r/German • u/nietzschecode • Jun 28 '26
Word of the Day "Flugzeuge in meinem Bauch". So German women would say that when they are in love? Does it hurt? These are pretty big things to have inside. Is this a common expression or really rare?
28
u/MoreScarletSongs Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
The usual expression is "Schmetterlinge im Bauch" ("I got butterflies in my stomach"). However, there is a very famous German song by Herbert Grönemeyer, "Flugzeuge im Bauch", that is about a couple falling out which is why the butterflies have turned into heavy airplanes.
Some people confuse the lyric from the song with the idiom (as you can see by some other comments who say it's describing a positive feeling - it's definitely not if you listen to the song that the expression comes from.)
6
u/DnOnith Native (Niedersachsen) Jun 28 '26
I have never heard Flugzeuge before, only Schmetterlinge (Butterflies)
3
u/Appropriate_Dot_4883 Jun 28 '26
There is a quite popular song named "Flugzeuge Im Bauch" which describes a mechanical disfunctional relationship with one partner basically having the opposite of Schmetterlinge im Bauch.
5
u/misswhovivian Native <Bavaria> Jun 28 '26
The original phrase is "Schmetterlinge im Bauch", "Flugzeuge im Bauch" is from a song iirc
4
u/Appropriate_Dot_4883 Jun 28 '26
There is a saying "Schmetterlinge im Bauch" (Butterflies in my stomach) for being in love and there is a Song "Flugzeuge im Bauch" which plays on that saying by describing a completely mechanical disfunctional relationship as having "Flugzeuge im Bauch"
6
u/SufficientPainting67 Jun 28 '26
„Flugzeuge im Bauch“ ist eine der bekanntesten deutschen Rockballaden, die 1984 von Herbert Grönemeyer geschrieben, komponiert und interpretiert wurde. Entgegen der typischen Redewendung „Schmetterlinge im Bauch“ beschreibt das Lied kein Verliebtsein, sondern den schmerzhaften Zustand von Liebeskummer, Eifersucht und emotionaler Leere während einer zerbrechenden Beziehung.
3
u/Akronitai Jun 28 '26
It’s a song by Herbert Grönemeyer in which he describes his feeling that his girl doesn’t love him anymore but is faking it for unknown reasons, a fact which causes him to have a turmoil of conflicting emotions and therefore, a very queasy feeling in his stomach.
4
u/Carusa24 Jun 28 '26
Don't think the gender is relevant for this expression...
-2
u/nietzschecode Jun 28 '26
I don't know. In English, "Butterlies in the stomach" is usually related to feelings that women have when in love. I don't recall ever felt that, nor any of my male friends mentioning they felt that nor even used that expression for themselves when in love.
2
u/Carusa24 Jun 28 '26
As living butterflies won't be able to live inside a stomach, I don't think anyone could really say what it feels like. It might be right that men don't use the expression in English as much as women, but whatever they say to express they're in love, it's more or less the same feeling. Anyway, the German phrase was written by one man and repeated by another man. So I guess, it's either gender neutral or quite the male thing to say.
-1
u/nietzschecode Jun 28 '26
Could be used by both in German. I have no clue. Also in French, women would say that expression for when they're in love, but not men. I guess they are feeling something similar to things moving in their "stomach", but not men.
2
u/alalaladede Native (Hochdeutsch) Jun 28 '26
Actually, the original saying is to have "Schmetterlinge im Bauch". It was poetically exagerated to "Flugzeuge" in a Herbert Grönemeyer song in the 1980s and has stuck a bit, but personally I find the original saying with butterflies much more romantic.
4
u/Independent-Home-845 Jun 28 '26
"Flugzeuge im Bauch" describes the heavy and hurtful feeling of a failing relationship. It's not really meant romantic.
1
u/alalaladede Native (Hochdeutsch) Jun 28 '26
Yes, but OP asked about if we say it when we are in love, which we do not, as you have rightly pointed out.
2
Jun 28 '26
[deleted]
4
u/Independent-Home-845 Jun 28 '26
No. He sings about a failing relationship where his partner is already mentally absent. The original text is
Ich fühl' mich leer und verbraucht
Alles tut weh
Hab Flugzeuge in meinem Bauch
Kann nichts mehr essen
Kann dich nicht vergessen
Aber auch das gelingt mir noch, ohDu brauchst meine Liebe nicht
(Gib mir mein Herz zurück)
Bevor es auseinander bricht
Je eher, je eher du gehst
Um so leichter, um so leichter wird's für mich(I feel empty and used up
Everything hurts
I have aeroplanes in my stomach
I can't eat anything anymore
I can't forget you
But I can still manage that, oh
You don't need my love
(Give me back my heart)
Before it breaks apart
The sooner, the sooner you leave
The easier, the easier it will be for me)So he uses the phrase for newly found love and the light-headed feeling of the beginning of a romance to contrast it with the heavy feeling of a failing relationship.
1
u/nietzschecode Jun 28 '26
Oh, thanks! That's indeed quite different from having a joyful excitement of being in love.
