How do you say “Like water off a duck's back” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is an jemandem abperlen, which literally means “to roll off someone in beads”. English speakers use like water off a duck's back to mean without upsetting or affecting someone, especially when criticism is involved. Keeps the image of something rolling off without leaving an effect. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
an jemandem abperlen
/an ˈjeːmandəm ˈapˌpɛʁlən/
- Literal meaning
- “to roll off someone in beads”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
96 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
German lets the criticism roll off the person directly; the duck is not needed. “Das perlt an ihr ab” means it does not seem to bother her.
The verb can describe confidence or indifference. Whether that is admirable depends on whether the comments are cruel insults or advice worth hearing.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity4 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
The rude comments were like water off a duck's back to her.
German
Die unhöflichen Kommentare perlten an ihr ab.
English
His criticism is like water off a duck's back to me.
German
Seine Kritik perlt einfach an mir ab.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-09-19