/ʃvaɪ̯n ˈhaːbn̩/ lit. ‘have pig’
German idiom, colloquial. To be lucky, often by pure chance.
Draft Not yet checked by a native German speaker.
How do people use Schwein haben
?
Everyday colloquial German, mostly used in the perfect: “Da hast du aber Schwein gehabt!” (you were lucky there). It’s for luck that comes out of nowhere or a close shave, not for earned success. “Schwein gehabt!” on its own is a common reaction after a near miss.
Also said Schwein gehabt!
Schwein haben
in real sentences
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Ich habe Schwein gehabt.
I was lucky.
Tatoeba, sentence by Esperantostern, translation by CK, CC BY 2.0 FR
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Du hast sehr viel Schwein gehabt, weißt du? So etwas passiert einem nur einmal im Leben.
You’re very lucky, you know! Such a thing happens only once in a lifetime.
Tatoeba, sentence by Sudajaengi, translation by 9h0ost, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Schwein haben
come from?
The Duden dictionary of idioms and Lutz Röhrich’s Lexikon der sprichwörtlichen Redensarten (1994) both say the origin is unclear. One theory points to medieval contests where the loser got a piglet as a booby prize, so you’d “got the pig” without earning it; another points to pigs as a sign of wealth. The pig is still a German good-luck charm (Glücksschwein) at New Year.
Mistakes learners make with Schwein haben
Adding an article: “ein Schwein haben” means owning a pig, and calling someone “ein Schwein” is an insult. For luck, Schwein goes bare: “Ich habe Schwein gehabt.”
Other German idioms like Schwein haben
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?
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