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How to Say ‘That's a pain in the ass.’ in German

Das geht mir auf den Sack.

dahs geht meer owf DEHN zak

[dahs geht meer owf DEHN zak]

🇩🇪 In Germany: Sack here means "balls", so keep this among friends. Das geht mir auf die Nerven is the version that's safe anywhere.

Phrase Breakdown

Das geht mir

dahs geht meer

That gets me / that goes to me

The start of the idiom. 'geht' has a long 'e' like 'gate'.

Example

Das geht mir zu schnell.

That's going too fast for me.

Words in this phrase

Das

[dahs]

that / it

Can refer to a thing, item, or dish in front of you.

Example

Was ist das? Das Wort das can mean that or it.

What is that? The word das can mean that or it.

geht

[geht]

goes

Used inquiring about condition.

Example

Wie geht dein Tag bisher?

How is your day going so far?

mir

[meer]

to me

Dative pronoun used to show that something matters or happens to the speaker.

Example

Mir ist eine offene Kommunikation besonders wichtig.

Open communication is especially important to me.

auf den Sack.

owf DEHN zak

on my nerves (vulgar)

'Sack' is vulgar slang for the scrotum. The whole phrase means 'That pisses me off.' Say 'owf dehn zack'.

Example

Der Lärm geht mir auf den Sack.

The noise is pissing me off.

Words in this phrase

auf

[owf]

Used to denote a position above something.

Example

Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch.

The book is on the table.

den

[DEHN]

The (accusative form)

Defines a specific object in the accusative case.

Example

Ich nehme den Cappuccino.

I'll take the cappuccino.

Sack

[zak]

sack / balls (vulgar)

Literally a sack or bag; vulgar slang for the scrotum, used in phrases about annoyance.

Example

Sein Gerede geht mir auf den Sack.

His talking gets on my nerves.

Guides for German learners

Duolingo vs Pimsleur: Tapping on a Screen or Talking Out Loud?Duolingo vs Pimsleur: five minutes of tapping versus thirty minutes of speaking. What each is good at, what each costs, and which to pick for your goal.

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