Berlinisch Made Easy - Berlin's German Dialect

The Berliner dialect, known in German as Berlinerisch, or more colloquially Berliner Schnauze (even if this term is a bit derogatory), is the variant of the German language that is spoken in Berlin, the capital city of Germany, and in the surrounding area in the region of Brandenburg.

Like most German dialects, it is mainly used in everyday situations among friends and family. In more formal settings, people generally prefer to speak Standard German. Therefore, you are unlikely to hear this dialect in places such as offices or schools, but you may hear it much more frequently in casual conversations.

In addition, Berlinese is nowadays less and less used since people prefer to use Standard German, not only because all German dialects are becoming less popular, but also because more and more people from other parts of Germany and the world move to the city. To communicate, they will use Hochdeutsch. Nevertheless, Berlinerisch still remains an important part of the city and its culture, and for this reason, it should be preserved.

Is it a language or a dialect?

Due to the fact that it is very similar to Standard German, it is often regarded as a dialect of German rather than a language on its own, as happens in other regions like Bavaria or Swabia. People can usually understand a person speaking Berlinerisch; nevertheless, it still has its own particularities.

Pronunciation and orthographic changes

The first thing you need to learn about the Berlin dialect is how to pronounce the words and see how the orthography can be different from Standard German. Generally, it is not too difficult. Let's start.

The letter g becomes a j. This is without a doubt the most iconic feature of the dialect, so, for example, Gut becomes jut and ganz becomes janz (but unless it is at the end of a word, in which case it is pronounced like a ch).

The ch sound often becomes a hard ck, so, for example, the first-person pronoun ich becomes ick or icke. Ick komme aus Berlin. (I come from Berlin.)

The sound ei is pronounced like a long ee, so meine becomes meene and keine becomes keene.

The sound au is pronounced like a long o.

I is pronounced with a sound between e and a, like in the English word bird.

An s at the end of a word often becomes a t, so das becomes dit, and was becomes watt. Dit is meene Keule. (This is my friend.)

Greetings and common words

If you want to say hello or greet someone in the dialect, you can use one of the following expressions. They are not very different from Standard German.

Vocabulary and everyday slang

Here is a short list of some of the most common words and slang expressions you may come across.

Keule Probably one of the most well-known Berlinese words, and it basically means dude or bro. Dit is meene Keule. (That is my friend.)

Atze Atze is another famous word meaning friend, used in a similar way to Keule. For example, meene Atze (my friend). There is a famous German party-rap duo called Die Atzen.

Knorke The word knorke means good; it is the equivalent of gut. Ditt is knorke! (That is good!)

Flitzpiepe This is an insult that can be translated as idiot and is mostly used with love rather than to offend people.

Kiez Kiez is the equivalent of the words Viertel or Stadtteil in Standard German, and it refers to a neighborhood or a part of the city. Ick bin der Schürftse von meen Kiez! (I am the smartest of my neighborhood.)

Dit macht Laune This expression means it is fun, Das macht Spaß! in Standard German.

Späti Is a colloquial word used to refer to a small convenience store that is open throughout the night, but they are much more than that. They are a symbol of Berlinese culture, exactly like currywurst or the Berlin Wall.

Ische Ische is a slang term to say a woman or a wife, and it derives from the Yiddish word ishá, also meaning woman.

Butta Butta or Budda means okay and is the equivalent of the German expression in Ordnung. Allet in Butta? Ja, allet in Budda! (Everything all right? Yes, everything is okay!)

Paletti Another expression to say everything is okay, alles erledigt or in Ordnung, is Paletti. Allet paletti! (Everything is good!)

Molle Molle is a colloquial word for beer, used instead of Bier (otherwise, you can also use the word Bia). A Molle usually refers to half a liter of beer and is often accompanied by a glass of schnapps or Kompott in the dialect. Ne Molle mit Kompott! (A beer and a schnapps.)

Schnieke This word can describe something as nice or good. It can also be used as an enthusiastic expression to mean great! or awesome!

Picheln Picheln means to drink a lot of alcohol, similar to saufen, an important word if you plan to party in the city.

Schrieppe Every German dialect has its own word to refer to a bread roll, and Berlinese is no different, so a Schrieppe is a typical small bread roll found in bakeries across the city.

JWD JWD is the acronym for Janz weit draußen (Ganz weit draußen in Standard German). It means very far away, and it is often used to refer to parts of the city that are far away from the city center.

Wa Wa doesn't have a direct translation but is often added at the end of a sentence to ask for confirmation, similar to the English "isn't it?" or "right?" Dit is knorke, wa? (It is good, isn't it?)

Fatzke A teasing word for someone who thinks they're a bit cooler or more important than they really are.

Kieken Kieken simply means to look or to watch, and is the everyday equivalent of the verb gucken. Kiek ma! (Look!)

Pampich Pampich means rude or impolite, frech in Hochdeutsch.

Additional resources

The words above are only an example of how Berlin's dialect sounds. If you are interested in learning more Berlinerisch words, you can visit this incredibly well-done dictionary that contains many more terms with example sentences and definitions.