German · Joy & 'Hell Yes'
Ich hab voll Bock!
ikh HAHP foll BOK · /ɪç haːp fɔl bɔk/
I'm totally up for it! / I really fancy it!
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"I have full billy-goat"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
"Bock haben" — to have "billy-goat" — means to be keen, and it's everywhere. "Ich hab Bock auf Pizza" (I fancy pizza); "null Bock" (zero goat) is the classic slacker's "can't be bothered," a defining 80s youth phrase that never left. Clean, current, endlessly handy.
Heard in the wild
Kino heute Abend? — Ja, voll Bock!
Cinema tonight? — Yeah, totally up for it!
Where it lands
Germany — universal, very current
Quick answers
- What does "Ich hab voll Bock!" mean?
- In German, "Ich hab voll Bock!" means "I'm totally up for it! / I really fancy it!". Literally it's "I have full billy-goat". "Bock haben" — to have "billy-goat" — means to be keen, and it's everywhere. "Ich hab Bock auf Pizza" (I fancy pizza); "null Bock" (zero goat) is the classic slacker's "can't be bothered," a defining 80s youth phrase that never left. Clean, current, endlessly handy.
- Is "Ich hab voll Bock!" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "Ich hab voll Bock!"?
- Say it "ikh HAHP foll BOK" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ɪç haːp fɔl bɔk.
Related in German
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Hell yes".
- French Ça déchire ! That rocks! / That's awesome!
- Greek ώπα Oops! / Hey, watch it! / Let's go! — NOT mainly the plate-smashing tourist cheer.
- Italian Grande! Nice one! / You legend! / Way to go!
- Japanese やった Yes! / I did it! / We won!
- Korean 아싸! Yes! / score! — the fist-pump syllables.
- Polish zajebisty Fucking awesome / badass — the great slang-POSITIVE of the jebać family.
- Portuguese Que massa! How cool! / Awesome!
- Russian Офигенно! Freaking awesome! / Amazing!
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.