Gesundheit! How to Say ‘Sneeze’ in German

Ah-choo! Are you feeling under the weather? Lugubrious? Off-colour? Sympathies, fellow human. If you’re currently residing or planning to visit Germany and need to sneeze your nose off, we’ve got some funny words for you.

Excuse Me, I Have To Spray Some Air Out Of My Nostrils

If a sudden urge of uncontrollable air erupting from your sinus cavities has taken over while walking through the streets of Berlin, fear not because “Gesundheit” (guh-zoon-dhahyt) is all you have to say. This word literally means “good health” and it’s what Germans say when someone sneezes. Just like how English speakers use “bless you.”

A similar phrase that can be used alternatively is “Zum Wohl,” which translates into something along the lines of “to good health.” It’s a common thing people will say before taking a sip of their alcoholic beverage.

Snot Happens With A Double-G

“Schnauben” (shnow-ben). Nope, don’t let its defined translation fool you – blowing one’s nose actually produces more sound than just air exhalation which leaves one wondering why not name it ‘honking’ instead. But then again who doesn’t love quirky sounding terms?

Sniffle snort. Here comes another – “schniefen”(Shneef-fan)! pronounce it as if inhaling snowflakes forcibly while making sure there’s an accent on both vowels E at the end.

When All You Need Is A Tissue

Paper tissues are essential elements in day-to-day life but misplacing them mid-allergy attack; certainly not ideal – this calls for desperate measures cue “Taschentuch” (tah-shen-too-kh) transliterated to pocket cloth, and how apt of a term considering we do keep our pockets stuffed with things.

Made from soft fibers that are kind to the skin, Taschentuch is every hay-fever ridden person’s faithful companion – sigh if only it could chop onions for us too!

When Foreign Words Leave You Speechless

Thinking about making small talk conversation during class but foreign languages leave you feeling like a fish out of water? Use “Hatschi!,” which sounds coincidentally similar to the English equivalent “achoo” And your teacher will think highly of you speaking another language — congratulations, now all there’s left is convincing them that gum actually helps in concentrating.

A Wondrous Symphony Of Sound Effects

Ravage through any occasion by unleashing these exotic breeds of sound effects when sneezing; Confuse everyone around you with what I’d like to call ‘sneeziquettes’ (seez-i-kett)

• The French Phenomenon: Say atichoum (Ah-tish-oom) accompanied with an exaggerated hand gesture for ~flavour

• Middle Eastern Maneuvers: Try khaassssshh’  Khassel, follow up with some involuntary shakes courtesy – check yourself before contagious behaviour occurs though!

OR experiment with Arabic equivalents such as shorq or haddak

• Korean Kickers: Reveal South Korea’s insider vocabulary by adopting either “츄릅/churyup!” (choo-roosh!) or even healthier alternative “비수/bisu”. Think fist pumps while at it!

Back To High School!

Still trying to get rid of last month’s kombucha all because germs touch no-no zones? Get informed on biological stuff learned from high school biology classes earlier.

Did you know that sneezing can travel up to speeds of 200 metres per second? The fastest bird peregrine falcon reaches only about half this speed!

Getting Continental With ‘Sneeze’

Stuck in a cold climate overseas, and want to impress local natives with your extraordinary set of language skills or just spicing things up for fun- try out these contenders for “sneeze” :

When visiting Spain naturally, it’s “estornudar.” If Latin is more about dying than buzzing bees then do give the impression of smoothness learning how to pronounce Süssigkeit (seee-sich-kite), because who doesn’t like their onomatopoeic terms sweetened?

Did You Know?

In Japan, people are socially expected to cover their nose AND mouth when sneezing or coughing in public. It’s perceived as impolite not following through. Let’s be real though; we all have those slippery days where we don’t care whether extra precautions were taken…

Recap

German: Gesundheit! (guh-zoon-dhahyt)
Tissue: Taschentuch (tah-shen-too-kh)
Blow one’s Nose : schnauben(shnow-ben)
Sniffle snort: schniefen (Shneef-fan)
Sound effect -atishoo- Ah-tish-oom

And there you go folks–knowledge from trivial but humorous aspects of life which definitely won’t get you caught ahead in game shows, but hey who knows what kindof situation could arise. Happy Sneezing!