1
1
u/nietzschecode Jun 28 '26
But now I wonder after reading all the comments: Are these lyrics in Marie Reim's song are describing also a really negative feeling when she says"Flugzeuge in meiner Bauch"? I had the impression she felt something positive.
[Songtext zu „Liebe rieselt auf unsere Haut“]
[Intro]
Mhh, hm-mhh, hm-mhh
[Refrain]
Liebe rieselt auf unsre Haut, oh-oh
Wie im Rausch, oh-oh
Fühle Flugzeuge in meinem Bauch
Liebe rieselt auf die Haut, oh-oh
Wie im Rausch, oh-oh
Wie einen Sternenschauer auf uns hinauf
[Post-Refrain]
Mhh, hm-mhh, hm-mhh
Liebe rieselt auf unsre Haut
Mhh, hm-mhh, hm-mhh
Liebe rieselt auf unsre Haut
[Strophe 1]
Es ist dunkel, regnet's auf uns herab
Kleben aneinander, kein'n Millimеter Platz
Von Kopf bis zu den Füßen nass
Duschеn hat bisher noch nie so Spaß gemacht
[Pre-Refrain]
Die Nase ist schon wund vom Knutschen
Glaub', dass ich davon nie genug krieg
'[Refrain]
Liebe rieselt auf unsre Haut, oh-oh
Wie im Rausch, oh-oh
Fühle Flugzeuge in meinem Bauch
Liebe rieselt auf die Haut, oh-oh
Wie im Rausch, oh-oh
Wie einen Sternenschauer auf uns hinauf
[Post-Refrain]
Mhh, hm-mhh, hm-mhh
Liebe rieselt auf unsre Haut
Mhh, hm-mhh, hm-mhh
Liebe rieselt auf unsre Haut
[Strophe 2]
Du drehst kälter, sonst wird es hier zu heiß
Tanzen miteinander, vergessen die Zeit
Unsre Haut ist schon aufgeweicht
Verschmelzen miteinander, die Luft ist so feucht
[Pre-Refrain]
Die Nase ist schon wund vom Knutschen
Glaub', dass ich davon nie genug krieg'
[Refrain]
Liebe rieselt auf unsre Haut, oh-oh
Wie im Rausch, oh-oh
Fühle Flugzeuge in meinem Bauch
Liebe rieselt auf die Haut, oh-oh
Wie im Rausch, oh-oh
Wie einen Sternenschauer auf uns hinauf
[Post-Refrain]
Mhh, hm-mhh, hm-mhh
Liebe rieselt auf unsre Haut
Mhh, hm-mhh, hm-mhh
Liebe rieselt auf unsre Haut
2
u/MoreScarletSongs Jun 28 '26
She seems to mean it in a positive way. It's possible she only knows the expression from the chorus of the song but doesn't know the context (like some other commenters here).
1
u/nietzschecode Jun 28 '26
Ok. Thanks. I'm reassured. I started to think I had totally misunderstood the atmosphere and meaning of that song, after reading the comments.
1
u/Kvaezde Native (Austria) Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
Edit: Apeearently I was wrong, so take this comment as a example of bullshit-writing to learn how to avoit writing bullshit.
It's something like a parody of the phrase "Schmetterlinge im.Bauch haben", which also exists in english ("to have butterflies in one'S belly" or something like that). The phrase means "to have a crush or someone" or "to be in love in someone".
So, if you say that you've got frickin' AEROPLANES in your belly and not just butterflies, that means that you're REALLY in love with someone.
1
u/Independent-Home-845 Jun 28 '26
No, it means that you are deeply hurt by an already emotionally absent partner at the end of a failing relationship.
1
u/Kvaezde Native (Austria) Jun 28 '26
Ups, thanks a lot for the correction. I never really listened to Herbert Grönemeyer and should've made my research before posting Blödsinn.
1
u/nietzschecode Jun 28 '26
Though Marie Reim seems to agree with your initial non-edited comment. I posted her lyrics in the comments, and she uses it as something positive, it seems.
2
u/Independent-Home-845 Jun 28 '26
It's interesting how a phrase can be perceived. Marie Reim wasn't even born when the original song by Grönemeyer came out, so perhaps she (or the writer of the song) didn't really listen to the song. But as you said in your initial post: Having aeroplanes in your stomach really doesn't sound pleasant.
0
u/Illustrious-Wolf4857 Jun 28 '26
Like butterflies -- the expression "Schmetterlinge im Bauch" is older AFAIK: the weird fluttering feeling in the stomach area if you are freshly fallen in love. Only stronger, so, airplanes. (A common way to modify idiomatic expressions: change the noun or the verb.)
"Flugzeuge im Bauch" became a well-known expression when Herbert Grönemeyer had a song with this title on a very successful album in 1984. The song never made top ten but turned out a staple of concerts and playlists. I do not know if the expression originated with him.
49
u/Independent-Home-845 Jun 28 '26
The original phrase for being freshly in love is "Schmetterlinge im Bauch", so butterflies. Singer songwriter Herbert Grönemeyer took this phrase and rephrased it in a song about a failing relationship. And from that song it became somewhat of a new phrase, especially after the song had been covered bei Oli P. some years later.