Phrase in 30 Seconds
Use 'krankfeiern' when someone skips work or school by pretending to be ill to enjoy a day off.
- Means: Faking an illness to get a free day (max 15 words)
- Used in: Casual chats with friends or colleagues you trust (max 15 words)
- Don't confuse: With actually being sick or 'sich krankmelden' (max 15 words)
شرح بمستواك:
المعنى
To pretend to be sick to avoid going to work or school.
خلفية ثقافية
The 'Gelber Schein' (yellow slip) is the traditional medical certificate. Even if you 'krankfeierst' for just one day, some employers require it immediately, making faking it a bit of a logistical challenge. In Austria, the term is also well-understood, but 'blaumachen' is perhaps even more frequent in casual conversation. Swiss work culture is often seen as more rigid, so 'krankfeiern' might be viewed more critically than in some parts of Germany. Many modern startups have 'Trust-based working time' (Vertrauensarbeitszeit), which ironically makes 'krankfeiern' less necessary because you can just take time off.
Context is Key
Never use this word with your boss. It's an admission of lying.
Separable Verb Rule
Remember: 'Ich feiere krank', but 'Ich habe krankgefeiert'.
Context is Key
Never use this word with your boss. It's an admission of lying.
Separable Verb Rule
Remember: 'Ich feiere krank', but 'Ich habe krankgefeiert'.
The 'Monday' Rule
Germans often joke about 'Montagskrankheit' (Monday sickness) when someone 'krankfeiert'.
Use 'Blaumachen' for variety
If you want to sound more native, alternate between 'krankfeiern' and 'blaumachen'.
اختبر نفسك
Fill in the correct form of 'krankfeiern'.
Gestern war so schönes Wetter, da habe ich einfach ______.
In the perfect tense, the 'ge' goes between the prefix and the verb: krank-ge-feiert.
Which sentence is appropriate to say to your boss?
You are actually sick and calling your boss.
'Sich krankmelden' is the professional and neutral term. The others imply you are faking.
Match the phrase to the situation.
A student skips a math test by staying in bed.
Krankfeiern is the perfect fit for faking an illness to avoid a test.
Complete the dialogue.
A: 'Wo ist Thomas?' B: 'Er ______ heute ______, weil er keine Lust auf das Meeting hat.'
In a main clause, the separable verb splits: 'feiert' in second position, 'krank' at the end.
🎉 النتيجة: /4
وسائل تعلم بصرية
Formal vs. Informal Sick Leave
بنك التمارين
5 تمارينGestern war so schönes Wetter, da habe ich einfach ______.
In the perfect tense, the 'ge' goes between the prefix and the verb: krank-ge-feiert.
You are actually sick and calling your boss.
'Sich krankmelden' is the professional and neutral term. The others imply you are faking.
A student skips a math test by staying in bed.
Krankfeiern is the perfect fit for faking an illness to avoid a test.
A: 'Wo ist Thomas?' B: 'Er ______ heute ______, weil er keine Lust auf das Meeting hat.'
In a main clause, the separable verb splits: 'feiert' in second position, 'krank' at the end.
🎉 النتيجة: /5
الأسئلة الشائعة
10 أسئلةTechnically, yes. Faking an illness to avoid work is a breach of contract and can lead to being fired.
'Krankfeiern' specifically implies using illness as an excuse. 'Blaumachen' is more general skipping.
Yes, it's very common among students to 'krankfeiern' for a lecture or seminar.
Use 'Ich melde mich krank.'
No, it's not a swear word, but it describes a dishonest action, so use it carefully.
Literally yes, but figuratively it just means taking the day off using sickness as an excuse.
The perfect tense is 'hat krankgefeiert'.
Usually, it's used for 1-3 days. For longer, people usually say 'krankgeschrieben sein'.
Yes, '{das|n} Krankfeiern', but the verb is much more common.
No, 'feiern' here refers to the old meaning of 'resting'.
عبارات ذات صلة
blaumachen
synonymTo skip work/school for any reason.
schwänzen
specialized formTo skip school or a specific class.
sich krankmelden
contrastTo officially report as sick.
faulenzen
similarTo be lazy / to idle.
einen Lenz machen
similarTo have a lazy, good time.
أين تستخدمها
Monday Morning Blues
Lukas: Wo ist eigentlich Jan? Er ist schon wieder nicht da.
Sarah: Ich wette, er feiert heute wieder krank. Gestern war doch das große Konzert.
Skipping School
Mutter: Steh auf, du musst zur Schule!
Sohn: Ich kann nicht, mein Bauch tut weh...
Mutter: Hör auf krankzufeiern, ich weiß, dass heute der Test ist!
Beautiful Weather
Tim: Es sind 30 Grad draußen. Wer will da schon im Büro sitzen?
Julia: Lass uns einfach krankfeiern und an {den|m} See fahren!
The Day After a Party
Kollege A: Hast du von Stefan gehört? Er hat sich heute Morgen krankgemeldet.
Kollege B: Krankgemeldet? Er feiert krank! Er hat gestern viel zu viel getrunken.
Job Interview Elsewhere
Freund: Wie war dein Vorstellungsgespräch?
Bewerber: Gut, aber ich musste bei meiner alten Firma krankfeiern, um hingehen zu können.
Video Game Release
Gamer 1: Das neue Spiel kommt am Donnerstag raus!
Gamer 2: Alles klar, ich habe schon geplant, an dem Tag krankzufeiern.
احفظها
وسيلة تذكّر
Think of 'Krank' (Sick) + 'Feiern' (Party). You're having a 'Sick Party' at home instead of working!
