How do you say “Buckle down” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is sich dahinterklemmen, which literally means “to wedge oneself behind it”. English speakers use buckle down to mean to start working seriously and with determination. An informal German match for making a serious, determined effort. It is especially useful when a task has been delayed. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
sich dahinterklemmen
/zɪç daˈhɪntɐklɛmn̩/
- Literal meaning
- “to wedge oneself behind it”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
94 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
“Jetzt muss ich mich dahinterklemmen” makes the change in effort clear. The speaker intends to put real energy into the task.
The pronoun changes with the person: “wir haben uns dahintergeklemmt”. It does not promise that the work will be easy.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
I’ve put this essay off long enough; tonight I’m going to buckle down.
German
Ich habe diesen Aufsatz lange genug aufgeschoben; heute Abend werde ich mich dahinterklemmen.
English
Once we buckled down to rehearsing, the difficult scene began to work.
German
Als wir uns beim Proben richtig dahinterklemmten, klappte die schwierige Szene langsam.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-11-13