World Cup 2026: Who are you supporting?

💬 "sich freuen auf" = "to look forward to." German often uses reflexive verbs, so literally this is "Do you make yourself happy/excited?"

🇩🇪 A very common friendly German small-talk opener before big events like a World Cup.

💬 "WM" = "Weltmeisterschaft". It’s short, super common, and always feminine: "die WM."

🇩🇪 In Germany, people almost always say "WM" instead of the full word in everyday speech.

💬 Full phrase pattern: "Sich freuen auf + accusative." A great chunk to memorize.

🇩🇪 Football chat starts early in Germany—well before the tournament actually begins.

💬 Short, clear, and used constantly. Pronounced like English "yah."

🇩🇪 Germans often keep answers brief at first, especially in casual conversation.

💬 "sehr" means "very." In context, "Ja, sehr" means "Yes, very much."

🇩🇪 A tiny word, but it sounds natural and enthusiastic without being over-the-top.

💬 Nice short answer. Germans often omit repeated words when the meaning is obvious.

🇩🇪 This sounds natural and friendly—simple enthusiasm is very common in German conversation.

💬 "gern" means "gladly / like to." Germans often say "ich schaue gern..." instead of using a separate word for "like."

🇩🇪 Talking about what you watch is a very normal way to bond over football in Germany.

💬 The letter "ß" is called "Eszett." "Fußball" is pronounced roughly "foos-bahl."

🇩🇪 In Germany, "Fußball" means the sport most of the world calls football—not American football.

💬 Very natural spoken German. Literally: "I watch football gladly."

🇩🇪 This is an easy, everyday sentence for joining sports conversations in Germany.