01
das Maul
mouth / snout
The mouth opening of animals.
example
Der Löwe riss sein riesiges Maul auf.
The lion opened its huge mouth wide.
das Maul
mouth / snout
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Neutral meaning
When 'das Maul' (mouth/snout) refers to an animal, it is a neutral, factual word. It simply describes the mouth area of the animal without any negative judgment.
EXAMPLE
Der Hund hielt den Stock fest in seinem Maul.
The dog held the stick firmly in its mouth.
Colloquial and coarse
Using 'Maul' (mouth) for a person's mouth is very colloquial and is often perceived as impolite or even insulting. It should only be used in very informal contexts and with caution.
EXAMPLE
Er hat ein großes Maul, aber dahinter steckt nicht viel.
He has a big mouth, but there's not much behind it.
Typical command
A very common but impolite command is 'Halt dein Maul!' (Shut your mouth!) or the short form 'Halt's Maul!' (Shut up!). It means that someone should stop talking immediately.
EXAMPLE
Halt dein Maul, ich kann mich nicht konzentrieren!
Shut your mouth, I can't concentrate!
Sentence structure of the idiom
The idiom 'sich das Maul über jemanden zerreißen' (to gossip about someone) is reflexive. The person who is gossiping needs a reflexive pronoun in the dative, e.g. 'er zerreißt sich das Maul' (he is gossiping).
EXAMPLE
Im Dorf zerreißen sich die Leute das Maul über den neuen Nachbarn.
In the village, people are gossiping about the new neighbor.
Fixed expression
In the idiom 'kein Blatt vor das Maul nehmen' (to not mince words), the expression 'kein Blatt vor das Maul' remains unchanged. Only the verb 'nehmen' (to take) is conjugated and adapted to the person.
EXAMPLE
Meine Chefin ist sehr direkt und nimmt nie ein Blatt vor das Maul.
My boss is very direct and never minces words.
Compare with
Maul vs Mund
mouth
'Mund' and 'Maul' can both refer to the opening used for eating or making sounds. 'Mund' is the normal and polite word for people and can also be used for animals. 'Maul' is normal for animals, but coarse and often derogatory when used for people. Learners may confuse the words because both describe something physically similar. For people, you should almost always say 'Mund'. Using 'Maul' for people can quickly sound insulting.
Maul
Der Hund trägt den Ball vorsichtig im Maul.
The dog is carrying the ball carefully in its mouth.
Mund
Bitte öffne den Mund, damit die Ärztin deinen Hals sehen kann.
Please open your mouth so the doctor can see your throat.
In real life
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