How do you say “Put on a brave face” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is sich nichts anmerken lassen, which literally means “to let nothing show”. English speakers use put on a brave face to mean to appear cheerful or confident while feeling upset or worried. Fits hiding feelings, though it does not specifically suggest cheerfulness. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
sich nichts anmerken lassen
/zɪç nɪçts ˈanˌmɛʁkn̩ ˈlasn̩/
- Literal meaning
- “to let nothing show”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
92 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
German describes the effort not to let others notice what you feel. Mention the worry or disappointment to make the hidden emotion clear.
The English often suggests a cheerful or confident appearance. If that matters, add a smile or another visible action to the German sentence.
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
Ella put on a brave face, though she was worried about the results.
German
Ella ließ sich nichts anmerken, obwohl sie sich Sorgen um die Ergebnisse machte.
English
He put on a brave face and smiled at the guests after the bad news.
German
Nach der schlechten Nachricht ließ er sich nichts anmerken und lächelte die Gäste an.
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Last updated 2026-09-19