jemandem das Herz brechen
to break someone's heart
Origin
An old image: the heart as the seat of the emotions, which figuratively "breaks" under deep heartache or loss. The phrase has been current in many languages for centuries.
Building blocks
Words in this expression
Grammar that uses this word
- Verb 'haben' (to have), present: du hast (you have)Verb 'haben' im Präsens: du hast
- Absolute accusative and free adjunctsAbsoluter Akkusativ und freie Angaben
- Comparative and proportional clauses (elevated)Vergleichs- und Proportionalsätze (gehoben)
Examples
Es brach ihr das , als er sich von ihr trennte.
It broke her heart when he left her.