For years it seemed destined to remain a relic of the early 2000s. Now it’s back on German streets, confusing parents, delighting fashion brands and giving language learners one more unexpected word to master.
What does Saggen mean?
The slang verb saggen refers to wearing trousers so low on the hips that your underwear is visible, a look better known in English as “sagging”.
Think baggy jeans hanging halfway down the backside, often requiring regular adjustments to prevent a wardrobe malfunction.
The word comes from the English verb “to sag”. It’s one of countless English terms that have found a second life in German, particularly through music, fashion and youth culture.
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While you’re unlikely to hear saggen in a business meeting or encounter it in Goethe, it appears regularly in discussions of street fashion, hip-hop culture and teenage style.
Why do I need to know Saggen?
Against all odds, Saggen is back.
Last seen stalking German shopping streets sometime around the era of MySpace profiles, flip phones and low-resolution digital cameras, thousands of teenage boys across Germany are now embracing the trend with remarkable confidence.
For language learners, Saggen is a bargain. You’re not just learning German vocabulary but also gaining useful insight into contemporary youth culture.
As for why the trend is returning now, perhaps it’s nostalgia. Perhaps it’s rebellion. Or perhaps young people just enjoy forcing older generations to ask, “Wouldn’t you feel more comfortable wearing a belt?”
Use it like this:
Warum saggt er seine Jeans immer so weit unten, dass man seine Boxershorts sieht?
Why does he always wear his jeans so low that you can see his boxer shorts?
In den 2000ern haben gefühlt alle Skater ihre Hosen gesaggt.
In the 2000s, it felt like every skater wore their trousers low.
Er hat seine Jeans so extrem gesaggt, dass sie fast auf den Knien hing.
He sagged his jeans so much they were almost hanging round his knees.
Meine Mutter versteht nicht, warum so viele Jugendliche heutzutage saggen.
My mother doesn’t understand why so many teenagers sag their trousers nowadays.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: thelocal.de
