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German is full of creative animal idioms. In this guide, you’ll learn 14 funny German expressions involving birds, monkeys, bears, and more, with their English meanings, example sentences and tips to help you remember them.
German speakers have a curious habit of bringing animals into everyday conversation. You can have a pig when you're lucky, have a bird when you're crazy, or visit a party where the bear dances.
Most of these expressions make very little sense when translated literally, which is what makes them so memorable!
Here are 14 funny German animal idioms you can add to your vocabulary.
Looking for the animals themselves? Have a look at our article on German animal names instead.
1. Einen Vogel haben
Meaning: to be crazy; to be nuts
Literally: to have a bird
Let's start with a light insult.
If somebody tells you du hast einen Vogel, they're not pointing out your new pet. They're telling you that you're a little crazy.
Imagine trying to convince your eighty-year-old tandem partner with creaky joints to run the Berlin Marathon:
Einen Marathon laufen? Ich? Du hast doch einen Vogel!
You might even see someone tap their finger against their forehead while saying it, which makes fairly clear where this imaginary bird is supposed to be living.
You can use einen Vogel haben jokingly among friends, although it can sound much less affectionate when said angrily.
Wenn du glaubst, dass ich diese Woche zum dritten Mal für dich abwaschen werde, dann hast du wirklich einen Vogel!
How to remember it
Picture a little bird happily nesting inside someone's head. Apparently it found plenty of room.
2. Schwein haben
Meaning: to be lucky
Literally: to have a pig
If you've had a stroke of luck, you've Schwein gehabt.
Maybe you won a raffle. Maybe your exam was unexpectedly cancelled. Maybe you managed to grab the very last slice of Bienenstich from the bakery on a Sunday morning.
Ich hatte völlig vergessen, für den Mathe-Test zu lernen! Aber dann habe ich erfahren, dass er auf nächsten Monat verschoben wurde. Puh! Schwein gehabt!
You can also use Schwein haben more generally when somebody has been fortunate:
Marianne hat so Schwein gehabt mit ihrem Professor! Er ist so freundlich und geduldig.
In Germany, pigs are associated with good luck. That's why you may come across little lucky pigs (Glücksschweine) around New Year's!
How to remember it
Think of this theory behind its origin: during medieval famines, owning a pig was considered a valuable blessing.
3. sich zum Affen machen
Meaning: to make a fool of yourself
Literally: to make yourself into a monkey
If you machst dich zum Affen, you make yourself look ridiculous.
Wollt ihr wirklich, dass ich dieses hässliche Kleid trage? Nein! Ich mache mich doch nicht zum Affen!
It can also describe somebody embarrassing themselves through their behaviour:
Er war so wütend, dass er sein Glas quer durch den Raum warf und laut herumschrie. Er hat sich wirklich zum Affen gemacht.
How to remember it
English has the rather convenient expression to make a monkey of yourself, so this one should be relatively easy to remember.
4. Unter aller Sau
Meaning: absolutely terrible; appalling
Literally: below every sow
If something is unter aller Sau, it's spectacularly bad.
You can use the expression when something falls far below the standard you expected:
Ich hätte das wirklich besser machen können. Meine Präsentation war unter aller Sau!
It's a strongly colloquial expression, so it's better suited to conversations with friends than your next performance review at work.
How to remember it
The literal image works well here: imagine your standards sinking lower and lower until they've somehow ended up beneath a pig rolling around in the mud.
5. Ich glaub' ich spinne
Meaning: I can't believe it!; I must be going crazy!
Literally: I think I'm spinning
Ich glaub, ich spinne! is something you might say when something is so surprising, ridiculous or unbelievable that you can't quite process it.
Direkt vor mir sitzt einer der berühmtesten Menschen Deutschlands. Ich glaub, ich spinne!
And here's a linguistic twist: die Spinne means spider, but spinnen is also a verb meaning to spin and, colloquially, to be crazy or talk nonsense.
So, it's technically not an animal idiom - but we're letting the spider sneak onto the list anyway.
6. Da steppt der Bär
Meaning: that's where the action is; the place will be lively
Literally: that's where the bear dances
Da steppt der Bär describes somewhere lively, exciting or full of activity - the kind of place where the party is really happening.
Du solltest dieses Jahr unbedingt den Weihnachtsmarkt besuchen. Da steppt der Bär!
The verb steppen is related to tap dancing - German for tap dance is Stepptanz, so the expression gives us the entertaining mental image of a dancing bear.
How to remember it
Picture a bear enthusiastically tap-dancing through a German Christmas market, calling everyone's attention.
7. Einen Kater haben
Meaning: to have a hangover
Literally: to have a tomcat
After a big night out, you might wake up with einen Kater.
Immer wenn mein Mann einen Kater hat, benimmt er sich, als hätte er sich mit der Pest infiziert.
Although Kater normally means tomcat, apparently that's not where the expression comes from. The hangover meaning is thought to come from Katarrh - an older medical term for an illness with symptoms such as headaches and soreness. Over time, Katarrh was transformed into Kater.
Sei heute Abend vorsichtig! Letzte Woche hat es eine ganze Weile gedauert, bis du dich von deinem Kater erholt hast.
