Why do I need to know die Nase vorn haben?
Die Nase vorn haben is an idiomatic phrase that will add a bit more colour to your German language skills and demonstrate your command of it in certain comparative discussions. You might commonly see or use it with the word knapp - which would describe a "close" or "tight race" - for example.Â
What does it mean?
Die Nase vorn haben is a way to ask or state who or what has a "slight edge" in a very close comparison or competition - depending on how you use it.Â
The phrase likely stems from the field of horse-racing, where the judge looks at which horse was ahead "by a nose" at the finish line to pick the winner in a photo finish.
You may have seen variations of die Nase vorn haben lately - given the number of close elections that have been in the news. The recent Brandenburg and Saxony state elections saw established parties like the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats poll neck-and-neck against the far-right Alternative for Germany.
A recent article in German magazine Stern about the upcoming US presidential election asked in one of its headlines: "Harris oder Trump? Wer in den Umfragen gerade die Nase vorn hat?" - Or "Harris or Trump? Who do the polls say has a slight edge?" More literally speaking, it asks which candidate is ahead "by a nose".
There's a couple of notes to be aware of when using die Nase vorn haben. First, you might think twice about using it to describe a contest or comparison where there's a clear favourite - or where the winner is clear.
Also be careful not to mistakenly use another expression - die Nase voll haben - which might appear much the same but means something completely different. While die Nase vorn haben describes something that has the "slight edge", die Nase voll haben describes a feeling when you're had absolutely enough of something, akin to "I've had it".
READ ALSO: German phrase of the day: die Nase voll haben
Even though you might see it in news articles, given that die Nase vorn haben is an idiomatic expression, there are certain situations where you might think twice about using it. Everyday conversation - even professionally - is probably fine. But you might not write it in a formal report. Use your judgment with this one.
Use it like this:
First, make sure you conjugate the haben it the phrase appropriately - the way you would any other German verb.
Welches Team hat in diesem engen Spiel die Nase vorn haben?
Which team has the slight edge in this close game?
Ich glaube, Kamala Harris hat bei der US-Wahl die Nase vorn, aber der Kampf ist so knapp
I think Kamala Harris has the slight edge in the US election, but the race is so close
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