What does “ein wahres Festmahl” mean in German?

Rebhühner als natürliche Schädlingsbekämpfung im Garten

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B1 German listening practice · German · Picked for people who know some

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ein wahres Festmahl
Everyday phrase for "a real treat"
“A true feast” — something so plentiful or tasty it feels like a celebration.

In the clip, the speaker lets young partridges loose in a garden full of termites and says, “Doch für diese Rebhühner sind die Termiten ein wahres Festmahl” — for these birds, the termites are a true feast. A “Festmahl” is a feast, and “wahr” here means real or genuine, not factually true. It adds feeling: the food is so plentiful it feels like a party. Germans use this phrase for a meal or treat that feels rich and special.

Spoken line: “Doch für diese Rebhühner sind die Termiten ein wahres Festmahl.” — “But for these partridges, the termites are a true feast.” “Wahr” here does not mean true as in factual. It means real or genuine, and it adds emphasis — like saying “an absolute feast.” You will hear the same pattern with other nouns: • “Das war ein wahres Vergnügen.” — “That was a real pleasure.” • “Der Garten ist ein wahres Paradies.” — “The garden is a real paradise.” • “Das Konzert war ein wahres Erlebnis.” — “The concert was a real experience.” Note: “Festmahl” itself already means a big, special meal. Adding “wahr(es)” makes it warmer and stronger. It can be sincere or lightly playful, as it is here — the “guests” are just birds eating insects.

How common are the words?

How common are the words in this B1 German listening practice video?

86.5%
of words are in the top 2,000 most common German words
Most of the words in this video are common German words.

How common in written German

76.8%
Top 1,000
86.5%
Top 2,000
96.1%
Top 5,000

How common in spoken German

79.5%
Top 1,000
92.4%
Top 2,000
100%
Top 5,000
👄 Words for talking
This video uses words people often say in German.

Harder words in this video

These words are harder than B1. Here is what they mean.

rebhühner
4×
Not in top 5,000
partridges (plural)
termiten
3×
Not in top 5,000
termites
aufzuziehen
1×
Not in top 5,000
pull up, raise
ausgehöhlt
1×
Not in top 5,000
hollowed out
ausgewachsene
1×
Not in top 5,000
fully grown, mature, fully-fledged

Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-DE 2011 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.

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