Our very own glossary for the Oktoberfest

When you’re heading to the Munich Oktoberfest, forget what you think you know about German – because it could well be wrong! “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing”, as the saying goes, and so anyone who, for example, thinks that the dialect word for the Oktoberfest Wiesn is the plural form of eine Wiese and says “Die Wiesn sind…” will look sillier than if they had tried to say something in English.

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Didn’t follow that? Great! Because that means you don’t know enough about German to even make that kind of mistake and can just memorise the following essential Oktoberfest words and phrases. If you know the odd bit of German, then have a look at these and compare notes with our German-language glossary aimed at native speakers looking to improve their understanding of the vagaries of Bavarian dialect.

Whatever you do, though, remember to relax and go with the flow. Lots of Bavarians pride themselves on their excellent English and will probably, once you’ve shown your interest with a couple of learned phrases, be very impressed with anything else you manage to remember.

A Mass, biddeschee! The single most important phrase ever: “A tankard of beer, please!”
(Vary with Hendl for chicken und Brezel for a pretzel.)

D’Wiesn ist ganz wunderbar heuer, gell? An authentic ice-breaker: “Isn’t the Oktoberfest fantastic this year?”

I mog di To be used if your flirting gambit (see below) leads to a deeper exchange of views and ideas in the course of the evening.

Krug

I muss amoi bieseln That’s what you say after you’ve ordered a few litres and need to excuse yourself for obvious reasons.

Mei, fesch schaust aus, Madl/Bua! An opener in the flirt stakes: “My, don’t you look fetching, my girl/my lad!”.
(Fesches Gwand! or Fesche Lederhose! are exclamations in praise of dirndls or lederhosen)

Seids aus Minga? Test the lie of the land by asking “Are you guys from Munich?”

Sapralott, des war a Schmarrn! This is a useful exclamation if you need to forcefully express extreme disappointment at something - e.g. the ratio of foam to beer in your tankard. Also useful in that specific context: Des zeig i beim Verein gegen Betrügerisches Einschenken an! Yes, Germany has an association for everything, including one which logs incidences of underfilled beer glasses.

Zwoa Mass, biddeschee! The second most important phrase ever: “Two tankards of beer, please!”

Über uns

Ein herzliches Willkommen sagt Ihnen Alpenclassics e.K. Tracht- & Landhausmode – schön, dass Sie den Weg zu uns gefunden haben. Dafür, dass er sich gelohnt hat, garantieren die edlen Materialien, strahlenden Farben sowie attraktiven Schnitte unserer Trachtenlederhosen, Dirndl und anderen Schmuckstücke. Stockerpoint Trachtenmode von A-Z. Mit unserer Trachten- und Landhausmode sind Sie immer bestens gekleidet – auf dem nächsten Volksfest ebenso wie zu vielen anderen Anlässen.

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