German idioms about moods and feelings

Each German idiom below comes with what its words literally say, what it means and how other languages put the same idea. To see every language at once, open the side-by-side page for moods and feelings.

  1. Im siebten Himmel sein

    lit. ‘be in seventh heaven’

    To be extremely happy and delighted.

  2. Schmetterlinge im Bauch haben

    lit. ‘have butterflies in your belly’

    To feel a nervous, fluttering excitement, before something important or around someone you're attracted to.

  3. Trübsal blasen

    lit. ‘blow gloom’

    To feel low, gloomy or a bit depressed.

  4. Die Nase voll haben

    lit. ‘have a full nose’

    To have completely run out of patience with something.

  5. Mir platzt der Kragen

    lit. ‘my collar is bursting’

    To suddenly lose your temper.

  6. Gänsehaut

    lit. ‘goose skin’

    Small bumps on the skin caused by cold, fear or a strong emotion.

  7. Ich glaub, mein Schwein pfeift

    lit. ‘I think my pig is whistling’

    To be so astonished you can hardly believe what you're seeing or hearing.

  8. Sich kaputtlachen

    lit. ‘to laugh oneself broken’

    To laugh very hard.

  9. Tote Hose

    lit. ‘dead trousers’

    Something is so boring it wears you out.

Phrases in bold with a red marker are written up. The rest are waiting for their own page and a check by a native speaker.