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I'm in a meeting where somebody is talking too much and was wondering how can I talk about this guy with my colleagues afterwards. Does German have a way of saying "he's really in love with the sound of his own voice?"

End Anti-Semitic Hate
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Henry Firth
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  • I think it would help with a question like this to provide an explanation of the specific meaning of the idiom. (Keep in mind that many of the regulars here are not native English speakers.) I'd say the expression is used to describe a self-centered person who is constantly talking, usually about things that no one cares about, and who isn't interested in what other people have to say. – RDBury Dec 09 '21 at 02:47
  • The literal translation ("der mag [einfach, wirklich] den Klang seiner eigenen Stimme") would also be perfectly intelligible in context, even though it is not a common idiom. – Peter - Reinstate Monica Dec 09 '21 at 08:12
  • @Peter-ReinstateMonica: Please do not use the comment function to post answers. See https://german.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1407/please-do-not-answer-a-question-in-a-comment – Hubert Schölnast Dec 10 '21 at 14:03
  • @HubertSchölnast Yeah, I know. It didn't seem a complete answer somehow (it is not an equivalent because it is not idiomatic) -- and in a way it obviates the question, doesn't it? – Peter - Reinstate Monica Dec 12 '21 at 11:31
  • @Peter-ReinstateMonica: If you can't provide a complete answer, please don't publish incomplete fragments anywhere. If you feel unsure about the purpose of comments, please get informed here: https://german.stackexchange.com/help/privileges/comment – Hubert Schölnast Dec 12 '21 at 12:41
  • @HubertSchölnast Thank you for informing me. – Peter - Reinstate Monica Dec 12 '21 at 13:19

1 Answers1

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There is the standard phrase

... sich selbst gerne reden hören

(literally meaning to like to listen to oneself talking) which is quite close.

Your sentence then would read

Er hört sich selbst gerne reden.

guidot
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    @infinitezero Good idea to add the literal translation! However, I would rather translate it as to like to hear oneself talk (to like to listen to oneself talking would be more "sich selbst gern zuhören") – Jonathan Scholbach Dec 08 '21 at 20:49
  • As a non-native speaker, I would expect "gerne" to be a quite bit less than "love". Is that correct? – Thorbjørn Ravn Andersen Dec 09 '21 at 09:42
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    "gerne" vs. "love": understatement is the name of the game here. You can do a lot with the tone in which this is said. – Ger Hobbelt Dec 09 '21 at 12:53
  • [...] Plus the non-verbal accompaniment. ;-) Also: my preference would be to use "zuhören" on this occasion as it's more, äh, attentive (focused?) than simply "hören" (or "reden hören", which to my ears doesn't have the Schwung of "zuhören": "reden hören" doesn't roll off the tongue just as smoothly in comparison, but that's very fine detail and, I expect, a matter of taste (like your favorite literature or actors). – Ger Hobbelt Dec 09 '21 at 13:05
  • @GerHobbelt that’s missing the point. Someone who “likes to listen to oneself” is actually someone who likes to talk (a lot) without listening to anyone. So “hören” is more appropriate than “zuhören”, as the latter implies a commitment that contradicts the problem of that person. Compare with the response “Hörst Du Dir eigentlich manchmal selbst zu?” a question that implies if the person would actually listen (“zuhören”), they would start noticing the problems of their talking. – Holger Dec 10 '21 at 10:54
  • @Holger: you're correct, of course: hören sticks closest (literal translation). To me, the remark is sarcastic by default and zuhören adds extra punch that way, making it "tastier" to my ears. A bit like "rubbing it in" there and then: after all, you only would make the remark if you already know they don't "listen". :-) – Ger Hobbelt Dec 17 '21 at 17:37