Luft nach oben
/lʊft naːx ˈʔoːbən/word by word
The English phrase "room for improvement" can be translated into German as Luft nach oben.
This phrase is used to say that something is not perfect and could be made better. The idiom Luft nach oben is commonly used in professional contexts, such as performance reviews, to politely indicate that a result or performance is not yet optimal.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, Luft nach oben means "air upwards" or "air towards the top", implying there is space or "air" available for something to rise or improve.
Which one should you use?
Raum für Verbesserung, Entwicklungspotenzial and Steigerungsmöglichkeit are formal ways to express the concept. For informal situations, you might use Da geht noch was (there is still something more) or Kann noch besser werden (can still become better).
How do you pronounce it?
/lʊft naːx ˈʔoːbən/
Did you know?
- The word Luft is a linguistic relative of the English word 'loft', both descending from the same Proto-Germanic root.
Examples in context
- Wir sehen hier definitiv Raum für Verbesserung in der Kundenserviceabteilung.We definitely see room for improvement in the customer service department.
- Hey, ich finde deine Präsentation war gut, aber da geht noch was, um sie noch überzeugender zu machen.Hey, I thought your presentation was good, but there is still room for improvement to make it even more convincing.
- Das Ergebnis ist gut, aber es gibt noch Luft nach oben.The result is good, but there is still room for improvement.
- Bei der Qualität ist noch Luft nach oben.There is still room for improvement in terms of quality.
- Dein Entwurf ist gut, aber da ist noch Luft nach oben.Your draft is good, but there is still room for improvement.
- Beim Kundenservice gibt es definitiv Luft nach oben.There is definitely room for improvement in customer service.
Example conversation
Hannah and Lukas are discussing a project presentation.
- HannahWie fandest du meinen Vortrag, Lukas?How did you find my presentation, Lukas?
- LukasEr war gut, aber es gibt noch Luft nach oben.It was good, but there is still room for improvement.
- HannahWas genau sollte ich an dem Vortrag ändern?What exactly should I change about the presentation?
- LukasDie Struktur ist noch nicht ganz perfekt.The structure is not quite perfect yet.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (Luft, nach, oben) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Luft, Luft nach oben, nach, oben, CC BY-SA 4.0.
