„Aller Anfang ist schwer.“ (Every beginning is hard.)

When you decide to quit your job somewhere and move to Germany, you normally buy a plane ticket and book a hostel for some weeks. That is literally all the planning you do. If you knew this expression, you would have braced yourself for a rude awakening. With the weeks in the hostel about to end, you´ll find out the hardest way that finding a place to live can take up to several months. Getting a job isn’t a picnic either: yes. For example Berlin has plenty of jobs to offer, but finding one that fits your skills and expectations is another story. After a few years you will have earned the right to tell newcomers: Aller Anfang ist schwer. But don’t give up — you’ll find the right job and that dream flat in Kreuzberg eventually.

„Kein Bier vor vier.“ (No beer before four.)

When you are still new to the city, you´ll be used to go to German classes in the mornings and, having nothing to do with the rest of the day (besides looking for a job), you’d wile away the afternoons enjoying a beer or two. You will learn this expression when a classmate refuses to have a beer at lunch. When you asked why, you´ll get the curt, four-word answer, „Kein Bier vor vier.“ That kernel of wisdom surely doesn´t dissuade you (you´ll have this beer with lunch anyway), but the expression will be one of your favorites from now on. Composed of only four words, this expression impresses you for its simplicity and for being an example that, at least sometimes, it’s possible to say a lot in only a few words of German.

„Erst kommt das Fressen, dann die Moral.“ (First comes the food, then the moral.)

This is not exactly a popular expression, but rather a line from The Threepenny Opera (“Die Dreigroschenoper“), a play by the German dramatist Bertold Brecht. It perfectly exemplifies how the most pressing afflictions of life sometimes keep us from wondering about more existential (and important) questions. It totally relates with the way life evolves after arriving in Germany: in the first year, having to look for a job and a place to live, you don´t have time to think about the many mysteries of existence and the universe. When the initial phase is over, you´ll finally have time to wonder: „Who am I?“ „What am I doing on this planet?“

„Das Leben ist kein Ponyhof.“ (Life is not a pony farm.)

To complete the list, here’s an expression that can be seen as a very hard take on life: Das Leben ist kein Ponyhof, so expect a lot of problems, things going wrong, and everything getting worse. But you should prefer to interpret this a different way: a pony farm sounds extremely boring, so one should be glad that life has bit more excitement to offer!

„Ein gutes Gewissen ist ein sanftes Ruhekissen.“ (A clear conscience is a soft pillow.)

Many people think that their conscience has always been – more or less – clear, but they still have trouble sleeping for as long as one can remember. But you´ll never hear of psychopaths having trouble falling asleep. So, although this expression sounds very nice with its rhyme and cool metaphor, you could have some problems to agree with.

“Knapp daneben ist auch vorbei.“ (Coming close is also missing it.)

This one might be a bit painful for those who gave their best and arrived second — after all, isn’t trying hard already good enough? Well, not according to this idiom. But let’s not take everything so seriously. This is a great thing to say to your German friends after beating them in any sports, competitions, card or video games (and the Germans do like games! I hope so …).