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How to Say ‘You're getting on my nerves!’ in German

Du gehst mir auf die Nerven!

doo gayst meer owf dee NAIR-fen

[doo gayst meer owf dee NAIR-fen]

💬 Usage Tip: mir marks the person being annoyed. Swap the subject to complain about anything: Der Lärm geht mir auf die Nerven "the noise gets on my nerves".

Phrase Breakdown

Du gehst mir

doo gayst meer

You get to me

The informal 'du' with the verb 'gehen'. 'gehst' sounds like 'gayst'.

Example

Du gehst mir heute echt auf den Keks.

You're really getting on my nerves today.

Words in this phrase

[doo]

you (singular/informal)

Used when speaking to one person informally.

Example

Wie fühlst du dich heute Abend?

How do you feel this evening?

gehst

[gayst]

go (you go)

Second person singular of 'gehen'; here part of an idiom about annoying someone.

Example

Du gehst jeden Tag zur Arbeit.

You go to work every day.

mir

[meer]

to me

Dative pronoun used to show that something matters or happens to the speaker.

Example

Mir ist eine offene Kommunikation besonders wichtig.

Open communication is especially important to me.

auf die Nerven!

owf dee NAIR-fen

on my nerves

The second half of the idiom. The 'v' in 'Nerven' sounds like 'f': 'NAIR-fen'.

Example

Der Regen geht mir auf die Nerven.

The rain is getting on my nerves.

Words in this phrase

auf

[owf]

Used to denote a position above something.

Example

Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch.

The book is on the table.

die

[dee]

the

Definite article used to specify something already known.

Example

Die Katze ist süß.

The cat is cute.

Nerven

[NAIR-fen]

nerves

Plural of 'Nerv'; used in the idiom for annoying someone.

Example

Ich habe keine Nerven mehr.

I've run out of patience.

Guides for German learners

Duolingo vs Pimsleur: Tapping on a Screen or Talking Out Loud?Duolingo vs Pimsleur: five minutes of tapping versus thirty minutes of speaking. What each is good at, what each costs, and which to pick for your goal.

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