How do you say “Bore someone to tears” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is jemanden zu Tode langweilen, which literally means “to bore someone to death”. English speakers use bore someone to tears to mean to make someone feel extremely bored. An equally strong complaint, with death replacing tears. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
jemanden zu Tode langweilen
/ˈjeːmandn̩ tsuː ˈtoːdə ˈlaŋvaɪlən/
- Literal meaning
- “to bore someone to death”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
97 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
German uses a different exaggeration for the same unbearable boredom. Neither language normally means the result literally happened.
“Ich habe mich zu Tode gelangweilt” puts the bored person first. “Der Vortrag hat mich zu Tode gelangweilt” names what caused the boredom.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity3 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
The guide's long list of dates bored us to tears.
German
Die lange Liste von Jahreszahlen des Fremdenführers hat uns zu Tode gelangweilt.
English
I was bored to tears during the three-hour meeting.
German
Ich habe mich während der dreistündigen Besprechung zu Tode gelangweilt.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-09-19