How do you say “Hit on someone” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is jemanden anmachen, which literally means “to turn someone on”. English speakers use hit on someone to mean to show someone that you are romantically or sexually interested in them. An informal match for making a romantic or sexual advance. In other situations, “anmachen” can mean speaking to someone aggressively. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
jemanden anmachen
/ˈjeːmandn̩ ˈanmaxn̩/
- Literal meaning
- “to turn someone on”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
91 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
“Sie macht mich an” can describe someone flirting with you. The tone and situation matter because the same verb can also describe a rude confrontation.
With a lamp or a radio, “anmachen” means turn on. Keep the object and the surrounding sentence in mind.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context4 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
I thought she was asking for directions, but she was hitting on me.
German
Ich dachte, sie würde nach dem Weg fragen, aber sie machte mich an.
English
Please stop hitting on me; I’m not interested.
German
Bitte hör auf, mich anzumachen; ich habe kein Interesse.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-11-13