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German Words with Double Meanings: Abschleppen, Anmachen & Schön (B1–C1)

687 views · Published 10 January 2017 · 4:00 · Indexed 25 September 2026

Channel: Definitely German · 2017 · Education

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In this video I explain three very common German words with double meanings: abschleppen, anmachen and schön. You’ll see how each of them can be totally innocent in one context and suddenly sound very flirty or negative in another – and how to avoid awkward misunderstandings.

We start with abschleppen, which can mean towing a car, but in colloquial German also refers to “picking someone up” in a romantic or sexual way. Then we move on to anmachen: you can anmachen das Licht or die Musik, but you can also jemanden anmachen – either as a flirt or in the sense of telling someone off. Finally, we look at schön not only as “beautiful” but also as a little intensifier in phrases like ganz schön blöd.

I show you clear example sentences, explain the register (standard vs. slang) and give you quick tricks to recognise from context which meaning is active. This helps you understand native speakers better and choose your own words more confidently in everyday conversations.

Language level: B1–C1 (intermediate to advanced vocabulary and nuance)

If you enjoy German language puzzles and want to level up your feeling for context, this lesson is for you. Tell me in the comments which double-meaning word in German has confused you the most so far – and if this video helped you, share it with a friend who keeps getting German words in den falschen Hals.

❓ FAQ
Q: What does abschleppen mean in everyday German?
A: Abschleppen can mean towing a car away, but colloquially it also means “to hook up with someone” or “to pick someone up” at a party or club, so the situation and the object of the verb decide which meaning is intended.

Q: How can anmachen and schön change their meaning with context?
A: Anmachen is neutral in sentences like das Licht anmachen, but in jemanden anmachen it can mean flirting with someone or having a go at them; schön can describe something as “beautiful”, but in phrases like ganz schön teuer or ganz schön blöd it works as an intensifier similar to “pretty” or “really”.

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