How do you say “On the rocks” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is vor dem Aus stehen, which literally means “to stand before the end”. English speakers use on the rocks to mean in serious trouble and likely to fail. A close match when a relationship or business is near its end. It stresses the risk of failure. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
vor dem Aus stehen
/foːɐ̯ deːm aʊs ˈʃteːən/
- Literal meaning
- “to stand before the end”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
93 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
An unpaid rent bill might leave a business “vor dem Aus”. The wording points towards closure, not just a difficult week.
For a drink, ask for “mit Eis”, meaning with ice. The English uses one phrase for these two unrelated situations; German does not.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
After months of arguing, their marriage was on the rocks.
German
Nach monatelangen Streitereien stand ihre Ehe vor dem Aus.
English
With no money left to pay the rent, the business is on the rocks.
German
Da kein Geld mehr für die Miete da ist, steht das Unternehmen vor dem Aus.
Related expressions
- What “On the rocks” means in English
- On thin ice, In a risky situation close to trouble.
Last updated 2026-10-01