How do you say “Have it both ways” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is das eine haben und das andere nicht lassen wollen, which literally means “to want one thing without giving up the other”. English speakers use have it both ways to mean to get the benefits of two incompatible choices. A German expression for wanting both sides of a choice. It is longer than the English but keeps the criticism. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
das eine haben und das andere nicht lassen wollen
/das ˈaɪnə ˈhaːbn̩ ʊnt das ˈandərə nɪçt ˈlasn̩ ˈvɔlən/
- Literal meaning
- “to want one thing without giving up the other”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
93 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
This wording points out someone’s reluctance to give up either benefit. The sentence should make clear why the two cannot reasonably go together.
For a direct warning, “Du kannst nicht beides haben” is shorter. It means you cannot have both.
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?
Du kannst nicht beides haben.
Literally: “You cannot have both.”
A shorter way to point out the trade-off directly.
In context
English
You want complete privacy but a public fan club; you can't have it both ways.
German
Du willst völlige Privatsphäre, aber auch einen öffentlichen Fanclub; du kannst nicht beides haben.
English
He wants to keep the car and spend the money from selling it. He wants it both ways.
German
Er will das Auto behalten und das Geld aus dem Verkauf ausgeben. Er will das eine haben und das andere nicht lassen.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-10-01