ربط بصري
Imagine a person wearing pajamas and a party hat, sitting on a sofa with a laptop closed and a cocktail in hand, while a calendar in the background shows a workday.
Rhyme
Bist du gesund und bleibst doch hier, feierst du krank mit einem Bier.
Story
Kevin didn't study for his math test. He decided to 'krankfeiern'. He stayed in bed, played video games, and 'celebrated' his freedom, until his mom found his hidden controller.
In Other Languages
In English, we say 'pull a sickie' or 'play hooky'. In French, it's 'faire le pont' (to make a bridge/long weekend) or 'se faire porter pâle'.
Word Web
تحدٍّ
Try to explain to a friend (in German) why you 'krankgefeiert' last week without using the word 'krankfeiern' itself, then reveal the word at the end.
Review this word on a Monday morning—the most common day for 'krankfeiern'!
النطق
The 'nk' sounds like the English 'nk' in 'bank'.
The 'ei' sounds like 'eye' in English. The 'er' at the end is a vocalized 'a' sound.
طيف الرسمية
Ich kann heute leider nicht zum Dienst erscheinen (implied real sickness). (Missing work)
Ich melde mich heute krank. (Missing work)
Ich feiere heute krank. (Missing work)
Ich mach' heute blau. (Missing work)
The word stems from the 19th-century usage of 'feiern' to mean 'to be idle' or 'to rest from work'. It was combined with 'krank' to describe workers who took unauthorized rest days by claiming illness.
حقيقة ممتعة
The word 'Feierabend' (end of work) comes from the same root—it was originally the evening before a holiday (Feiertag).
ملاحظات ثقافية
The 'Gelber Schein' (yellow slip) is the traditional medical certificate. Even if you 'krankfeierst' for just one day, some employers require it immediately, making faking it a bit of a logistical challenge.
“Ich muss zum Arzt, um meinen gelben Schein zu holen, auch wenn ich nur krankfeiere.”
In Austria, the term is also well-understood, but 'blaumachen' is perhaps even more frequent in casual conversation.
“In Wien machen viele am Fenstertag blau.”
Swiss work culture is often seen as more rigid, so 'krankfeiern' might be viewed more critically than in some parts of Germany.
“In der Schweiz ist krankfeiern nicht sehr angesehen.”
Many modern startups have 'Trust-based working time' (Vertrauensarbeitszeit), which ironically makes 'krankfeiern' less necessary because you can just take time off.
“Dank Vertrauensarbeitszeit muss niemand mehr krankfeiern.”
بدايات محادثة
Hast du schon mal in der Schule oder bei der Arbeit krankgefeiert?
Was glaubst du, warum feiern manche Leute oft krank?
Ist 'krankfeiern' in deinem Heimatland auch so verbreitet wie in Deutschland?
أخطاء شائعة
Ich feiere krank zu meinem Chef.
Ich melde mich bei meinem Chef krank.
L1 Interference
Er hat krankgefeiert wegen einer Operation.
Er ist wegen einer Operation krankgeschrieben.
L1 Interference
Ich bin krankfeiern.
Ich feiere krank.
L1 Interference
Wir haben den ganzen Tag krankgefeiert.
Wir haben blau gemacht.
L1 Interference
In Other Languages
to pull a sickie
The German version uses 'celebrate', the English uses 'pull'.
hacerse el enfermo
Spanish focuses on the 'acting' part, German on the 'celebrating' part.
se faire porter pâle
French uses the visual of being 'pale' as the excuse.
サボる (saboru)
Japanese is broader and doesn't always imply a 'sick' excuse.
تمارض (tamāruḍ)
It is a formal grammatical structure in Arabic, whereas 'krankfeiern' is an idiom.
装病 (zhuāng bìng)
Chinese is very literal; 'krankfeiern' is more idiomatic.
꾀병을 부리다 (kkoebyeong-eul burida)
Korean uses a specific noun for 'fake illness' (kkoebyeong).
meter um atestado
Portuguese focuses on the 'certificate' (the proof), German on the 'celebration'.
Spotted in the Real World
“Wenn man hier nicht ab und zu mal krankfeiert, dreht man ja durch.”
Stromberg, the incompetent boss, talking about the necessity of taking breaks from the office stress.
“Heute wird krankgefeiert, die Sonne lacht so hell.”
A typical summer song about skipping work to enjoy the weather.
“Krankfeiern nach dem EM-Finale: Betriebe rechnen mit vielen Ausfällen.”
An article about how many employees might skip work after a late-night football match.
سهل الخلط
Learners might think 'krankfeiern' just means 'being sick'.
If you are actually sick, you are 'krank'. If you are pretending, you 'feiern krank'.
Both use the word 'feiern'.
'Feiern gehen' means going out to a club/party. 'Krankfeiern' means staying home from work.
الأسئلة الشائعة (10)
Technically, yes. Faking an illness to avoid work is a breach of contract and can lead to being fired.
usage contexts'Krankfeiern' specifically implies using illness as an excuse. 'Blaumachen' is more general skipping.
comparisonsYes, it's very common among students to 'krankfeiern' for a lecture or seminar.
practical tipsUse 'Ich melde mich krank.'
grammar mechanicsNo, it's not a swear word, but it describes a dishonest action, so use it carefully.
basic understandingLiterally yes, but figuratively it just means taking the day off using sickness as an excuse.
basic understandingThe perfect tense is 'hat krankgefeiert'.
grammar mechanicsUsually, it's used for 1-3 days. For longer, people usually say 'krankgeschrieben sein'.
usage contextsYes, '{das|n} Krankfeiern', but the verb is much more common.
grammar mechanicsNo, 'feiern' here refers to the old meaning of 'resting'.
cultural usage
