glücklich bis ans Lebensende
The German phrase for "happy ever after" is glücklich bis ans Lebensende.
The phrase glücklich bis ans Lebensende is used to describe the idealized, permanent happiness found at the conclusion of fairy tales or romantic stories.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase translates to "happy until the end of life".
How does it change in a sentence?
A common way to express the full fairy tale trope "and they lived happily ever after" is und sie lebten glücklich bis ans Lebensende.
Did you know?
- In German folklore and children's books, the phrase und sie lebten glücklich bis ans Lebensende is often accompanied by the phrase und wenn sie nicht gestorben sind, which means 'and if they have not died yet'.
- The word glücklich shares a root with Glück, which in German refers to both 'happiness' and 'luck'. This implies that a 'happy ever after' is as much a matter of chance as it is of emotional state.
- The word glücklich is a cognate of the Yiddish word gliklekh, reflecting a shared linguistic heritage across different Germanic and Jewish dialects.
Examples in context
- Möge eure Beziehung ein märchenhaftes Happy End haben!May your relationship have a fairytale-like happy ending!
- Sie lebten glücklich bis ans Lebensende.They lived happily ever after.
- In Märchen sind sie oft glücklich bis ans Lebensende.In fairy tales, they are often happily ever after.
Example conversation
Laura and Felix are discussing a fairy tale book they just finished reading.
- LauraWar das Ende nicht sehr schön?Was the ending not very beautiful?
- FelixJa, sie waren wirklich glücklich bis ans Lebensende.Yes, they were truly happily ever after.
- LauraDas ist ein sehr schönes Märchen.That is a very beautiful fairy tale.
- FelixStimmt, ich mag solche Geschichten sehr.True, I like such stories very much.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Lebensende, bis, glücklich, CC BY-SA 4.0.
