Today's words · 😤 Arguments & making up
Falling out and making up: 10 German words
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They say you're really getting good at German when you can have an argument in it.
A German friend and I once mixed up the time for dinner. She said ‘Ich bin sauer!’ and for a second I thought she was talking about lemons. If I'd known it meant she was annoyed, I'd have apologised straight away.
Today's ten words are for arguing, sulking and making up again. With them you can say how you feel, clear up a misunderstanding and end the fight properly. 🤝
📋 The ten words at a glance
- sich streiten — to argue, to quarrel
- der Streit — argument, quarrel, dispute
- sauer — sour; (colloquial) annoyed, cross
- sich ärgern — to be annoyed, to get angry
- das Missverständnis — misunderstanding
- der Vorwurf — reproach, accusation, allegation
- beleidigt — offended, in a huff
- verzeihen — to forgive
- sich versöhnen — to make up, be reconciled (with)
- der Kompromiss — compromise
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
sich streiten
[zikh SHTRYE-ten]to argue, to quarrel(streitet sich (mit + dat., über + acc.) – hat sich gestritten)
📌 Die Geschwister streiten sich oft über die Fernbedienung.
→ The siblings often fight over the remote control.
💡 Same root as English strife 😤 Two people fighting with each other (sich).
Bonus with someone = mit + dat., about something = über + acc.: Wir streiten uns über Geld.
der Streit
[SHTRYTE]argument, quarrel, dispute(Pl. die Streite (rare; usually die Streitigkeiten))
📌 Nach dem Streit haben sie sich wieder versöhnt.
→ After the argument they made up again.
💡 Drop the -en from streiten and you have the noun 💥 Short and sharp, like a fight.
⚠ A strike is der Streik — only one letter apart!
sauer
[ZOW-er]sour; (colloquial) annoyed, cross(sauer – saurer – am sauersten)
📌 Die Zitrone ist sehr sauer.
→ The lemon is very sour.
💡 It's English sour 🍋 When your mood turns sour, you're annoyed!
Bonus annoyed with someone = sauer auf + acc.: Ich bin sauer auf dich.
sich ärgern
[zikh AIR-gern]to be annoyed, to get angry(ärgert sich – hat sich geärgert)
📌 Ich ärgere mich über den Lärm.
→ The noise annoys me.
💡 From arg (bad) 😠 That feeling of things going bad inside you.
Bonus Ärger dich nicht! = Don't let it get to you!
das Missverständnis
[MISS-fair-shtent-nis]misunderstanding(Pl. die Missverständnisse)
📌 Das war ein Missverständnis, ich habe es nicht so gemeint.
→ That was a misunderstanding, I didn't mean it like that.
💡 miss- (wrong) + Verständnis (understanding) = misunderstanding 🤷♀️ Just like English mis-.
Bonus To clear things up: Das war ein Missverständnis!
der Vorwurf
[FOR-voorf]reproach, accusation, allegation(Pl. die Vorwürfe)
📌 Der Minister wies alle Vorwürfe entschieden zurück.
→ The minister firmly rejected all the allegations.
💡 vor (in front) + werfen (to throw) = throwing blame in someone's face 🫵
Bonus to reproach someone = jemandem Vorwürfe machen
beleidigt
[buh-LYE-dikht]offended, in a huff📌 Warum bist du denn jetzt beleidigt?
→ Why are you offended now?
💡 A sulker in German is an ‘offended liver sausage’ 🌭 die beleidigte Leberwurst!
Bonus Warum bist du beleidigt? = Why are you in a huff?
verzeihen
[fair-TSYE-en]to forgive(verzeiht – verzieh – hat verziehen)
📌 Kannst du mir noch einmal verzeihen?
→ Can you forgive me one more time?
💡 ver- + zeihen (old: to blame) = to stop blaming 🕊️
⚠ Takes the dative: Verzeih mir! (not mich)
sich versöhnen
[zikh fair-ZÖ-nen]to make up, be reconciled (with)(versöhnt sich – hat sich versöhnt (mit + dat.))
📌 Nach dem Streit haben sich die beiden Brüder wieder versöhnt.
→ After the argument the two brothers made up again.
💡 Nothing to do with Sohn (son) 😄 It's linked to Sühne (atonement) — being friends again.
Bonus More casual: sich wieder vertragen
der Kompromiss
[kom-pro-MISS]compromise(Pl. die Kompromisse)
📌 Wir müssen einen Kompromiss finden.
→ We have to find a compromise.
💡 Almost English compromise ⚖️ Stress on the last bit: -MISS.
Bonus to find a compromise = einen Kompromiss finden
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
Germans tend to be fairly direct when they disagree. You'll hear ‘Das sehe ich anders.’ (I see it differently) in everyday conversations. It's usually about the topic, not about you, so try not to take it personally.
A phrase you'll often hear when people make up is ‘Schwamm drüber!’ — literally ‘sponge over it’, like wiping a blackboard clean. It means: let's forget it.
With neighbours, too, the usual first step is to talk directly or leave a polite note. Talking is the quickest Kompromiss. 🧽
✅ Quick quiz
Q. The day after a big argument, you want to make up with your friend. What do you say?
- ① Ich bin total sauer auf dich!
- ② Das ist dein Problem.
- ③ Es tut mir leid. Kannst du mir verzeihen?
Show the answer
③ Es tut mir leid. Kannst du mir verzeihen?
verzeihen means to forgive — ‘I'm sorry, can you forgive me?’ is how you start making up.
Practise one making-up line out loud today: Es tut mir leid. Schwamm drüber? Even better if you never need it! 🕊️
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🫂 Comfort & breakups