/ˈaɪ̯nən ˈfʁɔʃ ɪm ˈhals ˈhaːbm̩/ lit. ‘a frog in your throat’
German idiom, everyday. Your voice has gone rough or croaky for a moment, so it’s hard to speak clearly.
Draft Not yet checked by a native German speaker.
How do people use Einen Frosch im Hals haben
?
Everyday German, fine anywhere. Usually as an excuse before clearing your throat: “Entschuldigung, ich habe einen Frosch im Hals.” In the past: “ich hatte einen Frosch im Hals”. “Im Halse” is an older, more literary form.
Also said einen Frosch im Halse haben
Einen Frosch im Hals haben
in real sentences
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Ich habe einen Frosch im Hals.
I have a frog in my throat.
Tatoeba, sentence by MUIRIEL, translation by peterius, CC BY 2.0 FR
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Tom hat einen Frosch im Hals.
Tom has a frog in his throat.
Tatoeba, sentence by list, translation by CK, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Einen Frosch im Hals haben
come from?
Same animal as the English, and German Wiktionary has its own explanation: a “Froschgeschwulst” is a swelling under the tongue that makes speaking hard, called “ranula” (little frog) in Latin because it looks like a frog’s puffed-up throat. Wiktionary takes this from the Redensarten-Index. It’s a plausible theory rather than a proven path, and whether German and English got the frog separately isn’t known. The earliest example German Wiktionary quotes is from 1966.
Mistakes learners make with Einen Frosch im Hals haben
Confusing it with “einen Kloß im Hals haben” (a dumpling in your throat), which is the emotional lump before you cry. The frog is just a croaky voice.
Other German idioms like Einen Frosch im Hals haben
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?
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