langer Rede kurzer Sinn

to cut a long story short, the long and the short of it

adverb LANG-er RAY-de KOOR-tser ZIN Rare

Usage Note

Langer Rede kurzer Sinn is a fixed idiomatic phrase used to summarise after a lengthy explanation. Word order is invariable. It is informal to neutral in register and very common in everyday German.

Examples

"Langer Rede kurzer Sinn: er kommt nicht."

Natural Translation

To cut a long story short: he is not coming.

Literal Translation

Long speech short meaning: he comes not.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

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

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

How to Tell Time in German Without Mistakes

Halb sieben means 6:30, not 7:30. Master telling time in German — Viertel nach, halb, vor, the 24-hour clock, and the prepositions that trip up beginners.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

German Colors: Names, Shades, and Idioms

German colors are adjectives that take endings — say das rote Auto, not das rot Auto. Get the names, shades, the das-Rot rule, and 14 color idioms.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

German Cases Explained Simply (4 Cases)

German has four cases, and each answers one question: wer, wen, wem, wessen. Learn nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive without drowning in charts.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Compound Words: How to Read Any Long Word

Read any long German word by working right-to-left: the last noun sets the meaning and gender, and the small linking letters are just glue. Here's the drill.

June 9, 2026 6 min read