A2Informal

Jemandem einen Bärendienst erweisen

To do someone a disservice; to do more harm than good

In German

Jemandem einen Bärendienst erweisen

ˈjeːmandəm ˈaɪ̯nən ˈbɛːʁənˌdiːnst ɛɐ̯ˈvaɪ̯zn̩

Literal Translation

To render someone a bear's service

Meaning

To do someone a disservice; to do more harm than good

Equivalent:"To do someone a disservice; to do more harm than good"

Origin:This idiom comes from a fable by La Fontaine (or Aesop's fables) about a bear who tries to swat a fly off his sleeping master's face but accidentally kills the master with a stone, meaning well but causing great harm.

Example Sentences

1
Mit seiner vermeintlichen Hilfe hat er mir einen Bärendienst erwiesen.
With his supposed help, he did me a disservice.
2
Manchmal erweist man jemandem einen Bärendienst, obwohl man es gut meint.
Sometimes you do someone a disservice, even if you mean well.

FAQ

How do you say "To do someone a disservice; to do more harm than good" in German?

"To do someone a disservice; to do more harm than good" in German is "Jemandem einen Bärendienst erweisen" (ˈjeːmandəm ˈaɪ̯nən ˈbɛːʁənˌdiːnst ɛɐ̯ˈvaɪ̯zn̩). Example: Mit seiner vermeintlichen Hilfe hat er mir einen Bärendienst erwiesen..

To read someone the riot act; to give someone a dressing down

Jemandem die Leviten lesen

ˈjeːmandəm diː leˈviːtn̩ ˈleːzn̩

To fail to see something obvious, even though it is right in front of one

Tomaten auf den Augen haben

toh-MAH-ten owf den OW-gen HAH-ben

To give someone the cold shoulder; to treat someone in an unfriendly or dismissive way

Jemandem die kalte Schulter zeigen

Ye-man-dem dee kal-te Shul-ter tsei-gen

To stand by someone; to support someone

Jemandem die Stange halten

ˈjeːmandəm diː ˈʃtaŋə ˈhaltn̩