Two colleagues are looking for some important paperwork in their boss’s office:
„Karen, can you remember where Mrs. Simson left that contract I asked you about?“
„I thought she left it on her windowsill…but I’ve got a gut feeling (Bauchgefühl) that she just took it with her by accident.“
Karen could have also said, „…but my gut tells me that she just took…“
The word gut means Bauch or Wampe in German. When we’ve got a gut feeling, we mean that we have a strong but irrational feeling that something is the way it is. We can’t logically explain why (using our head) or how we feel about it (using our hearts)- but the feeling is undeniable (unverkennbar), just like when you’re hungry and your gut is telling you to eat!
Often in English class, my learners won’t be able to explain why they used a certain grammar form or vocab term, but they have answered correctly thanks to their gut feeling. Research has even shown that making decisions based on what your gut tells you will often lead to more desirable outcomes!
Also important: when you’re describing your Bauchgefühl in English, be careful to only use the singular form. The plural form of the word, guts, has a much bloodier meaning: we use this slang term to mean Darm, Innereien, or Eingeweide. So watch out!