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Is there a German idiom or phrase for "rusty"?
As in "less than good due to lack of use or practice"
For example:
"Since I have not spoken it in several years, my German is rather rusty."
4 Answers
- Anonymous1 decade agoFavorite Answer
'Mein Deutsch ist etwas eingerostet.'
or
'Mein Deutsch ist etwas außer Übung'
both are very much in use, depending on what part of the country you're in.
the first would be the literal translation which would be perfectly fine and does not sound funny at all.
the second one would mean 'my german is a little out of shape'.
Source(s): native german - 1 decade ago
No, you don't use the word "ill" when your talking about your "rusty" language. If you translate it literly you would say " Mein Deutsch ist etwas eingerostet". But that sounds very funny and I don't thing anybody in german would say this. You could rather say : " Ich habe so lang kein Deutsch mehr gesprochen, Ich muss mich erst wieder dran gewöhnen!" Which means that you haven't spoke german in several years and you have to get used to it again. This is a very commen sentence in germany ._.
Hope this helps
Source(s): Native german - Anonymous1 decade ago
I am not sure but i think they would use the word ill. Mein Deutsch ist krank?
Source(s): Mom is fluent is deutsch
