German word of the day: Hinkriegen
Faced with a huge pile of work? Struggling to find a new apartment? Preparing for that all important football match? Today’s word of the day could give you the motivation you need.
You may well be familiar with three very famous words spoken by German Chancellor Angela Merkel: Wir schaffen das (we can do this).
There is, however, a more colloquial verb with the same meaning. While schaffen may be more fitting for a press conference or business meeting, hinkriegen can be used if you want to spur on friends and loved ones.
Hinkriegen, which translates as ‘to manage’, refers to someone using their know-how or general competence to overcome a hurdle or achieve something.
READ ALSO: The complete A-Z guide to German prefixes and what they mean
The term is made up of kriegen, a colloquial verb meaning ‘to get’, and hin, an adverb generally connoting movement toward another location. An English equivalent would be ‘to get there’, which also has the same meaning as hinkriegen (ie. ‘to manage’).
Don’t be surprised if you hear it at the doctor’s office or the car repair shop, too. It can also take on the meaning of fixing something that has gone wrong, especially when used in the context of healing or repairing.
Regardless of where you decide to use it, try to incorporate this versatile verb into your German vocabulary!
Example sentences:
Nur Mut! Du kriegst das schon hin!
Don’t lose heart! You’ll get there soon!
Er hat sich das Bein gebrochen. Aber das kriegen wir schon wieder hin!
He’s broken his leg. But we can fix that up in no time!
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You may well be familiar with three very famous words spoken by German Chancellor Angela Merkel: Wir schaffen das (we can do this).
There is, however, a more colloquial verb with the same meaning. While schaffen may be more fitting for a press conference or business meeting, hinkriegen can be used if you want to spur on friends and loved ones.
Hinkriegen, which translates as ‘to manage’, refers to someone using their know-how or general competence to overcome a hurdle or achieve something.
READ ALSO: The complete A-Z guide to German prefixes and what they mean
The term is made up of kriegen, a colloquial verb meaning ‘to get’, and hin, an adverb generally connoting movement toward another location. An English equivalent would be ‘to get there’, which also has the same meaning as hinkriegen (ie. ‘to manage’).
Don’t be surprised if you hear it at the doctor’s office or the car repair shop, too. It can also take on the meaning of fixing something that has gone wrong, especially when used in the context of healing or repairing.
Regardless of where you decide to use it, try to incorporate this versatile verb into your German vocabulary!
Example sentences:
Nur Mut! Du kriegst das schon hin!
Don’t lose heart! You’ll get there soon!
Er hat sich das Bein gebrochen. Aber das kriegen wir schon wieder hin!
He’s broken his leg. But we can fix that up in no time!
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