Schadenfreude

Meaning: The guilty little pleasure of taking satisfaction in someone else's misfortune.

Literally: Harm-joy

Origin: German Schaden ('harm') + Freude ('joy').

More German untranslatable words

Weltschmerz The weariness and sadness you feel when the world as it is falls painfully short of the w…
Torschlusspanik The anxious fear that time is running out — that the gates of opportunity, youth, or life…
Kummerspeck The weight you gain from emotional eating — the extra pounds that accumulate during heart…
Fremdschämen The vicarious embarrassment you feel for someone who is doing something cringeworthy — ev…
Drachenfutter A peace-offering gift brought home to a partner after staying out too late or doing somet…
Verschlimmbessern To make something worse in a well-intentioned attempt to improve it.

Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.

Der Cottbuser Postkutscher putzt den Cottbuser Postkutschkasten. A jaw-breaking compound-noun 'ts/tsch/sch' marathon — the German love of compound words w…
Hinter Hermann Hannes Haus hängen hundert Hemden raus. A relentless 'h' aspirate drill — every word opens with the same breathy attack.
Fischers Fritz fischt frische Fische, frische Fische fischt Fischers Fritz. The German 'f' / 'sch' staple.

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