How do you say “Straight from the horse's mouth” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is aus erster Hand, which literally means “from first hand”. English speakers use straight from the horse's mouth to mean directly from the person who knows the facts. A close German equivalent for information obtained directly. It is more neutral than the English horse image. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
aus erster Hand
/aʊs ˈeːɐ̯stɐ hant/
- Literal meaning
- “from first hand”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
95 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
German uses the same first-hand idea that English also uses. It works in conversation as well as in a news report.
Name the person involved when their authority matters. “Aus erster Hand” says how the information reached you, not that it has been independently verified.
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
The owner told me the café is closing, so that's straight from the horse's mouth.
German
Der Besitzer hat mir gesagt, dass das Café schließt; die Information ist also aus erster Hand.
English
Ask the coach and get the team news straight from the horse's mouth.
German
Frag den Trainer und hol dir die Neuigkeiten über die Mannschaft aus erster Hand.
Related expressions
- What “Straight from the horse's mouth” means in English
- Hear something through the grapevine, Hear news through informal contacts.
Last updated 2026-10-01