In German, you can abbreviate everything. Even not so long words. And Germans are really crazy about shortening words, even though a lot of Germans also find this really annoying ;) But neverthless, you will hear a lot of these strange words when you spend some time in Germany or speak with Germans…so here are some common abbreviations, most of them are found in conversations only or in ‘Internet language’:

Bibo/Bib = die Bibliothek (library)

= die Bibliothek (library) Ellis = die Eltern (parents)

= die Eltern (parents) Ersti = der Erstsemester (freshman)

= der Erstsemester (freshman) Fitti = das Fitnesstudio (the gym)

= das Fitnesstudio (the gym) es funzt nicht = es funktioniert nicht (it doesn’t work)



= es funktioniert nicht (it doesn’t work) Kartoffelpü = das Kartoffelpüree (mashed potatoes)



= das Kartoffelpüree (mashed potatoes) O-saft = Orangensaft (orange juice)



= Orangensaft (orange juice) Schland = Deut schland , used in the context of soccer mostly

= Deut , used in the context of soccer mostly Schoki = Schokolade (chocolate)



= Schokolade (chocolate) Spüli = das Spülmittel (dish soap)

= das Spülmittel (dish soap) Tatüs – Taschentücher (handkerchiefs)

– Taschentücher (handkerchiefs) Öffis = die öffentlichen Verkehrsmittel (public transport)