ballern
to shoot
Colloquial for loud and often repeated shooting with a firearm.
EXAMPLE
In dem Actionfilm ballern die Helden ohne Unterbrechung.
In the action film, the heroes shoot nonstop.
ballern
to blast / shoot
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Meanings
ballern
to blast
Colloquial for kicking or hitting a ball powerfully and often in an uncontrolled way, especially in soccer.
EXAMPLE
Anstatt zu passen, hat er den Ball einfach aufs Tor geballert.
Instead of passing, he simply blasted the ball at the goal.
ballern
to blast
Colloquial for a loud, booming, or banging noise, often from music.
EXAMPLE
Die Musik aus der Nachbarwohnung ballert durch die ganze Wand.
The music from the neighboring apartment is blasting through the whole wall.
ballern
to get wasted
Youth slang for excessive consumption of alcohol or drugs.
EXAMPLE
Am Wochenende haben sie sich auf der Party richtig einen geballert.
At the weekend, they really got wasted at the party.
Usage tips
Always colloquial
'Ballern' is a very colloquial word in all its meanings. Use it in informal conversations with friends, but not in formal or written contexts.
EXAMPLE
Der Stürmer hat den Ball einfach reingeballert.
The striker simply blasted the ball in.
Context clues
You can recognize the meaning of 'ballern' from the context. If it is about weapons, it means shooting. If it is about sports, it means a hard shot. If it is about music, it means it is very loud.
EXAMPLE
Im neuen Actionfilm wird wieder viel geballert.
There is a lot of shooting again in the new action film.
In a sports context
Especially in soccer, 'ballern' is used for a powerful, often not very precise shot. Typical phrases are 'den Ball aufs Tor ballern' (to blast the ball at the goal) or 'den Ball ins Netz ballern' (to blast the ball into the net).
EXAMPLE
Er hat den Ball aus 30 Metern Entfernung ins Tor geballert.
He blasted the ball into the goal from 30 meters away.
Fixed expression
In the youth-slang meaning of excessive consumption, the fixed expression 'sich einen ballern' or 'sich die Lichter ausballern' is often used. It describes heavy alcohol or drug consumption.
EXAMPLE
Sie waren auf einer Party und haben sich ordentlich einen geballert.
They were at a party and got properly wasted.
Compare with
ballern vs schießen
to shoot
Schießen is the neutral term for firing a weapon. Ballern is colloquial and usually emphasizes that the shots are loud or that several shots are fired. Schießen is suitable for the process in general; ballern can be appropriate when loudness or repetition is emphasized.
ballern
Auf demselben Schießstand ballert Tom laut und mehrfach auf die Scheibe.
At the same shooting range, Tom fires loudly and repeatedly at the target.
schießen
Auf dem Schießstand schießt Tom einmal gezielt auf die Scheibe.
At the shooting range, Tom takes one carefully aimed shot at the target.
In real life
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