If you’re wondering what the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect sounds like click here to hear it spoken by a non-Amish Deitscher woman from Northumberland County, PA. For a translation of what she is saying click here. Click here to hear the dialect spoken by Douglas Madenford in 2017.
Pennsylvania German Dictionary
‘Kaanscht du muukka funge?
Can you catch flies?
Ja, wonn sie hucke bleive, avver sie bleib net.
Yes, if they remain sitting, but they don’t stay.
- abuse – beyuuse
- ache – schmartz
- act – aeckde
- affectionate – friendlich
- air – looft
- amaze – fershrecka
- angel – engle
- applebutter & cottage cheese – schmierkees un lattwarrick
- apple tree – opplebawm
- apricot – obrigoshe
- aristocrat – big-bug
- artisan – hondwarker
- artist – kinshtler
- Ascension Day (May 5) -Himmelfaahrt , when it was believed that no sewing was to be done, otherwise lightning would strike.
- autumn – harbsht
- awkward – dobbich
- bar room – baerschtubb
- behave yourself – beheef dich
- bobblemoul – blabbermouth
- Braised Beef – Sauerbrode
- can you talk Dutch? – kannscht du deitsch schwetze?
- candy – tzooker
- cantaloupe – mushmiloon
- cherry – karsche
- chicken corn noodle soup – hinkelwelschkann-nudel supp
- chicken pot pie – hinkelbottboi
- chicken thighs – gebackte hinkel schenkel
- Christmas – Chrischdaag
- Christmas fritters – Paffefatzle (meaning preacher’s farts)
- Christmas Market – Christkindlmarkt
- clover – glee
- coffee – kaffi
- come eat – kumme esse
- corn – welchkann
- cow dung -kedreck
- creek – grich
- cucumber – gummere
- cute – schnuck
- cutting bench – schnitzel-bank
- dark – dunkel
- don’t act so dumb – aeckt net so dumm
- don’t forget – vergesst net
- dumb, idiotic – dumkupp
- Easter – Oschterdaag
- Easter Bunny – Oschter Haws
- Erntedankfest – October harvest festival of thanks held in church.
- everybody ought to go – yaeder mon set gae
- fence – fens
- figure out – ausfickere
- flies – mooka
- flower – blumme
- friend – freind ; Freindschaft – the whole extended family of Pennsylvania Dutch kin and friends – across the United States and to Europe.
- folklore – volkskunde
- fresh sausage – frischi wascht
- funnel cake – Drechter Kuhca
- gathering- zammelaaf
- gingerbread cookie, iced – pheffermusse
- God Bless America – Gott Segen Amerika
- good afternoon – guder nammidaag
- good evening – gut’n owed
- good morning – guder mariye
- gooseberry – grusselbiere
- grandfather’s house – dawdy haus
- green beans – flaisch brieh
- Halloween – Allelieweziel
- Ham – Schunkefleech, with potato filling and gravy
- Happy Easter – Froher Oschterdaag
- haunted house – spuk haus
- healing smear – Hilla schemer – Black healing salve used by Amish community. Used not only to pull out toxins but also any foreign objects stuck into the skin, skin tag removal. The ointment is a mixture of natural remedies, including essential oils, wax, and tar/activated charcoal.
- hen – bottelhinkel: a worn-out old hen ready for the stew pot.
- Hickory Nut Dumplings – Hickerness-Gnepp
- high-minded person – Hochmut
- how are you today? – wie bischt du heit?
- how’s it going? – wie geht’s?
- hogmaw – seimawe; sow’s stomach, traditional dish made from pig’s stomach.
- humble person – Demut
- I am coming – Ich bin om cooma.
- I want to see it – Ich will’s sana
- jump – joomp
- junk food – schleck
- kitchen – kucke
- letter from heaven – himmelsbrief
- love letter – liebesbrief
- maize – Welshkan, wild corn
- mandrake – Moi Appel, May Apple
- Merry Christmas – frehlicher Grischtdaag
- Merry Chistmas and Happy New Year! – En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr!
- Merry Christmas everyone – Freelich Grischtdaag alliebber
- Monday – Muundaag (Weschdaag – Wash-day)
- mother language – mutersproch
- mulberry – moulbiere
- new year wishes – neijohrwunsch; for good health, wealth, and happiness.
- Night Before Christmas, The – Die Nacht for de Chrischdaag
- nose – naas
- onion snow – a light and fast melting snowfall that occurs after the onions have been planted in spring and are beginning to sprout.
- peach leather – pasching-ledder; peaches pounded in pulp and then spread out thinly on trays and dried.
- Pennsylvania Dutch – Deitscher
- persimmon – mischpie
- pickeled tripe – gepickelt kuddelfleck
- politics – balledix
- quick spirit – schnell geiste – associated with drafts that slam doors, blow over lightweight objects or scatter papers. Basis for English word for dragon-like folk monster Snallygaster.
- quince – gwitte
- railroad – riegelweg
- rainbow – reggeboge
- Saint Gertrude’s Day – Grumbiere-Daag (Potato Day) on March 17, the day one is supposed to plant potatoes and peas, derived from the old almanacs.
- Saturday – Samschdaag
- scarecrow – butzemann, butzfraa
- Shrove Tuesday – Faschtnachtsdienschdaag
- sit down – hoch dich anne
- sleeping area for parents – kammer
- Spelt Soup – Dinkelsupp
- spring house – schpringhaus
- spiritual labyrinth – geistlicher irrgarten
- snow – schnee
- stars – schtanne
- steal – shtala
- stone quarry – schteebruch
- stove room – stube
- strawberry – aerdbiere
- Sunday – Sunndaag (Karrichdaag – Church Day)
- sunrise – sunnuff
- tangled – fahuudelt
- television – guckbax, gookbox
- Thanksgiving – De Ern Karrich
- Thursday – Dunnerschdaag or Maundy (Green) Thursday before Easter, when Pennsylvania Dutch families ate the first available green vegetables of the year for good luck and health.
- Tuesday – Dinschdaag (Biggeldaag – Ironing-day)
- umbrella – amberell
- We hope we see you there – Mer hoffe mer sehn eich datt
- Wear out – auswaere
- Wednesday – Mittwoch
- wild grapes – Schpeckdrauwe, Fox Grapes
- Yellow Dutch – Geeldeitsch, saffron-loving Pennsylvanians were once called Geeldeitsch for the distinctive gold hue of their food.
- you look good – du gucksht gut
- you must -du moosht