How do you say “Beer goggles” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is sich jemanden schöntrinken, which literally means “to drink someone beautiful to oneself”. English speakers use beer goggles to mean the effect of alcohol making people seem more attractive. A German expression for finding someone more attractive after drinking. Like the English, it can sound insulting. Register: slang. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
sich jemanden schöntrinken
/zɪç ˈjeːmandn̩ ˈʃøːntʁɪŋkn̩/
- Literal meaning
- “to drink someone beautiful to oneself”
- Register
- slang
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
92 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
German uses a verb rather than imaginary glasses. “Ich habe ihn mir schöngetrunken” suggests alcohol changed how attractive he seemed.
“Schöntrinken” can also describe making an unpleasant situation seem better through drinking. Naming a person keeps the attraction meaning clear.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context4 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
After three drinks, I wondered whether my attraction to him was just beer goggles.
German
Nach drei Drinks fragte ich mich, ob ich ihn mir nur schöngetrunken hatte.
English
He blamed beer goggles for finding the singer so attractive.
German
Er gab dem Alkohol die Schuld: Er hatte sich den Sänger schöngetrunken.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-11-04