Schmäh

From humble beginnings as a hunting lodge to the opulent summer residence of the Habsburg dynasty, Schönbrunn palace is a treasure trove of historical anecdotes.

Germany and Austria share many of the same values, and much culture and history. Yet, in spite (or possibly because) of that, the little brother staunchly holds on to a distinct cultural identity – most notably in language, which can sometimes make communication difficult.

A “boy throwing an eye on a girl,” or someone “cutting his ears to patch his ass” these are very common expressions in Serbian. In these illustrations, you can see the literal meaning of some of the most popular phrases in Serbian.

While, for many, the easiest way to the heart is through the stomach, with Poles, it’s through their native language. They don’t expect anybody to speak it, so just sprinkle in a Polish word here and there and you’ll win them over in no time.

Lángos, csárdás, Puszta – Viennese have surely come across these words that found their way from Hungarian into the Austrian vocabulary. Remember them for the next time you want to impress your favorite Magyar.

Erdäpfel, Topfen & Paradeiser are more than just words.

When you wander the streets of Vienna, you'll hear a multitude of languages. Over 30 percent of us moved here from abroad, spicing up the local lingo with our accents and dialects. Here's a short primer for how to sound Romanian.

Translating expressions word for word into another language seldom makes sense, as anyone who ever tried it can attest. Chances are you will be met with befuddled looks or cackling laughter, like a human version of google translate.

Verb. To get worked up; to make a mountain out of a molehill; to pump up one’s (probably) already over-inflated ego and exaggerate one’s importance; t...

To be truly integrated in Vienna there are certain terms no dictionary or Deutschkurs will properly explain. But you’re no stranger, so here’s this mo...

To be truly integrated in Vienna there are certain terms no dictionary or Deutschkurs will properly explain. But you’re no stranger, so here’s this mo...

To be truly integrated in Vienna there are certain terms no dictionary or Deutschkurs will properly explain. But you’re no stranger, so here’s this mo...

To be truly integrated in Vienna there are certain terms no dictionary or Deutschkurs will properly explain. But you’re no stranger, so here’s this mo...

To be truly integrated in Vienna there are certain terms no dictionary or Deutschkurs will properly explain. But you’re no stranger, so here’s this mo...

To be truly integrated in Vienna there are certain terms no dictionary or Deutschkurs will properly explain. But you’re no stranger, so here’s this mo...

To be truly integrated in Vienna there are certain terms no dictionary or Deutschkurs will properly explain. But you’re no stranger, so here’s this mo...

To be truly integrated in Vienna there are certain terms no dictionary or Deutschkurs will properly explain. But you’re no stranger, so here’s this mo...

To be truly integrated in Vienna there are certain terms no dictionary or Deutschkurs will properly explain. But you’re no stranger, so here’s this m...

To be truly integrated in Vienna there are certain terms no dictionary or Deutschkurs will properly explain. But you’re no stranger, so here’s this...

More fun with confusing Austro-German idioms Last year we published some entry-level instruction for avoiding embarrassment (or purposefully instig...

To be truly integrated in Vienna there are certain terms no dictionary or Deutschkurs will properly explain. But you’re no stranger, so here’s this...

To be truly integrated in Vienna there are certain terms no dictionary or Deutschkurs will properly explain But you’re no stranger, so here’s thi...

Don’t you dare ask an Austrian for a “Brötchen” with a “Wiener.” You might end up with a Schlag. Any foreigner can tell you that German is a verdamm...