Was ist der Unterschied zwischen einem Sprichwort und einer Redewendung?

Ein Sprichwort ist ein vollständiger Satz mit einer Lebensweisheit, etwa „Practice makes perfect“. Eine Redewendung ist ein fester Ausdruck mit übertragener Bedeutung, der in einen Satz eingebaut wird, etwa „to break the ice“.

Wie sagt man „Da liegt der Hund begraben“ auf Englisch?

„That’s the crux of the matter.“ Die wörtliche Übersetzung „There lies the dog buried“ verstehen englische Muttersprachler nicht.

Was bedeutet „Break a leg“?

Es ist ein Glückwunsch vor einem Auftritt, vergleichbar mit „Hals- und Beinbruch“. Wörtlich genommen wäre es das Gegenteil eines guten Wunsches.

Sollte man Redewendungen in geschäftlichen E-Mails verwenden?

Sparsam. Ausdrücke wie „keep someone in the loop“ oder „on the same page“ sind im Geschäftsalltag üblich. In formellen Schreiben und gegenüber Lesern, die Englisch nicht als Muttersprache sprechen, ist eine einfache Formulierung meist verständlicher.

Wie übersetzt man Redewendungen in Werbetexten?

Nicht wörtlich. Übersetzer suchen eine Entsprechung in der Zielsprache, umschreiben die Bedeutung oder formulieren den Text für den Zielmarkt neu. Letzteres heißt Transkreation und ist bei Slogans und Wortspielen üblich.

Guide · Business English

English proverbs and idioms with their meanings and German equivalents

Well-known English proverbs, everyday and business English idioms, plus German idioms you should never translate literally. For quick reference, each with its meaning.

76 proverbs and idioms
Updated 16 October 2026

In short

A proverb is a complete sentence that sums up a piece of wisdom. An idiom is a fixed expression with a figurative meaning that you build into a sentence.
Many English proverbs have a German equivalent, but rarely a literal one: “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch” becomes “Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben” (don’t praise the day before the evening).
Translating German idioms word for word into English almost always causes confusion.
In business English, idioms such as “keep someone in the loop” are part of everyday work, but use them sparingly in formal texts.
In advertising copy, idioms aren’t translated. They are rewritten for the target market.

Proverb or idiom: the difference

A proverb is a complete sentence that expresses a general truth, such as “Practice makes perfect”. An idiom is a fixed expression whose meaning can’t be worked out from the individual words, such as “to break the ice” (in German, “das Eis brechen”). Idioms are built into your own sentences. Proverbs stand on their own.

Both have grown out of their culture. Some images exist in both languages, such as “to get cold feet” and “kalte Füße bekommen”. Many others use a completely different image in German or have no equivalent at all. The tables below show both.

Well-known English proverbs and their German equivalents

The table shows 22 common English proverbs with their German equivalent rather than a literal translation. Where there is no fixed equivalent, the table says so.

