German youth word 2023

People of all ages learn German, many of them through private German lessons in London. Because Germany is only an hour’s flight from the United Kingdom, you can put your German language skills to use relatively easily.

German youth language

You may wonder how youth language can be helpful unless you are part of Generation Z or the Centennial generation. Including youth language in your German repertoire is useful if you want to make yourself understood when talking to Generation Z. If youth language is not part of your active vocabulary, then being at least familiar with it helps you understand Generation Z, be it by speaking to them or seeing reels on social media or a German series.

Youth language exists so that the younger generation can define itself through language. They often invent or borrow words to fill lexical gaps in the German language. These may become part of cross-generational everyday language use if deployed by enough people or could be voted as youth word of the year.

German youth word

The reference publisher Langenscheidt puts out the vote for the German youth word of the year. The 2023 winner was announced at that year’s Frankfurt Book Fair. Thirty-nine per cent voted for ‘goofy’, an adjective in German that refers to clumsy/silly people or behaviour. It doesn’t necessarily have negative connotations unless, of course, you are referring to an adult as being goofy. The runner-up was ‘Side eye’, which describes a sceptical glance at someone. Third was ‘NPC’, which stands for non-player character – this word has negative connotations as it describes someone who doesn’t think for themselves, a hanger-on or someone of no importance.

Learn German

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