Unser Familienwochenende in Salzburg

What does “Schlange” mean in German?

In Salzburg the family skips going inside Mozart’s birthplace “weil die Schlange zu lang war” — because the snake was too long. Die Schlange is German’s word for both a snake and a queue of people: a waiting line winds like one. Schlange stehen — literally “to stand snake” — is the everyday phrase for queueing.

You’ll meet the word at every sight in Europe: eine lange Schlange vor dem Museum, an der Kasse. The matching verb is sich anstellen, to join the line. In the clip the family opts out and buys Mozartkugeln instead — proof that in Salzburg, chocolate reliably beats queueing.