Travelling around Austria with a Local: #030 - Party like an Austrian: 15 phrases to survive your trip to Austria

Austrians love their beer (and wine). Picture by Pixabay/HoliHo.

Surviving a night out with locals

Hi, Servus - and welcome to my blog Travelling Around Austria with a Local!

I'm Theodora from Austria. Together with friends from abroad, I'm exploring my home country - and I talk about its beauty and its curiosities. The thirtieth episode is, once again, intended to help you with your communication in and around Vienna. And since summertime is the time of countless parties - particularly around Vienna where all the Feuerwehrfestl (fire brigade parties) take place. This is the kind of stuff you've never learned at school - so let's learn how to talk to the locals!

Opening dialogue, at the bar:
A: Host an Tschick?
Pronunciation: [Host arn chick?]
Literal translation: Do you have a cigarette?
Meaning: I'd like to know if you have a cigarette but I wouldn't mind talking to you, either. (We've already learned that in part 1.)

B: Jo, kaust eh an hom.
Pronunciation: [Yo, cowsed ay arn home.]
Literal translation: Yes, you can have one if you like.
Meaning: I have a cigarette for you and I'm generous enough to give it to you.

A: Host a Feia a?
Pronunciation: [Host ah fire a?]
Literal translation: Do you have a light as well?
Meaning: Do you have a light as well? / I'd actually have liked to talk a bit more with you.

B: Foah da mim Finger ins Aug, des brennt a.
Pronunciation: [For duh meem finger inn's owg, days brennt ah.]
Literal translation: Stick your finger into your eye - that burns, too.
Meaning: I've been generous enough, now piss off.

---

10 ways to talk about drunkenness and 5 other useful phrases for pub crawls

Let's assume you took my advice and went to one of the clubs I mentioned in the 29^th episode. This is what they guys in Hangover would probably sound like if it was dubbed in Austrian dialect:

1. Geh ma vorglühen.
   Pronunciation: [Gay ma fore-gleewn.]
   Literal translation: Let's go to before-glow. (Hey, I never said these phrases would make sense, right?)
   Meaning: Let's go and get drunk before actually going out to save some money.

2. A leichtes Damenspitzerl hätt i scho.
   Pronunciation: [Ah lye-kh-tass duh-man-shpits-arl hat ee show.]
   Literal translation: I would already have a slight lady's tip. (Again, it doesn't need to maake sense. Or might that be where tipsy comes from?)
   Meaning: I'm already slightly inebriated.

3. I hob a scho an leichten Duliöh.
   Pronunciation: [Ee hope ah show arn lye-kh-ten do-lee-ew.]
   Literal translation: I'm also already starting to feel tipsy.
   Meaning: See literal translation.

4. Der (Karli) is jo scho (blunzn)fett.
   Pronunciation: [Dare Car-lee is yo show bloontsn-fat.]
   Literal translation: (Charles / Karli) is already (as) fat (as black pudding).
   Meaning: (Charles / Karli) is (seriously) drunk.

5. I hob jetzt scho an (Mugl-)rausch.
   Pronunciation: [Ee hope yay-tst show arn Moogl-rowsh.]
   Literal translation: I'm already having (a heap of) an inebriation.
   Meaning: I'm already (seriously) drunk.

6. I hob an (urndlichn) Fetzn.
   Pronunciation: [Ee hope an (oorn-dlee-khayn) fats-n.]
   Literal translation: I have a (proper) rag.
   Meaning: I'm already (seriously) drunk.

7. Bist deppad, woa i gestern paniert.
   Pronunciation: [Beesd depp-art, woah ee gay-starn paneert.]
   Literal translation: Are you stupid, I was breaded yesterday. (Yes, I know. Like a Schnitzel. And Schnitzels are fatty, too - so think about number 4 again ;-))
   Meaning: Holy shit, I was incredibly drunk yesterday.

8. Der woa gestern (gscheit) im Öl.
   Pronunciation: [Dare woah gay-starn (g-shy-d) eem ew.]
   Literal translation: He was (properly) in oil yesterday.
   Meaning: He was seriously drunk yesterday.

9. Wüst a Fotzn?
   Pronunciation: [W-ew-st ah fot-sn?]
   Literal translation: Do you want a slap?
   Meaning: Do you want me to slap you? (It's polite that Austrians ask in advance, isn't it?)

10. Herst Oida, i wü kan Wickl.
    Pronunciation: [Hare-st oy-duh, ee w-ew karn Wikkl.]
    Literal translation: Listen, old guy, I don't want a poultice.
    Meaning: Hey, mate, I don't want to get in trouble.

11. Wast wos? Geh ma ins Bierzöt, i zoih da a Trankl.
    Pronunciation: [Wah-st wos? Gay mah inns Beer-zert, ee tsoy duh ah Trahn-kl.]
    Literal translation: You know what? Let's go to the beer tent and I'll pay you a drink.
    Meaning: You know what? Let's go to the beer tent and I'll buy you a drink.

12. Du host recht. Und wer recht hod, zoit a Runde.
    Pronunciation: [Do host rakht. Oond wayr rakht hot, tsoyt ah Roon-day.]
    Literal translation: You are right. And he who is right, pays a round.
    Meaning: You're right. And since you're right, it's your shout. (Don't worry, this is usually not to be taken seriously!)

13. I bin no immer restfett.
    Pronunciation: [Ee been no eema rest-fat.]
    Literal translation: I am still residually fat.
    Meaning: I am still drunk from yesterday's night out.

14. Geh ma auf a Reparaturseidl!
    Pronunciation: [Gay ma owf ah Repara-toor-sye-dl.]
    Literal translation: Let's go for a repair beer. (Seidl: 0.3 L of beer.)
    Meaning: Let's go and have a small beer to feel less hungover.

15. I hob ma des Essn gestern nuamoi durchn Kopf geh lossn.
    Pronunciation: [Ee hope mah days ay-ssn gay-starn noo-arm-oy do-r-kh-n cop-f gay loss-n.]
    Literal translation: I let my food go through my head again yesterday.
    Meaning: I threw up yesterday. (To let something go through someone's head is an Austrian way of saying that someone thought about something over and over.)

---

Have fun at your pub crawls and don't forget: enjoy alcohol responsibly! Prost!