The 75 Most Famous German Proverbs and their Meaning

We review the best popular expressions and sayings in German.

The German people are perhaps one of the oldest in Europe, being the current descendants of the so-called Germanic tribes.

Like all great peoples, the Germanic tribes were able to pass on important information across the generations through proverbs. Proverbs are a source of wisdom of great importance for a given ancient society to prosper over time. to prosper over time.

The best German proverbs

Would you like to know the most interesting German proverbs?

Below you will find a small selection of the 75 most famous German proverbs, many of them can be very useful to you.Many of them can be very useful in our daily life.

1. Aller guten Dinge sind drei. All good things come in threes.

Good news always comes together, when we are on a roll it seems like everything works out for us.

2. Alter geht vor Schönheit. Age before beauty.

In time we all grow older. Old age always catches up with us.

3. Auch ein blindes Huhn findet mal ein Korn. Even a blind hen sometimes finds a kernel of corn.

Everyone can get lucky at one time or another.

4. Aus den Augen, aus dem Sinn. Out of sight, out of mind.

Eyes that do not see, Heart that does not feel.

5. Besser spät als nie. Better late than never.

It is better to get something in the long run than never to get it at all.

6. Die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt. Hope dies in the end.

Hope is the last thing to be lost.

7. Ehrlich währt am längsten. Honesty is the best policy.

We must be honest in life.

8. Ein Unglück kommt selten allein. Misfortunes never come alone.

Indeed, misfortunes seem to come all at once.

9. Eine Schwalbe macht noch keinen Sommer. One swallow does not make a summer.

A small hint does not necessarily ensure victory.

10. Einen alten Baum verpflanzt man nicht. You don't transplant an old tree.

When we are old we should look for tranquility in our life.

11. Einen schönen Menschen entstellt nichts: Nothing disfigures a beautiful person.

If we have the right values, we will always be good people.

12. Einsicht ist der erste Weg zur Besserung. Insight is the first road to recovery.

Knowing how to prevent can help us to make a bad future less bad.

13. Es gibt nichts Gutes, außer man tut es. There is nothing good unless you do it.

If we don't get to work, we will never achieve our goal.

14. Es ist noch kein Meister vom Himmel gefallen. No master has fallen from the sky.

Great achievements do not come out of nowhere.

15. Geben ist seliger denn Nehmen. Giving is happier than receiving.

It is better to give than to receive, the act of giving reveals us as good people.

16. Gelegenheit macht Die Be. Opportunity makes thieves.

If we give the opportunity to be cheated, sooner or later we will be robbed.

17. Getroffene Hunde bellen. Dogs that bite, do not bark.

Beware of the one who keeps silent, the one who seems least likely to betray us.

18. Gut Ding will Weile haben. Good things take time.

To get something valuable, we must be patient.

19. Hunde die bellen beißen nicht. Barking dogs do not bite.

He who talks a lot may not really have the courage to do anything.

20. In der Ruhe liegt die Kraft. In rest lies strength.

Knowing how to rest will allow us to be much more effective at work.

21. Keine Antwort ist auch eine Antwort. No answer is an answer.

Nothing we can say will clarify anything on this subject.

22. Kommt Zeit, kommt Rat. Time will tell.

In the course of time we will see how events unfold.

23. Lange Rede, kurzer Sinn. Long story short.

Something that has been a long time coming.

24. Liebe geht durch den Magen. Love is in the stomach.

Knowing how to cook can help us fall in love with the person we love.

25. Lügen haben kurze Beine. Lies don't travel far.

As we would say in Spain: "lies have very short legs".

26. Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben. You shouldn't count your chickens before they hatch.

We should not get ahead of ourselves.

27. Mit Speck fängt man Mäuse. You can catch mice with bacon.

By setting a trap we can surprise our prey.

28. Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund. The early bird catches the worm.

The early bird catches the worm, early rising is a good habit.

29. Not macht erfinderisch. Necessity is the mother of invention.

When we need something urgently, we sharpen our wits.

30. Ordnung ist das halbe Leben. Order is half the battle.

Preparation will enable us to reach our goal.

31. Probieren geht über studieren. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

That which we like will happen in due time.

32. Reisende soll man nicht aufhalten. Never stop travelers.

We must not meddle in other people's affairs.

33. Steter Tropfen höhlt den Stein. The constant dripping carries the stone.

Something insignificant, but which happens many times, can make a big change in the long run.

34. Totgesagte leben länger. The dead live longer.

Only death has no solution, we must make the most of our life.

35. Übermut tut selten gut. Exuberance is seldom good.

Something that looks very good may not actually be very good.

36. Unkraut vergeht nicht. Weeds never die.

A proverb that is also widely used in Spanish-speaking countries.

Vater werden ist nicht schwer, Vater sein dagegen sehr. It is not difficult to be a father, but it is very difficult to be a father.

Having a child is not complicated, but really being a father is.

Von nichts kommt nichts: You can't make something out of nothing.

Possessing a good foundation will allow us to go further in life.

Vorsicht ist die Mutter der Porzellankiste. Caution is the mother of the porcelain box.

In order to be successful we must be very careful with what we do.

40. Was Hänschen nicht lernt, lernt Hans nimmer mehr. What an old dog never learns, a new dog never learns.

If someone with a lot of experience has not been able to do something, it is very likely that no one else can do it.

