How do you say “A brain fart” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is einen Aussetzer haben, which literally means “to have a brief lapse”. English speakers use a brain fart to mean a brief lapse in memory, attention or judgement. A natural German way to describe a momentary mental slip. It drops the crude joke. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
einen Aussetzer haben
/aɪnən ˈaʊszɛtsɐ ˈhaːbn̩/
- Literal meaning
- “to have a brief lapse”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
88 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
“Ich hatte einen Aussetzer” can explain a moment of inattention or confusion. The surrounding sentence tells the listener what went wrong.
It does not by itself mean a ridiculous idea. For that English sense, name the bad idea directly rather than suggesting a memory lapse.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone3 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
I had a brain fart and forgot my own postcode at the counter.
German
Ich hatte einen Aussetzer und habe am Schalter meine eigene Postleitzahl vergessen.
English
Sorry, I had a brain fart and added the same number twice.
German
Entschuldige, ich hatte einen Aussetzer und habe dieselbe Zahl zweimal addiert.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-10-01