Let’s have some fun with this weird German language!
In this series of posts, I’ll show you how to make your German speaking colleagues laugh, with ONE simple sentence.
Die halbe Miete sein
(The half rent to be)
Die Miete is the rent. Yes, the one you pay for your apartment (für die Wohnung)
Of course that you have to pay your full rent (deine komplette Miete) and not just half of it.
But, once you pay half of it, you’re halfway through, isn’t it (nicht wahr)?!
And that’s exactly what we mean with this expression.
When we say in German:
- Das ist schon die halbe Miete!
we mean:
- That’s half the battle.
Got it!?
So here’s your action step:
Imagine your German-speaking colleague Tobias has applied for a new job position to work alongside with the CEO of the company (mit dem Geschätsführer des Unternehmens).
One day he approaches you with a big smile on his face and tells you that he got personally invited by the CEO to talk about the new job position (über die neue Arbeitsstelle).
Pat him proudly on his back and tell him:
- Das freut mich! Das ist schon die halbe Miete! (I’m happy for you! That’s half the battle!)
And this is what it sounds like:
Then, tell me in the comments below how he reacted :-)