die Fresse
gob
A crude and derogatory term for a person's mouth.
EXAMPLE
Er riss die Fresse auf und gähnte laut.
He opened his gob and yawned loudly.
die Fresse
gob / face
die Fresse, die Fressen
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Meanings
die Fresse
face
A crude and insulting term for a person's face.
EXAMPLE
Er bekam die Faust direkt in die Fresse.
He took the fist straight in the face.
die Fresse halten
to shut one's gob
A very crude command to be quiet or stop talking.
EXAMPLE
Halt die Fresse und lass mich in Ruhe!
Shut your gob and leave me alone!
eine große Fresse haben
to have a big mouth
Very crude: to talk a lot, boast, or say cheeky things without following through.
EXAMPLE
Er hat eine große Fresse, aber wenn es ernst wird, zieht er sich zurück.
He has a big mouth, but when things get serious, he backs down.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Fresse, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Fressen |
| genitive | der Fresse |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Fresse | die Fressen |
| accusative | die Fresse | die Fressen |
| dative | der Fresse | den Fressen |
| genitive | der Fresse | der Fressen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Crude register
'Fresse' belongs to very crude colloquial language and can quickly sound aggressive or insulting. The word is therefore risky in neutral situations and when speaking to people you do not know.
EXAMPLE
Wer „Fresse“ statt „Mund“ sagt, klingt schnell aggressiv.
Using 'Fresse' instead of 'Mund' (mouth) can quickly make you sound aggressive.
Typical collocations
For the meaning 'Mund' (mouth), 'Fresse' often appears with verbs such as 'aufreißen' (to open one's mouth), 'halten' (to shut up), or 'stopfen' (to stuff). These combinations usually intensify the crude or aggressive tone.
EXAMPLE
Er stopfte sich das Brötchen in einem Stück in die Fresse.
He stuffed the bread roll into his gob in one piece.
Physical context
For the meaning 'Gesicht' (face), 'Fresse' often appears in expressions involving punches or injuries. The connection with violence or a physical altercation makes the insult especially clear.
EXAMPLE
Er drohte, ihm die Fresse zu polieren.
He threatened to smash his face in.
Fixed command
In 'Halt die Fresse!' ('Shut your gob!'), 'die Fresse' is a fixed part of a very crude command. The phrase is addressed directly to someone and usually sounds aggressive or insulting.
EXAMPLE
„Halt die Fresse!“ ist viel gröber als „Sei bitte still!“
'Shut your gob!' is much cruder than 'Please be quiet!'
Idiom
'Eine große Fresse haben' ('to have a big mouth') is often used with a contrast: someone talks or boasts a lot but shows little courage or ability in a difficult situation.
EXAMPLE
Vor dem Spiel hatten sie noch eine große Fresse, doch auf dem Platz verloren sie deutlich.
Before the game, they still had a big mouth, but on the field they lost decisively.
In real life
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