du hast es verdient
The German phrase for "you deserve it" is du hast es verdient.
This phrase is used to indicate that someone should experience a particular outcome, whether good or bad, because of their actions. It can be used positively to congratulate someone on an achievement or negatively to express that someone's misfortune is their own fault.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase translates to "you have it deserved", employing the present perfect tense.
Which one should you use?
While du hast es verdient is a direct statement, starting a sentence with Das hast du verdient (That's what you deserve) places more emphasis on the specific outcome being discussed.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Bavarian, you may hear Du host's da verdient and in Swabian, the phrase Du hosch's verdient is used to express the same sentiment.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes depending on who you are addressing: use Sie haben es verdient for formal, Du hast es verdient for informal singular and ihr habt es verdient when addressing a group of people informally.
Did you know?
- The word verdient is used both for moral desert and for money earned through work. This means the same word is used to say someone 'deserved' a punishment and that they 'earned' their salary.
- In a professional German workplace, using the informal du hast es verdient to congratulate a colleague could actually be seen as a breach of etiquette if you are not on a first-name basis.
- The word du is a direct relative of the archaic English pronoun 'thou'. Both words share a common ancestor in Proto-Germanic and Proto-Indo-European languages.
Example conversation
Lukas is congratulating Laura on her new promotion.
- LukasHerzlichen Glückwunsch zum neuen Job, Laura!Congratulations on the new job, Laura!
- LauraDanke, Lukas! Ich freue mich sehr.Thanks, Lukas! I am very happy.
- LukasDu hast es verdient.You deserve it.
- LauraDas ist sehr lieb von dir.That is very kind of you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries du, es, CC BY-SA 4.0.
