How do you say “Give someone a piece of your mind” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is jemandem die Meinung sagen, which literally means “to tell someone one's opinion”. English speakers use give someone a piece of your mind to mean to tell someone angrily and directly what you think of their behaviour. “Ordentlich” makes the criticism sound stronger, rather than like a calm statement of opinion. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
jemandem die Meinung sagen
/ˈjeːmandəm diː ˈmaɪnʊŋ ˈzaːɡn̩/
- Literal meaning
- “to tell someone one's opinion”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
91 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
“Jetzt sage ich dir mal die Meinung” signals that an angry complaint is coming. The words mean more than a routine exchange of opinions.
“Die Leviten lesen” is a sharper telling-off, often by a parent or boss. For a professional complaint, “sich beschweren” is more neutral.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in German?
jemandem die Leviten lesen
Literally: “to read someone the Levitical rules”
A stronger idiom for a stern reprimand.
sich bei jemandem beschweren
Literally: “to complain to someone”
More neutral; useful for a service problem.
In context
English
I'm going to give him a piece of my mind about the noise.
German
Ich werde ihm wegen des Lärms ordentlich die Meinung sagen.
English
She gave the manager a piece of her mind after waiting an hour.
German
Nachdem sie eine Stunde gewartet hatte, sagte sie dem Geschäftsführer ordentlich die Meinung.
Related expressions
- What “Give someone a piece of your mind” means in English
- Fly off the handle, Suddenly lose your temper.
- Get something off your chest, Talk about something that is bothering you.
Last updated 2026-09-16