English	German equivalent	Meaning
Actions speak louder than words.	Taten sagen mehr als Worte.	What someone does counts for more than what they promise.
The early bird catches the worm.	Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund.	Starting early gives you an advantage.
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.	Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben.	Don’t rely on a success before it has happened.
Every cloud has a silver lining.	Jedes Unglück hat auch sein Gutes.	Even a bad situation has a good side.
The grass is always greener on the other side.	Die Kirschen in Nachbars Garten schmecken immer süßer.	What other people have often seems better than what you have.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.	Andere Länder, andere Sitten.	Adapt to the local customs.
Birds of a feather flock together.	Gleich und gleich gesellt sich gern.	Similar people are drawn to each other.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.	Nicht alles auf eine Karte setzen.	Spread the risk.
There’s no use crying over spilt milk.	Geschehen ist geschehen.	There’s no point getting upset about what can’t be changed.
Don’t judge a book by its cover.	Der Schein trügt.	Don’t judge by first impressions.
People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.	Wer im Glashaus sitzt, sollte nicht mit Steinen werfen.	If you have faults yourself, don’t criticise others.
It takes two to tango.	Dazu gehören immer zwei.	In a conflict, both sides usually play a part.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.	Der Apfel fällt nicht weit vom Stamm.	Children take after their parents.
Like father, like son.	Wie der Vater, so der Sohn.	A son takes after his father.
All that glitters is not gold.	Es ist nicht alles Gold, was glänzt.	Appearances can be deceptive.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.	Viele Köche verderben den Brei.	When too many people are involved, the result suffers.
Rome wasn’t built in a day.	Rom wurde nicht an einem Tag erbaut.	Big projects take time.
Two heads are better than one.	Vier Augen sehen mehr als zwei.	Working together leads to better solutions.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.	Wo ein Wille ist, ist auch ein Weg.	With determination, almost anything is possible.
Practice makes perfect.	Übung macht den Meister.	Skill comes from repetition.
Better late than never.	Besser spät als nie.	Late is better than not at all.
A watched pot never boils.	No fixed equivalent	Time passes more slowly when you wait impatiently.

Common English idioms and their German equivalents

You’ll come across these 20 idioms again and again in conversations, emails and TV series. On the left is the English expression, on the right the matching German idiom or a German paraphrase.

English	German
Break a leg!	Hals- und Beinbruch! (to wish someone luck before a performance)
It’s a piece of cake.	Das ist ein Kinderspiel.
to bite the bullet	in den sauren Apfel beißen
to hit the nail on the head	den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen
to break the ice	das Eis brechen
to beat around the bush	um den heißen Brei herumreden
The ball is in your court.	Jetzt sind Sie am Zug.
to cost an arm and a leg	ein Vermögen kosten
once in a blue moon	alle Jubeljahre
to feel under the weather	sich nicht ganz fit fühlen
to let the cat out of the bag	die Katze aus dem Sack lassen
to spill the beans	etwas ausplaudern
to pull someone’s leg	jemanden auf den Arm nehmen
the elephant in the room	das Problem, das alle sehen, aber niemand anspricht
It’s not rocket science.	Das ist keine Hexerei.
to sit on the fence	sich nicht festlegen wollen
to call it a day	für heute Schluss machen
to get cold feet	kalte Füße bekommen
A penny for your thoughts?	Woran denken Sie gerade?
to give someone the cold shoulder	jemandem die kalte Schulter zeigen

Idioms in business English

Meetings and business emails have their own set of idioms. Most of them are informal in tone. The Note column shows where they fit and which ones are considered overused.

Idiom	In German	Note
to touch base	sich kurz abstimmen	Informal, common in emails and meetings
to circle back	später auf ein Thema zurückkommen	Seen by many as a cliché
a ballpark figure	eine grobe Schätzung	From baseball, mainly American
to be on the same page	denselben Stand haben, sich einig sein	Neutral, very common
to keep someone in the loop	jemanden auf dem Laufenden halten	Neutral, fine in formal emails too
to get the ball rolling	etwas in Gang bringen	Informal
back to square one	zurück auf Anfang	Neutral
low-hanging fruit	schnell erreichbare Erfolge	Common, a little overused
to cut corners	an der falschen Stelle sparen	Always negative
to move the goalposts	die Regeln nachträglich ändern	Critical, often said about clients or managers
to bring something to the table	etwas einbringen	Neutral, used in negotiations
Let’s take this offline.	Lassen Sie uns das außerhalb des Meetings besprechen.	A polite way to put a topic aside for later
a win-win situation	eine Lösung, von der beide Seiten profitieren	Neutral
to think outside the box	unkonventionell denken	Considered overused

You’ll find more phrases for everyday business in our guides to writing emails in English and telephoning in English.

German idioms you shouldn’t translate literally

Translate a German idiom word for word into English and you either won’t be understood or you’ll raise a smile. The table shows 20 classics with the literal translation and the English equivalent.

