Most unfavorite German words

In my humble opinion (German-native speaker) "unpronounceable" itself is really unpronounceable. Like "sycophancy" - I learned it at school, never used it, still don't know how to pronounce it, but still haven't forgotten about it. Sometimes there is an easier word like "definitely" that lets me stumble upon. I always have to take a deep breath beforehand, otherwise I don't have enough air to speak fast enough to pronounce it correctly. If ever ... Or listen to me trying to say "hierarchy" ...

I have no explanations for these mishaps in my otherwise immaculate English . I just try to move around them. But too bad: you can't ignore these words forever, as somehow there is always a situation coming up where you have to use them (maybe except "sycophancy" ...).

So, tell me! What are the German words that you don't know how to pronounce, therefore never use, and still can't forget (in 2006 "sycophancy" and I have our 10th anniversary!).

Try Nachttischchen. Streichholzschächtelchen isn't bad either.

ausschliesslich
I do know how to pronounce it, I just can't

the past tense form of röntgen (verb: to x-ray) is geröntgt which I find impossible to say!!

There is a "t" inbetween "n" and "g"?? I never noticed before ... I think we utter it more like "geröncht"

chirurg

recherchieren

individualisieren

Germans themselves often have trouble with "szene."
I can't pronounce floccinaucinihiliphilification and honorificabilitudinitatibus (if you like Shakespeare).

Schlittschuhlaufen - I just can't get my tongue around it. I end up with Schlittschluhschluafen, which in itself is not easy to pronounce!!

I hate brustwartzen because of the way it translates back into English. What a horrible name for something so beautiful. That said I do like "Sommerspossen" so it is give and take.

One word I didn't find difficult to pronounce until someone pointed out to me how difficult it was to pronounce correctly is "Friedrichstrasse". I find it almost impossible to get all 3 R's right (that is, neither rolling them like a Scandi or swallowing them in the English style).

Another is the German pronunciation of "Tour" (or am I stupid and is this the same as "Tur"?)

(but i can pronounce "pneumonoultramicropscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis", which I heard on countdown once).

Please elucidate

anything with more than 3 syllables does it for me, I stumble all over the place also if there are too many R's - being Scottish I roll my R's and my collegues find this funny in English never mind German

I great word I learned today "Himmelkreuzdonnerwetter!" I put blimey in a translator and this is what I got.

With Himmelkreuzdonnerwetter you can use all the rolling R's that you've got. Makes it more impressive ;-)

It's supposed to be pronounced somewhere between Tur (pronounced Germanlike) and Tour (pronounced in the English stylee).
My girlfriend happily points out that I always get it wrong.

I don't see a difference. What is Tur? As in "Tür" or in "Tour"? I think she is making fun of you or she is thinking about a word that I have never even dreamed of ...

That's why you don't use this term in any kind of "beautiful" encounter...

Think his gf is playing on the german/french mixed pronunciation of "tour"...

Rührei

and i used to work with someone who's surname was Röhrl, which I never even got close to being able to pronounce

in what context is that used in German?

The same as in english - since it's a french word (isn't it?).

Me neither


eine Tour der Nachbarschaft
or anywhere really. Perfectly normal word.

'erinnern' ! !

every time i go to say, ' i can't remember' or 'i remember' i get tongue tied. it's a bummer cause it's something i want to say all the time!!

'ich erinnere mich' - if you think you don't have an english/american accent before you say that...well huh.

the problem is, the 'r' is not pronounced and 'ei' as a dipthong is a bitch.

on the other hand, 'dipthong' is a great word ain't it. sounds like it belongs down below the waist.

righto, I thought it was Rundgang, Führung or e.g. Deutschland rund for biking

Rundgang or Rundfahrt, yeah.
But Tour is fine.
Eine Tagestour - a day trip.

thanks, one for the new words to use section of the brain

A previous boss of mine was called Franz Rühr. It was in a Metal- und Röhrenwerk. I used to have to ring up every week to check my shifts. Once I rang up and got the switchboard
"Kann ich bitte den Herrn Rühr besprechen?"
"Wen möchten Sie"
"Den Herrn Rühr"
"Wen? Ich verstehe Sie nicht"
"Den Herrn Rühr. Leiter der XXX Abteilung"
"Ich verstehe Sie immer noch nicht. Ich kenne keinen mit diesem Namen"
"Gib mir mal bitte den Franz"
Needless to say, my Austrian flatmate who was listening to all this burst out laughing.

Another word I can never pronounce correctly is ursprünglich. An "r" after an "sp" or an "st" is always difficult, and throw in the mixture of a "ü" and a "u" and I end up pronouncing it in some way that is never understood.

Please, please don't use that word again jayhay. I suffer from hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.

My most hated German word is one I could say perfectly, if I wanted to... which I don't, and is verboten.

Really? I never thought about "diphtong" that way (in fact, I never really new what it was. Kind of: I refused to learn German grammar at school) . But in one of my favorite movies, there is a joke about diphtongs:

one guy says (a linguistic scientist): Your daughter has lovely diphtongs.
the other guy (a mafia boss) says: Yeah, that's why she is in trouble.

Great performance of Tim Curry (the scientist) by the way ...

To clarify: I did mean Tür (not Tur) and I did mean Tour (as in "City Tour").
I think HelterSkelter is right that it's the German/French pronunciation of "Tour" which foxes me.

Topsy and ami_tom are spot on with rührei and erinnern.
I think the German "R" is generally the root of all evil, pronunciationwise.

That is, once you've solved the riddle of the evil sisters: U and Ü.

---------------------------
Asides: I learnt a new word today from a girl from Mittenwald after our office party: "speien"
As in: "Wehe Dir, wenn Du in meinem Auto speist!"

And? Did you ... ???

No, didn't spei anywhere, but I did fall asleep in the last train back from Garmisch and had to be woken up in Hauptbahnhof by the conductor

Hasselhoff

Is that a German word? Don't confuse it with "Haselnuss" which is something completely different. At least it doesn't race along beaches in orange speedos ...

I would say that unfavorite has to be my least favorite English word. If it were a word.

i am constantly struggling with:

Kirschsaftschorle
Griechischer Salad

apparently i say "es funktioniert nicht" very funny. my guy is always laughing at that.

that is funny

Well obviously in the speedos is where Haselhoff keeps his Haselnusse.

IMO the pronunctiation of the modest 'durch' is something that almost no non-natives actually get right.

Wheneve I mean to say Klinge "Klingel" is normally what I actually say. It took me a while to stop saying Schlüssel for a bowl.

Not to mention mistakes made mit Schwul und Schwül...

Hehe... that's a really common one you hear quite often!

How many times do you say that a man is humid. Or that the weather is gay?

Well I was in the steamroom last night, all guys, no chicks.. Made some sort of comment involving one of those words, guess I couldnt have gone wrong either way.

stick with nebelig

What did you actually say?

daseinsberichtigung

and eigentümlichkeiten

(just show-boatin')

I don't, but if you've got trouble with the "u" and the "ü" it happens often...

But my point is that it will not lead to a misunderstanding if they know the context, except for the case that Kza wrote about.

That is my main problem, my German is very good (if I do say so myself ) but the ü always causes problems.

Another word that take some consideration is "Vogelgezwitscher" I can say that word fine until I try to put it into a sentence...

"Arbeit", that word just fucking kills me everytime.