How do you say “Call it a day” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is Feierabend machen, which literally means “to make celebration-evening”. English speakers use call it a day to mean to stop working on something, either for now or for good. "Feierabend machen" is the universally used everyday equivalent for ending work for the day. It carries the exact same informal, relieved tone as "call it a day". Register: informal, colloquial. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
Feierabend machen
[ˈfaɪ̯ɐˌʔaːbn̩t ˈmaxn̩]
- Literal meaning
- “to make celebration-evening”
- Register
- informal, colloquial
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
95 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
"Feierabend machen" is the undisputed standard German phrase for "to call it a day." The concept of "Feierabend" originally referred to the eve before a holiday, but in modern German it denotes the free time after finishing a day's work. The phrase conveys the exact same feeling of packing up, wrapping things up, and transitioning from productive labor into rest.
While "call it a day" can sometimes refer to non-work activities (like ending a casual DIY project or a long board game), Germans readily use "Feierabend machen" in those contexts as well, often with a slight touch of humor. If you want a phrase that is completely neutral about whether the activity was actual employment, "für heute Schluss machen" is the most natural alternative.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in German?
für heute Schluss machen
Literally: “to make an end for today”
Broadly applicable to any activity, including non-work tasks like studying or cleaning.
den Stift fallen lassen
Literally: “to drop the pen”
A bit more idiomatic/humorous, emphasizing stopping work immediately at the end of the shift.
für heute reicht's
Literally: “for today it's enough”
Used when stopping due to exhaustion, frustration, or having met a daily goal.
Common translation traps
es einen Tag nennen
A literal word-for-word translation that is completely meaningless in German.
The notes above explain why these versions do not work in this context in German.
In context
English
It's getting late, let's call it a day.
German
Es wird spät, lass uns Feierabend machen.
English
We've been working on this code for eight hours, can we please call it a day?
German
Wir sitzen seit acht Stunden an diesem Code, können wir bitte Feierabend machen?
Related expressions
- What “Call it a day” means in English
- Under the weather, Mildly unwell.
- Burn your bridges, To cut off any way back.
Last updated 2026-09-11