Vocabulary
zwischen den Zeilen lesen
/ˈtsvɪʃn̩ deːn ˈtsaɪ̯lən ˈleːzn̩/· phrase
to read between the lines
What a book club does with a story that says less than it means — and what every German job applicant does with an Arbeitszeugnis.
CEFR C1Frequency ●●●●●
Your memory
New
Learning
Familiar
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One word, many lives
Tap a meaning. Real German isn't a dictionary translation.
zwischen den Zeilen lesen
to read between the lines
Bei dieser Novelle muss man zwischen den Zeilen lesen.
With this novella you have to read between the lines.
Common combinations
- etwas steht zwischen den Zeilensomething is implied, not said
- zwischen den Zeilen lesen könnento be able to read between the lines
Common learner mistakes
- Man muss zwischen den Linien lesen.Man muss zwischen den Zeilen lesen.A line of text is eine Zeile; eine Linie is a drawn line.
Real examples
- Wer zwischen den Zeilen liest, merkt, dass der Uhrmacher etwas verschweigt.If you read between the lines, you notice that the watchmaker is keeping something back.
- Das Wichtigste steht in diesem Brief zwischen den Zeilen.The most important thing in this letter is between the lines.
- Bei Arbeitszeugnissen muss man zwischen den Zeilen lesen.With job references you have to read between the lines.
