Which one should you use?
If you want to express disbelief without the vulgarity of verarschen, you can use the much softer, idiomatic expression Willst du mich auf den Arm nehmen?, which means "Are you pulling my leg?" For formal settings, use Scherzen Sie? to mean "Are you kidding?" or Sie machen Witze, oder? to mean "Are you joking, or?" In informal situations where you want to convey surprise, you can also use Meinst du das ernst?, meaning "Do you mean that seriously?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Willst du mich verarschen? is highly informal and can be perceived as aggressive or rude depending on your tone. For more polite or professional settings, use Scherzen Sie? or Sie machen Witze, oder? Meinst du das ernst? is an informal way to express surprise.
Did you know?
- The softer phrase auf den Arm nehmen likely originates from the act of picking up a child to distract or tease them.
- The word du in Willst du mich verarschen? is a direct linguistic relative of the archaic English word 'thou'.
- While verarschen is considered rude, it is frequently used among close friends in Germany as a sign of camaraderie and irony.
Examples in context
- Scherzen Sie? Das ist unglaublich!Are you kidding? That's unbelievable!
- Sag das nicht, willst du mich verarschen?Don't say that, are you kidding me?
Example conversation
Felix tells Sarah that he accidentally deleted her project.
- SarahWas hast du getan?What did you do?
- FelixIch habe dein Projekt gelöscht.I deleted your project.
- SarahWillst du mich verarschen?Are you kidding me?
- FelixNein, es tut mir leid!No, I am sorry!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries du, mich, verarschen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
