Umgangssprache: People & Descriptions – Meet the Zoo in German!

Welcome back to our German slang series! If you enjoyed learning how to express your inner thoughts with our previous post, "Umgangssprache: Opinions & Feelings," it's time to turn our focus outward to the people around us.

Ever wanted to sound more like a native German speaker and less like a textbook? When it comes to talking about people, be it your friends, that annoying colleague, or the slightly too-perfect student in your class, Germans have a colorful and often hilarious array of colloquial words.

To help you categorize everyone you meet, here is your essential list of ten German slang terms to describe all the different Typen (types) of people you might encounter!

🧍 Friendly Faces: Buddies and Guys

1. Kumpel --> Your minimum-effort, maximum-chill friend. He might forget your birthday, but he'll never forget the beer order.

Ich treffe mich mit ein paar Kumpels. (I'm meeting up with a few buddies—wish me luck, the conversation will be mostly grunting noises.)

2. Typ --> That guy. You know, the one standing over there. Identity is secondary; maleness is primary.

Wer ist der Typ da drüben? (Who's that guy over there? Don't worry, his existence is probably irrelevant.)

3. Mädel --> The feminine counterpart to the Typ, but often grouped for collective mischief.

Komm, Mädels, wir gehen. (Come on, girls, let's go. Time to abandon this situation before it becomes an actual commitment.)

😠 The Not-So-Great Crowd: Insults and Annoyances

4. Assi --> A walking monument to poor life choices (from asozial). If you see them, slowly back away and check if your wallet is still there.

Der Typ ist ein totaler Assi. (That guy is a total low-life. May his life choices never infect yours.)

5. Spießer --> The person whose sole purpose in life is to complain about your trash bins being 5mm out of line. Their existence is a beige, joyless instruction manual.

Mein Nachbar ist ein echter Spießer. (My neighbor is a real square. I think his personality is stored in an Excel sheet.)

6. Besserwisser --> The human Wikipedia entry who will correct you on the optimal pH of rain. They don't want a conversation; they want to win a fact war you didn't know you were in.

Sei nicht so ein Besserwisser. (Don't be such a know-it-all. We get it, you watched the documentary.)

7. Streber (or Streberin) --> The person who makes your inadequacy look like a performance art piece. They treat a B+ like a personal failure. We hate them because we failed to be them.

Sie ist die beste in der Klasse, eine richtige Streberin. (She's the best in class, a real nerd. May she trip on her way to the final exam.)

🐣 The Weak and The Cowardly

8. Weichei --> A man whose spine is made of soft cheese. He fears commitment, confrontation, and moderately loud noises. (Literally "soft egg.")

Hab keine Angst, sei kein Weichei! (Don't be afraid, don't be a wimp! Your emotional fragility is embarrassing us all.)

9. Angsthase --> A bunny rabbit fueled by pure terror. They won't jump, they won't talk to the cashier, and they certainly won't try the spicy mustard. (Literally "fear rabbit.")

Spring schon, du Angsthase! (Go on and jump, you scaredy-cat! It's only a puddle, not the Atlantic!)

🍎 The Office Pet

10. Schleimer --> A creature whose natural habitat is near the CEO's desk. They communicate solely via excessive flattery and will stab you in the back with a fountain pen for a corner office.

Er ist so ein Schleimer beim Chef. (He's such a suck-up to the boss. I'm surprised he hasn't offered to shine the boss's shoes yet.)

🔥 PRO-TIP: While these words are common, remember that Assi, Spießer, Besserwisser, Weichei, and Angsthase can be quite derogatory. Use them carefully and, ideally, only among close friends!

Which of these slang words will you start incorporating into your German conversations?

Would you like another set of German slang words focusing on feelings and reactions?