41. Was sich neckt, das liebt sich. What you mock, you love.

Many of us hide our feelings for other people.

42. Wer A sagt muss auch B sagen. You must learn to say A and B.

We must learn to appreciate the opinion of others.

43. Wer den Pfennig nicht ehrt, ist des Talers nicht wert. He who does not honor the penny is not worth the pound.

If someone really values something, he will value even the smallest aspect of it.

44. Wer im Glashaus sitzt, sollte nicht mit Steinen werfen. A man in a greenhouse should not throw stones.

Caution is essential in life. We should not engage in acts that could pose a risk.

45. Wer nicht wagt, der nicht gewinnt. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

In order to achieve great goals, we must give our all. If we do not risk, we will not achieve our goal.

46. Whoever wants to be beautiful must suffer. He who wants to be beautiful must suffer.

To be able to get a beautiful body, it takes a lot of effort on our part.

47. Whoever laughs last, laughs best. He who laughs last, laughs loudest.

We should not anticipate events, for life can always take an unexpected turn.

Wie der Vater, so der Sohn. Like father, like son.

Our descendants will always be, in part, similar to us.

Wo ein Wille ist, ist auch ein Weg. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Death is the true end, after it there is nothing else.

50. Zeit heilt alle Wunden. Time heals all wounds.

After sufficient time has passed we learn to live with our past mistakes.

51. Wo gehobelt wird, da fallen Späne. Where there is wood to be made, there are splinters to be made.

From a great labor, smaller ones can also arise.

52. Wie man in den Wald hinein ruft, so schallt es heraus. As one cries in the forest, so it echoes.

What we show to others influences them all. We should be cautious in showing our thoughts and emotions.

53. Wer zu spät kommt, den bestraft das Leben. Whoever is late will be punished by life.

Unpunctuality is something the Germans have always detested.

54. Wer zuerst kommt, mahlt zuerst. First come, first served.

He who arrives first at a certain goal, gets the best part.

55. Wer nicht will, der hat schon. If you don't want to, you have already done it.

If we do not want to do something from the heart, we will not be able to achieve it.

56. Wer nicht kommt zur rechten Zeit, der muss seh'n was übrig bleibt. He who does not arrive on time, must see what remains.

If you are late you will only get the leftovers. We must be punctual in our social life.

57. Wer einmal lügt dem glaubt man nicht und wenn er auch die Wahrheit spricht. A liar is not believed even when he tells the truth.

If people think we are unreliable, they will never believe in us. We should not use lies, because in the long run it will be counterproductive.

58. Whoever digs a grave digs himself into it, falls into it himself. He who digs a pit, falls into it himself.

If we do evil in our life, in the end it will be harmful to us as well. We must always act positively towards others.

59. Wenn das Wörtchen "wenn" nicht wär, wär mein Vater Millionär. If it weren't for the word "yes," my father would be a millionaire.

Knowing how to say no in life can save us a lot of trouble.

60. Was ich denk und tu, trau ich andern zu. What I think and what I believe others do.

Our personal opinion may not be the truth, we must know how to differentiate between the two.

61. Was Du heute kannst besorgen das verschiebe nicht auf Morgen. What you can do today cannot be postponed until tomorrow.

Let us seize the day, for tomorrow we may not be able to do it.

62. Vorfreude ist die schönste Freude. Anticipation is the greatest joy.

If we can anticipate something, we will be much more decisive. Being able to anticipate something will always be good for us.

63. Voller Bauch studiert nicht gern. A full belly does not like to study.

He who has all his needs covered, does not need to work.

64. Unter Blinden ist der einäugige König. Among the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

He who is one step ahead of the others will always be the one who benefits the most.

65. Übung macht den Meister. Practice makes perfect.

Through practice we will become better at our craft.

66. Trau, schau wem! Trau, look who's here!

Speaking of the king of Rome, an expression that we Spanish speakers also use frequently.

67. Stille Wasser sind tief. Still waters run deep.

He who does not show his feelings may possess a great inner world. We must beware of those people who do not show their feelings.

68. Aus Schaden wird man klug. We learn from our mistakes.

Our mistakes teach us the right path to take in life.

69. Reden ist Silber, Schweigen ist Gold. Talk is silver, silence is gold.

If we do not have something interesting to say, it is better not to speak out.

70. Pech in der Liebe, Glück im Spiel. Unlucky in love, lucky in cards.

He who is unlucky in love may be lucky in gambling.

71. Ohne Fleiß kein Preis. No pain, no gain.

In order to achieve great goals, we must strive to the utmost.

72. Nach dem Essen sollst du ruhn oder tausend Schritte tun. After supper, you must either rest or take a thousand steps.

We must choose one side or the other, we must not be half-hearted.

73. Morgen, Morgen nur nicht heute sagen alle faulen Leute. Tomorrow, tomorrow not today, all lazy people say.

He who leaves things undone is undoubtedly a lazy person. We must do today as much as we can, Let us seize the moment!

74. Messer, Gabel, Schere, Licht sind für kleine Kinder nicht. Knife, fork, scissors are not for small children.

We must be careful with the smallest of the house, because they could get hurt.

75. Man muss die Feste feiern, wie sie fallen. You must celebrate the feast as it falls.

We must do something while it is still possible, tomorrow may be too late.