How do you say “Bring home the bacon” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is die Brötchen verdienen, which literally means “to earn the bread rolls”. English speakers use bring home the bacon to mean to earn the money needed to support a household. A close German food image for earning a living. It does not cover every English use about winning a prize. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
die Brötchen verdienen
/diː ˈbʁøːtçən fɛɐ̯ˈdiːnən/
- Literal meaning
- “to earn the bread rolls”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
95 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
German puts bread rolls where English puts bacon. “Sie verdient die Brötchen” identifies the person earning the household income.
It need not mean the income is large. For winning a competition, describe the win instead of using this earning phrase.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity4 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
I work nights to bring home the bacon while my partner studies.
German
Ich arbeite nachts und verdiene die Brötchen, während mein Partner studiert.
English
Her small bakery brings home the bacon for the whole family.
German
Mit ihrer kleinen Bäckerei verdient sie die Brötchen für die ganze Familie.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-10-01