How do you say “Talk someone's ear off” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is jemandem ein Ohr abkauen, which literally means “to chew someone's ear off”. English speakers use talk someone's ear off to mean to talk to someone for so long that it becomes tiring or excessive. A close match for a complaint or a light apology about talking too long. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
jemandem ein Ohr abkauen
/ˈjeːmandəm aɪn oːɐ̯ ˈapkaʊən/
- Literal meaning
- “to chew someone's ear off”
- 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 keeps the ear but imagines chewing it off. It works as a complaint about an exhausting conversation or an apology for talking too long.
Say “Er hat mir ein Ohr abgekaut” if I was listening. “Zutexten” sounds more dismissive; “ununterbrochen reden” simply means talking without stopping.
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.
What are other ways to say it in German?
jemanden zutexten
Literally: “to flood someone with talk”
Very colloquial and often more dismissive.
ununterbrochen reden
Literally: “to talk without interruption”
A neutral description without blaming a particular listener.
In context
English
He talked my ear off about his new car.
German
Er hat mir mit Geschichten über sein neues Auto ein Ohr abgekaut.
English
Sorry, I've talked your ear off again.
German
Entschuldige, ich habe dir schon wieder ein Ohr abgekaut.
Related expressions
- What “Talk someone's ear off” means in English
- Cut to the chase, Get directly to the main point.
- Drive someone up the wall, Make someone extremely annoyed.
Last updated 2026-09-16