brat
das Balg, die Bälger
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brat
A derogatory, colloquial term for a child, especially when the child is perceived as cheeky, badly behaved, or annoying.
Das freche Balg hat mir absichtlich die Zunge herausgestreckt.
The cheeky brat stuck his tongue out at me on purpose.
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Bälger |
| genitive | des Balges |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Balg | die Bälger die Bälge |
| accusative | das Balg | die Bälger die Bälge |
| dative | dem Balg | den Bälgern den Bälgen |
| genitive | des Balges des Balgs | der Bälger der Bälge |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Bälge |
| genitive | des Balgs |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Balg | die Bälge |
| accusative | den Balg | die Bälge |
| dative | dem Balg | den Bälgen |
| genitive | des Balgs | der Bälge |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
'Das Balg' (the brat) is a strongly derogatory and colloquial word. It can be used as a direct insult, especially when you refer to a child this way in front of other people.
Wenn du das Kind noch einmal ein Balg nennst, bekommst du Ärger mit seinen Eltern.
If you call the child a brat one more time, you'll get into trouble with their parents.
The word often occurs with evaluative adjectives or verbs, for example 'freches Balg' (cheeky brat), 'ungezogenes Balg' (badly behaved brat), and 'das Balg nervt' (the brat is annoying). This makes the speaker's negative attitude clear.
Das ungezogene Balg hat im Restaurant ständig gegen den Tisch getreten.
The badly behaved brat kept kicking the table in the restaurant.
'Das Balg' (the brat) is often used with a demonstrative or possessive word when the speaker is disparagingly singling out a particular child. Typical patterns are 'dieses Balg' (this brat) and 'sein Balg' (his brat).
Dieses Balg hat schon wieder meinen Gartenzaun beschädigt.
This brat has damaged my garden fence again.
