By:
Marcel Iseli
12. Butter bei die Fische
This German saying sounds a little off. In fact, it sounds ungrammatical to a speaker of modern high German. Butter BEI DIE FISCHE?
Why is it DIE and not something like BEI DEN Fischen? or maybe Butter ZUM Fisch? Well, to be honest, I don’t know. But I will investigate that, and if something comes up, I will make sure to share it with all of you guys here.
Now, let’s get to the meaning of Butter bei die Fische, though. This German saying simply means that one should get to the point. So, one should not (anymore) beat around the bush.
Oh, and by the way, earlier in this article, we have seen that we do have a neat German saying for “to beat around the bush,” which is “um den heißen Brei reden,” remember?
But how the hell would you go about using “Butter bei die Fische” in an actual German sentence, then? Don’t worry. I will clear things up for you. NOW.
Example:
A: Kannst du mir 30 Euro leihen?
B: Wozu brauchst du das denn?
A: Ich muss mir nen neuen Pullover kaufen! Geht das also in Ordnung?
B: Ich hab eben selbst nicht so viel Geld, hmm……lass mich mal überlegen….
A: Aber jetzt mal Butter bei die Fische! 30 Euro ist doch nicht viel, das kannst du mir doch ohne Probleme geben!
B: Ja, du hast eigentlich recht. Ok, hier hast du sie.
Translation:
A: Can you lend me 30 euros? B: What do you need it for? A: I have to buy a new sweater! So is that okay?
B: I don’t have that much money myself, you know…let me think about it for a while…uhmm….
A: Come on, man. Let’s be real! 30 Euro is not that much, I am sure you can afford it!
B: Yes, you are actually right. Ok, here you go!
