A BOOK BY WOLF MARBACH

Mach keine
Fisimatenten!

German words from the past — and the stories they still tell

One word can bring a whole memory back.

The book is in German. This is the English version of the website.

The family waits by the front door, ready to leave, while Dad is still searching for his things.
“We were only trying to leave.”
Original German cover of Mach keine Fisimatenten!

LITTLE WORDS. VIVID STORIES.

Words worth discovering.

More in the book
A very tall young man stoops beside his much shorter aunt for a family photo.

Lulatsch

A lanky fellow. Fits into any family.
Just not always into the photo.

A little boy confidently explains the remote control to his grandmother.

Dreikäsehoch

A little whippersnapper. Five years old. Explains the TV to Grandma.
And actually gets it right.

A teenager tries to rescue a tangled cassette tape with a pencil.

Bandsalat

Literally “tape salad”. When a pencil
could still save your favourite music.

The original yellow German cover of Mach keine Fisimatenten! by Wolf Marbach.

MACH KEINE FISIMATENTEN!

A book full of
“Remember when?”

German words with a sense of humour. Stories to dip into, read aloud and share.

  • Rediscover familiar German words
  • Explore the stories behind them
  • Get a conversation started

Language: German

192 pages · 12 themes · by Wolf Marbach

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German-language book · External link to Amazon.de

Book details

German words from the past — and the stories they still tell
13.97 × 21.59 cm · ISBN 979-8174273160

ONE SLICE. MANY NAMES.

“We had a different
word for that!”

A slice of bread with a topping

Stulle Knifte Bemme Schnitte Butterbrot Bütterken

The end of a loaf

Knust Kanten Scherzl Ranft

Having a leisurely chat

klönen schnacken ratschen schwätzen

Three people cheerfully debate what to call the same slice of bread at breakfast.
Original book illustration: a woman waits at the door with the keys while a man in slippers has one more objection.
Original illustration from the book

A SAMPLE IN GERMAN

Take a look inside.

Read the original German text, just as it appears in the book.

„Nun mach keine Fisimatenten und zieh endlich die Schuhe an.“ Wer diesen Satz aus der Kindheit kennt, hört meistens den Tonfall gleich mit.

Continue readingClose the sample

Gemeint sind unnötige Umstände, Ausflüchte und kleine Manöver, mit denen jemand eine einfache Sache aufhält. Beim Aufbruch bekommt das Kind noch Durst, sucht den zweiten Handschuh, muss plötzlich etwas erzählen und stellt anschließend fest, dass die Schuhe drücken. Es fehlt nur noch der Vorschlag, lieber morgen zu fahren.

Fisimatenten sind also nicht einfach Unsinn. Mumpitz und Kokolores können eine Behauptung treffen; Fisimatenten stehen mitten im Ablauf und lassen niemanden vorbei. Erwachsene beherrschen sie ebenfalls. Sie prüfen beim Losgehen noch einmal die Fenster, suchen eine andere Jacke und erklären dem wartenden Rest der Familie, wie wichtig gute Vorbereitung sei.

Wolf Marbach · Original German excerpt from “Fisimatenten”

FOR YOU. OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE.

Give the gift of
“Remember when?”

For German-speaking parents, grandparents
and anyone who loves the German language.

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