Skip to content

Zielgerade

home straight, final stretch

noun TSEEL-ge-rah-de Rare

Usage Note

Zielgerade is the straight section of a race circuit leading to the finish line, but in everyday German it is widely used figuratively for the final stage of any project or journey: Wir sind auf der Zielgeraden (we're on the home straight).

Examples

"Nach stundenlanger Fahrt waren wir endlich auf der Zielgeraden."

Natural Translation

After hours of driving we were finally on the home straight.

Literal Translation

After hours-long driving we were finally on the final straight.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore German by topic