It also works the other way round: if a German colleague tells you something is “not my beer”, the last column shows what they meant.

German	Literal, but wrong	Correct English
Das ist nicht mein Bier.	That’s not my beer.	That’s not my problem.
Darauf kann man Gift nehmen.	You can take poison on it.	You can bet your life on it.
Das ist ein Katzensprung.	That’s a cat’s jump.	It’s a stone’s throw away.
Jetzt haben wir den Salat.	Now we have the salad.	Now we’re in a pickle.
Die Kirche im Dorf lassen.	Leave the church in the village.	Let’s not get carried away.
Tomaten auf den Augen haben.	to have tomatoes on your eyes	not to see what’s right in front of you
Da liegt der Hund begraben.	There lies the dog buried.	That’s the crux of the matter.
Nicht alle Tassen im Schrank haben.	not to have all cups in the cupboard	not to be playing with a full deck
Die Suppe auslöffeln.	to spoon out the soup	to face the music
Das ist ein Schuss in den Ofen.	That’s a shot in the oven.	That was a complete flop.
Einen Vogel haben.	to have a bird	to be out of one’s mind
Wer rastet, der rostet.	Who rests, rusts.	Use it or lose it.
Die Kuh vom Eis holen.	to get the cow off the ice	to defuse the situation
Das ist kein Zuckerschlecken.	That’s no sugar licking.	It’s no picnic.
Eine Extrawurst wollen.	to want an extra sausage	to expect special treatment
Da beißt die Maus keinen Faden ab.	The mouse doesn’t bite off a thread.	There’s no getting around it.
Ins Gras beißen.	to bite into the grass	to bite the dust
Ein Brett vor dem Kopf haben.	to have a board in front of the head	to be slow on the uptake
Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof.	I only understand train station.	It’s all Greek to me.
Das ist mir Wurst.	That’s sausage to me.	I couldn’t care less.

Translating idioms: how specialist translators approach it

Specialist translators have three options: choose an idiom in the target language with the same meaning, paraphrase the meaning without the image or rewrite the text for the target market. Which one fits depends on the type of text.

In contracts and technical texts, the meaning is paraphrased, because clarity comes before imagery. In press releases and corporate communications, translators choose a matching idiom in the target language if there is one. In slogans, campaigns and wordplay, the text is rewritten for the target market. This is called transcreation.

Machine translation often renders idioms literally. Texts with a lot of idioms should therefore be checked by a professional, for example through post-editing. You’ll find more about advertising copy on our marketing translations page.

FAQ

What is the difference between a proverb and an idiom?

A proverb is a complete sentence that sums up a piece of wisdom, such as “Practice makes perfect”. An idiom is a fixed expression with a figurative meaning that is built into a sentence, such as “to break the ice”.

How do you say “Da liegt der Hund begraben” in English?

“That’s the crux of the matter.” Native English speakers won’t understand the literal translation “There lies the dog buried”.

What does “Break a leg” mean?

It’s a way of wishing someone luck before a performance, much like the German “Hals- und Beinbruch”. Taken literally, it would be the opposite of a good wish.

Should you use idioms in business emails?

Sparingly. Expressions such as “keep someone in the loop” or “on the same page” are common in everyday business. In formal letters and with readers who don’t speak English as their first language, plain wording is usually easier to understand.

How do you translate idioms in advertising copy?

Not literally. Translators look for an equivalent in the target language, paraphrase the meaning or rewrite the text for the target market. The last of these is called transcreation and is common for slogans and wordplay.

Terms on this page

Idiom: A fixed expression whose meaning can’t be worked out from the individual words. In German: Redewendung.
Proverb: A complete sentence that expresses a general experience or piece of wisdom. In German: Sprichwort.
Transcreation: Rewriting a text for the target market so that it has the same effect, common for slogans and wordplay.