knallen
to bang
To cause a loud, short, explosive sound, as with a shot, a whip, or a door falling shut.
EXAMPLE
Der Sektkorken knallte laut an die Decke.
The champagne cork banged loudly against the ceiling.
knallen
to bang / slam
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Meanings
knallen
to slam
To close or throw something forcefully and noisily.
EXAMPLE
Er war so wütend, dass er die Tür hinter sich knallte.
He was so angry that he slammed the door behind him.
knallen
to beat down
To shine very intensely and hotly (referring to the sun).
EXAMPLE
Die Sonne knallte den ganzen Nachmittag vom Himmel.
The sun beat down from the sky all afternoon.
knallen
to bang
A colloquial, often vulgar expression for having sexual intercourse.
EXAMPLE
Er prahlte in der Kneipe damit, wen er am Wochenende alles geknallt hätte.
In the pub, he bragged about all the people he had banged over the weekend.
Usage tips
Transitive vs. intransitive
The verb can be used transitively (with an accusative object) or intransitively (without an object). Intransitively, it means that something makes a noise by itself. Transitively, it means that someone deliberately moves or throws something loudly.
EXAMPLE
Draußen knallte ein Feuerwerkskörper.
Outside, a firecracker banged.
Onomatopoeia
The word 'knallen' (to bang) is onomatopoeic. That means it imitates the sound it describes — a short, loud 'Knall' (bang).
EXAMPLE
Als der Ballon platzte, knallte es sehr laut.
When the balloon burst, it banged very loudly.
Use with direction
When something is thrown or closed, there is often a preposition or adverb that indicates the direction. Typical phrases are 'die Tür zuknallen' (to slam the door shut) or 'etwas auf den Tisch knallen' (to slam something onto the table).
EXAMPLE
Bitte knall die Tür nicht so zu!
Please don't slam the door like that!
Fixed context: sun
In the meaning 'to shine intensely', 'knallen' (to beat down) is used almost exclusively with the subject 'die Sonne' (the sun). It is a very figurative and colloquial description of great heat.
EXAMPLE
Wir sollten in den Schatten gehen, die Sonne knallt richtig.
We should go into the shade; the sun is really beating down.
Register: vulgar language
In the sexual meaning, 'knallen' (to bang) is very colloquial and is often perceived as vulgar or derogatory. You should use this word in this context with great caution.
EXAMPLE
In dem Film wird eine sehr direkte und vulgäre Sprache verwendet.
The film uses very direct and vulgar language.
Compare with
knallen vs ficken
to fuck
Both verbs can refer to having sexual intercourse. Ficken is clearly vulgar and sounds very direct. Knallen is colloquial and is also often perceived as vulgar in this meaning, but it sounds more like crude colloquial speech.
knallen
In seiner derben Prahlerei sagte er, er wolle sie knallen.
In his crude boasting, he said he wanted to bang her.
ficken
In seiner sehr vulgären Prahlerei sagte er, er wolle sie ficken.
In his very vulgar boasting, he said he wanted to fuck her.
In real life
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