How do you say “Give someone a hard time” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is jemandem das Leben schwer machen, which literally means “to make someone’s life difficult”. English speakers use give someone a hard time to mean to make things difficult for someone through criticism, pressure or teasing. Fits obstructive or unpleasant treatment. For friendly teasing, “jemanden aufziehen” is lighter and more accurate. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
jemandem das Leben schwer machen
/ˈjeːmandəm das ˈleːbn̩ ʃveːɐ̯ ˌmaxn̩/
- Literal meaning
- “to make someone’s life difficult”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
83 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
The life expression suggests real difficulty, so it fits the landlord example better than a joke between friends. It may sound too heavy for mild teasing.
“Mich wegen etwas aufziehen” means tease me about something. The second example uses that sense instead of implying my friends made my life miserable.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context3 out of 5
- Literal similarity3 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in German?
jemanden aufziehen
Literally: “to wind someone up”
For teasing, including friendly jokes about a mistake.
In context
English
The landlord gave us a hard time when we asked for the heating to be fixed.
German
Der Vermieter machte uns das Leben schwer, als wir darum baten, die Heizung reparieren zu lassen.
English
My friends gave me a hard time about my terrible karaoke performance.
German
Meine Freunde zogen mich wegen meines schrecklichen Karaoke-Auftritts auf.
Related expressions
- What “Give someone a hard time” means in English
- Pull someone's leg, To tease someone playfully.
Last updated 2026-11-13