Why do I need to know das Klumpert?
Das Klumpert is a very Austrian word for junk, rubbish, useless stuff or badly made things.
You might hear it when someone is clearing out a cellar, complaining about a broken appliance, looking at a drawer full of old cables, or dealing with something that feels cheap, annoying or pointless.
It’s a good word for everyday Austrian life because people use it for all kinds of objects: old furniture, plastic bits and pieces, broken electronics, paperwork, tools, cheap souvenirs, or anything that seems to be cluttering up the flat.
It’s informal and slightly dismissive, so it’s best kept for casual conversation. You probably wouldn’t use it in a polite email to a landlord, but you might say it to a friend while carrying another mystery box down to der Keller, the cellar.
What does it mean?
Das Klumpert means junk, rubbish, clutter, useless stuff or poor-quality goods.
The word is neuter: das Klumpert. It often works as a collective noun, meaning it can refer to a pile of things rather than one single object.
In more standard German, you might use der Krempel, meaning junk or clutter, das Zeug, meaning stuff, or der Schrott, meaning scrap or rubbish. Das Klumpert has a more Austrian flavour and often sounds more expressive.
The tone matters. If someone says Das ist ein Klumpert, they usually mean “That’s a piece of junk” or “That’s useless”. If they say Räum das Klumpert weg, they mean “Clear away all that junk”.
You may also hear it in complaints about something that doesn’t work properly: Das ganze Klumpert funktioniert nicht, meaning “None of this rubbish works”.
Because it’s colloquial, it can sound funny, annoyed or grumpy depending on how it’s said. In the right tone, it’s almost affectionate. In the wrong tone, it can sound rude.
Use it like this:
Was ist das ganze Klumpert im Vorzimmer?
What’s all this junk in the hallway?
Der alte Drucker ist ein Klumpert.
The old printer is a piece of junk.
Ich muss am Wochenende endlich das Klumpert im Keller ausmisten.
I really need to clear out the junk in the cellar at the weekend.
Das billige Ladekabel ist komplettes Klumpert.
That cheap charging cable is complete rubbish.
If you live in Austria, das Klumpert is the kind of word that becomes useful the moment something breaks, clutters up your flat, or turns out to be much worse than advertised.
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