abgezockt
The English phrase 'ripped off' is translated into German as abgezockt.
abgezockt is used to describe someone who has been cheated or tricked into paying too much money for something. While abgezockt functions as an adjective or participle to describe the state of being swindled, you can also use the noun eine Abzocke to describe the actual act or the situation itself, such as saying 'That was a rip-off'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
abgezockt is a colloquial term and should be avoided in formal writing or professional business contexts. Another informal way to express being tricked is the phrase übers Ohr gehauen werden, which means 'to be hoodwinked'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that one 'got' ripped off in the passive voice, German uses the auxiliary verb werden (to become) instead of haben (to have). For example, you would say abgezockt werden rather than using a form of 'to have'.
Did you know?
- The word abgezockt comes from the verb zocken, which originally referred to gambling or playing games of chance. To be 'ripped off' is linguistically framed as having lost a game of chance to a cheat.
- If you use the phrase übers Ohr gehauen werden, you are literally saying you were 'hit over the ear'.
- German has a specific distinction between betrügen for general betrayal or fraud and abzocken for specifically extracting too much money. You can betrügen a spouse, but you would only abzocken a customer.
Examples in context
- Ich bin abgezockt worden.I got ripped off.This sentence shows how to use abgezockt to say you were ripped off.Tatoeba #8317281 by Luiaard, translation #5768971 by Hybrid
- Ich bin schon wieder abgezockt worden.I got ripped off again.This sentence shows how to say you were ripped off once again using abgezockt.Tatoeba #12688159 by Waldelfe, translation #9180369 by CK
- Ich wurde beim Kauf dieses Gebrauchtwagens total abgezockt.I got totally ripped off when buying this used car.
- Die Werkstatt hat mich bei der Reparatur des Fahrrads übers Ohr gehauen.The bicycle workshop totally hoodwinked me during the repair.
- Ich habe das Gefühl, bei diesem Vertrag abgezogen zu werden.I feel like I'm being conned with this contract.
Example conversation
Felix and Hannah are discussing a cheap souvenir Felix bought.
- FelixSchau mal, was ich hier gekauft habe.Look what I bought here.
- HannahDas sieht billig aus, hast du zu viel bezahlt?That looks cheap, did you pay too much?
- FelixJa, ich glaube, ich wurde total abgezockt.Yes, I think I got totally ripped off.
- HannahDas glaube ich sofort, Felix.I believe that immediately, Felix.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
