5 words and phrases for 2026

 With credits to the first 3 months of my Erasmus year in Greece, here is my selection of the top 5 words and phrases you should definitely make use of in the New Year. 

1. Das crazy 

Voted one of the top slang phrases of the year in Germany, I can’t help but giggle at its Anglicism! In my quest to learn German to be able to communicate better with the other Erasmus students, its simplicity and familiarity is appealing and refreshing to say least. The exoticism of ‘das’ is something I advise every Britton to learn to distinguish themselves from the other. 

2. Sauce 

This is a key word used and abused by every Greek professor under the sun. What does it mean exactly in this context? Sauce: the flavour, the moisture, the key element! It can be used to define any piece of important information. Whilst, like ‘crazy’, this is a word we use regularly, it is essential in this instance to ignore its usual pronunciation and to embrace our inner Greek… ‘shos’.

3. Crash out 

The ideal phrase to exclaim when feeling stressed, frustrated, disappointed, embarrassed etc. It is quite frankly an expression for every occasion. Most typically what follows, from my experience, is a long rant about something or someone. But, it can also be used as a short but sufficient response to someone’s discomfort. 

4. Joder 

This is a Spanish phrase which I believe does the feelings of anger and disappointment justice, more so than the English exclamation ‘damnit!’. I’ve always said that what’s great about knowing foreign phrases is that you can speak cryptically in a way which is misunderstood by others. When you’re feeling a bit flustered and have the need to rage, why utilise traditional British curses when ‘joder’ says it all in one concise, ambiguous word. 

5. Koupes (κούπες)

When the clock strikes twelve on the 31st December and the world cries out ‘happy New Year!’, I suggest you take a leaf out of the book of the youths of Greece by cheers-ing to ‘koupes’. Directly translated as ‘mugs’, it is a traditional expression which is a more poetic version of ‘down it!’ or ‘chug!’.