How to remember it
The expression may not actually come from a cat, but the image still works: imagine waking up after a night out with an enormous tomcat sitting on your head and digging its claws into your temples.
8. Mit jdn. Pferde stehlen können
Meaning: to be able to rely on someone completely
Literally: to be able to steal horses with someone
If you can mit jemandem Pferde stehlen, that person is trustworthy, dependable and probably up for an adventure.
Sara ist seit über einem Jahrzehnt meine beste Freundin. Mit ihr kann man Pferde stehlen.
The expression evokes the idea of having a partner in crime: someone you'd trust enough to join you in something as risky as stealing a horse.
9. Da liegt der Hund begraben
Meaning: that's the real problem; that's the heart of the matter
Literally: that's where the dog is buried
You've been trying to understand why something isn't working, when - finally - you discover the underlying problem.
Da liegt der Hund begraben.
In other words: that's the real issue.
Jo hat mir erzählt, dass er keine Zeit hatte, für seine Prüfung zu lernen. Dann habe ich bemerkt, dass er seine ganze Freizeit mit seinem neuen Computerspiel verbringt. Da liegt also der Hund begraben!
One theory about the expression's origin involves buried treasure. According to the story, treasure chests were sometimes decorated with frightening dogs to deter thieves. Finding the place where the "dog" was buried therefore meant finding the hidden treasure - or, figuratively, discovering what was hidden beneath the surface.
Today, da liegt der Hund begraben is used when you finally identify the crucial point or underlying cause of a problem.
10. Wo sich Fuchs und Hase Gute Nacht sagen
Meaning: in the middle of nowhere
Literally: where the fox and hare say goodnight to each other
This wonderfully picturesque expression describes somewhere remote, quiet and far away from the action.
Seit wir aufs Land gezogen sind, ist mir langweilig. Hier sagen sich Fuchs und Hase Gute Nacht.
The image is pretty self-explanatory: you're so far from civilisation that the evening social scene consists primarily of a fox saying goodnight to a hare.
Das Dorf ist wunderschön und idyllisch, aber hier sagen sich wirklich Fuchs und Hase Gute Nacht.
Imagine sleepy villages, remote countryside and fewer late-night kebab shops or 24-hour clubs.
How to remember it
Picture a tiny, sleepy village where absolutely nothing is happening, except a fox and a hare wishing each other goodnight.
11. Gänsewein
Meaning: water
Literally: goose wine
After a long day's work, perhaps you'd like to relax with a delicious glass of wine. Or maybe a hot chocolate.
Or how about a refreshing glass of... Gänsewein?
Gänsewein is an old-fashioned, humorous word for plain drinking water.
Möchtest du etwas Gänsewein zu deinem Mittagessen, Papa?
How to remember it
Imagine a sophisticated goose hosting a dinner party and proudly pouring glasses of the finest tap water.
12. Hundemüde sein
Meaning: to be completely exhausted
Literally: to be dog-tired
This one has a very convenient English equivalent: dog-tired.
If you're hundemüde, you're absolutely exhausted.
Ich glaube, ich schaffe es heute Abend nicht ins Kino. Ich habe meinem Freund den ganzen Tag beim Umzug geholfen und bin hundemüde.
You might be hundemüde after a long shift, a sleepless night or a day spent hiking through the mountains.
Omar kam nach einer langen Schicht aus dem Krankenhaus und sah hundemüde aus.
How to remember it
Think of a dog completely passed out after a long day of running around. Or simply remember the English expression dog-tired.
13. Affengeil
Meaning: awesome; amazing
Literally: monkey-horny
Well. This one requires a little explanation.
Affengeil is a very informal German word meaning awesome, fantastic or really cool.
Ich liebe dein Outfit! Es ist affengeil!
The prefix Affen- acts as an intensifier here, while geil is commonly used colloquially to mean great or awesome.
There is, however, one important detail for German learners: geil can also mean horny.
So:
- Das ist geil! → That's awesome!
But:
- Ich bin geil. → I'm horny.
Useful distinction to remember before putting geil into practice!
14. Eselsbrücke
Meaning: mnemonic; memory aid
Literally: donkey bridge
An Eselsbrücke is a little trick that helps you remember something.
Ich muss mir eine Eselsbrücke bauen, um mir diese Regel zu merken.
The word literally means donkey bridge.
The image comes from the idea of building a small bridge to help a reluctant donkey cross an obstacle. Figuratively, an Eselsbrücke gives your brain an easier route to the information you're trying to remember.
How to remember it
Imagine a stubborn donkey refusing to cross a stream until you build it a little bridge. The bridge makes its journey easier - just as an Eselsbrücke makes it easier for your brain to reach a piece of information.
More Curious German Vocabulary
If you enjoyed these expressions, there are plenty more strange corners of German vocabulary to explore:
- Funny German animal names — featuring some of the animals you’ve just come across, including Schwein, Affe, Kater and Bär.
- Weird German words — from Kummerspeck to innerer Schweinehund, explore German words that don't translate neatly into English.
- Our broader German vocabulary lists — explore more German vocabulary lists by topic.