/ˈaɪ̯nən ˈkaːtɐ ˈhaːbn̩/ lit. ‘have a tomcat’
German idiom, everyday. To feel ill the morning after drinking too much alcohol.
Draft Not yet checked by a native German speaker.
How do people use Einen Kater haben
?
Everyday German, a touch informal but fine almost anywhere. In the past: “ich hatte einen Kater”. People love to size it up: “einen schrecklichen Kater”, “einen mächtigen Kater”, or the compound “Mordskater” (a killer hangover). Because Kater also means a male cat, “hast du einen Kater?” can be a question about pets, and context does the rest.
Einen Kater haben
in real sentences
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Ich habe heute einen Kater.
I have a hangover today.
Tatoeba, sentence by Manfredo, translation by CK, CC BY 2.0 FR
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Am nächsten Morgen hatte ich einen mächtigen Kater.
The following morning I had an almighty hangover.
Tatoeba, sentence by Yorwba, translation by sundown, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Einen Kater haben
come from?
There are two explanations and no certainty. Kluge’s etymological dictionary, cited by German Wiktionary, says the word turned up in the 19th century among Leipzig students, where Kater was a name for a kind of beer. English Wiktionary instead calls it a joking twist on Katarrh (catarrh), helped along by the older word Katzenjammer, a cats’ wailing. Either way, the cat is most likely a pun and not the point.
Mistakes learners make with Einen Kater haben
Saying “ich bin Kater” because English says “I’m hungover”. That announces you’re a tomcat. Use “ich habe einen Kater”, or the adjective: “ich bin verkatert”.
Other German idioms like Einen Kater haben
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?
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