German swear words!*'@"$

Like it, I'll have to remember that one!

"Das tangiert mich perifär" is one of my girlfriend's favourite phrases. First time I heard it, I hadn't a clue what she was on about...

So now you've got the "extended version" of it

I'm sure she'll be delighted when I give her my extended version...

Hehe, she might be impressed...

I think she'll find it a bit of a mouthful though...

Well why not just respond with;

"go forth and multiply"

very polite that

When I first came to Germany I enjoyed learning and using all those new swear words but BEWARE.

In your own language you get used to the context, the inuendos, the time to swear and the time not to. It's much more difficult to pick up on this in a foreign language, and you casually throw in the odd swear word to show you fit in and LAND FLAT ON YOUR FACE!! :$

I've upset a few people (including ex girlfriends) by throwing in a word that to me sounded quite harmless which hit them straight on the jugular.

Also, foreign swear words always sound more harmless as you've not been shocked by them over the years.

I would honestly suggest a softly softly approach!

Probably in much the same way that many Germans seem to enjoy throwing the f-word into conversation because it's English and it's cool. Okay, so it is used quite a bit in certain situations, but like you say, there's definitely a time and a place for using words like that. I'm no prude, but I've often cringed when a German has used it inappropriately.

the combination in English which makes me cringe when I hear a German say it is bloody bastard!

Unfortunatly many germans are only familiar with english swear words or american-english
Those people can't hold a conversation in english but they still believe to be "cool"...

When watching German subtitled English movies, it's surprising how many different English swear words are translated to Scheisse in the text. When I saw this I thought Germans must not be very creative swearers.

well, subtitles need to be kept short to keep up with the action, which is a "long call" with german subtitles on most other languages;-)

And when you think that the german "F"-word is just as risque in german as the english in english... Expalins the wide ranging acceptance of the english "F"-word in germen, it is not a german expletive und seen more as funny than impolite.

Reminds of the german girl freind of a colleague years ago, whose english further education consisted of sitting in the pub with his workmates. On their meet-the-parents trip, the whole family were sitting at sunday lunch when she calmly asked: "Could somebody pass the f***in salt?" :$