em>. One major difference to Germany is the way Austrians order their beer. Eine Halbe Bier<\/em>, or in dialect A Hoibe<\/em>, stands for “half a liter of beer” and is equivalent to the German Grosses Bier<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Try to say: I h\u00e4tt gern a Hoibe, bitte! <\/em> (I’d like a large beer, please!).<\/p>\n

A small beer is called a Seidel <\/em>or Seiterl<\/em>. Reperaturseidl<\/em>\u00a0is a funny Austrian word, describing a small beer consumed after a long night out to prevent hangovers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Austrian desserts such as Topfenstrudel mit Schlagobers<\/em> or Palatschinken <\/em>are world-famous and sometimes even replace lunch. You should try them together with a Viennese H\u00e4ferlkaffee<\/em>.<\/p>\n

As far as cultural experiences go, they don’t come more authentic than an excursion to an Austrian Almh\u00fctte<\/em> where you can enjoy some traditional foods such as Kaiserschmarrn<\/em>, Kasnocken <\/em>or G\u2019r\u00f6ste Kn\u00f6del mit Ei<\/em>. The Almh\u00fctte <\/em>is a great place to relax after a long hike.<\/p>\n

Austrians would say Ein Ort zum Ausrasten <\/em>(A place to Ausrasten<\/em>.) Be careful! Whereas ausrasten<\/em> means relax or recharge for Austrians, Germans would translate it to “getting mad.”<\/p>\n

Common Austrian Slang<\/h2>\n

Here are some more expressions that are uniquely Austrian:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Austrian Slang<\/th>Literal Translation<\/th>Meaning<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Bist du deppert? <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Are you stupid?<\/td>Are you crazy?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Leiwand <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Canvas \/ fabric (from Leinwand)<\/td>Awesome, cool<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
H\u00fcft's nix schodt's nix. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>If it doesn't help, it doesn't harm.<\/td>You should try!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Da Gscheidere gibt noch. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>The smarter one gives in.<\/td>Stop being stubborn!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Die Oaschkortn ziagn <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>To pull the \"butt card\"<\/td>To have bad luck<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Geh, hear auf! <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Go, stop!<\/td>Stop it!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oida <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Older person, oldie<\/td>Dude<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ungustl <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Unappetizing (from ungusti\u00f6s <\/a>\n <\/em>)<\/td>A very unpleasant, unsympathetic person<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kaprize <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Whim, caprice<\/td>A creative or funny notion or mood<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Krass <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Stark \/ extreme \/ blatant<\/td>Extremes in either a positive or negative way<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Na geh <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Well, go<\/td>Oh no! \/ Damn it!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Owezara <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Down-puller<\/td>Someone who avoids work<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wahnsinn <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Madness, insanity<\/td>Something that's mind-blowing, awesome, crazy or random<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Grindig <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Nasty<\/td>Yuck \/ Ew<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jausen <\/a>\n <\/em> \/ Jause <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>To grab a snack \/ Snack<\/td>To grab a snack \/ Snack<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Damma wos <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Let's see what<\/td>See you around \/ Let's get going<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Blunzn <\/a>\n <\/em> \/ Des is mir Blunzn <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Blood sausage \/ That's blood sausage to me<\/td>I don\u2019t care<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Resources to Improve Your Austrian German<\/h2>\n

For starters, check out the basics of German<\/a>\u00a0as they’ll turn out very helpful for your Austrian studies.<\/p>\n

Let’s move on to some tips on how to fine-tune your ear to the Austrian dialect:<\/p>\n

Listen to Austrian Music<\/h3>\n

Search for Austrian music on YouTube, look up the lyrics and soon you’ll be singing along with Austropop<\/em> stars like Rainhard Fendrich<\/a> or STS<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can also check out Austrian radio channels. Most of them speak very clear Austrian German without too much dialect. The most popular ones are Hitradio \u00d63<\/a> and Kronehit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Watch Austrian TV and Videos<\/h3>\n

Is there a better way to train your listening skills than by watching a movie<\/a> or a TV show<\/a>? You might want to put on the subtitles, especially with content that can be tricky to understand.<\/p>\n

Here are my video content recommendations<\/strong> for you:<\/p>\n