How do you say “Can't hold a candle to” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is jemandem nicht das Wasser reichen können, which literally means “not to be able to hand someone the water”. English speakers use can't hold a candle to to mean to be nowhere near as good as someone or something. A close German equivalent for being far below someone in ability or quality. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
jemandem nicht das Wasser reichen können
/ˈjeːmandəm nɪçt das ˈvasɐ ˈʁaɪçn̩ ˈkœnən/
- Literal meaning
- “not to be able to hand someone the water”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
96 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
The person receiving the water is the stronger comparison: “Ich kann ihr nicht das Wasser reichen.” That means she is much better than I am.
The expression also works for films, books and other things. It makes a strong judgement, not a small preference.
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 can cook, but I can't hold a candle to my sister.
German
Ich kann kochen, aber meiner Schwester kann ich nicht das Wasser reichen.
English
The remake can't hold a candle to the original film.
German
Die Neuverfilmung kann dem Original nicht das Wasser reichen.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-10-01