How do you say “The ball is in your court” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is Der Ball liegt bei dir, which literally means “The ball lies with you”. English speakers use the ball is in your court to mean it is now your turn to make a decision or take the next action. This is an established German idiom used in the exact same contexts as the English phrase. In formal settings, simply replace 'dir' with 'Ihnen'. It is neutral, informal and common in everyday German.
Closest natural German
Der Ball liegt bei dir
[deːɐ̯ bal liːkt baɪ̯ diːɐ̯]
- Literal meaning
- “The ball lies with you”
- Register
- neutral, informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
95 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
Both English and German use ball-sports imagery to describe shifting responsibility, but German simplifies the spatial metaphor. While English speaks of the ball landing in someone's "court" (drawn from tennis), German simply says that the ball lies "with" you ("Der Ball liegt bei dir/Ihnen"). The pragmatic meaning, tone, and register match perfectly across professional negotiations and casual banter.
A common alternative drawn from gaming rather than sports is "Du bist am Zug" (borrowed from chess). Attempting to translate "in your court" word-for-word into German yields awkward phrases like "in deinem Feld," so stick to the fixed construction with "bei" or switch to the chess metaphor.
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?
Du bist am Zug
Literally: “You are at the move”
Derived from board games like chess; ubiquitous in both casual and professional contexts.
Die Initiative liegt jetzt bei dir
Literally: “The initiative lies with you now”
More formal and businesslike, directly stating what is meant.
Du bist an der Reihe
Literally: “You are in line / it is your turn”
A neutral, everyday phrase focusing simply on whose turn it is.
Don't translate it literally
Der Ball ist in deinem Feld
Translating 'court' as 'Feld' or 'Hof' is a calque; German idiomatically uses the preposition 'bei' (with someone) rather than specifying a court.
Word-for-word versions like these are understood as literal statements in German, not as expressions.
In context
English
I've made my offer, so now the ball is in your court.
German
Ich habe mein Angebot gemacht, jetzt liegt der Ball bei dir.
English
We answered all their questions; the ball is in their court now.
German
Wir haben alle ihre Fragen beantwortet; jetzt liegt der Ball bei ihnen.
Related expressions
Last reviewed 2026-09-11