was du heute kannst besorgen, das verschiebe nicht auf morgen
don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today
Origin
The exact origin is uncertain; the idea is old and appears in similar Latin warnings against procrastination. In German the proverb has been current since roughly the 16th century (a link to Luther is sometimes suggested).
Building blocks
Words in this expression
Grammar that uses this word
- Pronoun 'ich' (I, nominative)Pronomen 'ich' (Nominativ)
- Pronoun 'du' (you, informal, nominative)Pronomen 'du' (Nominativ)
- Pronoun 'er' (he/it, nominative)Pronomen 'er' (Nominativ)
- Pronoun 'sie' (she/it, singular, nominative)Pronomen 'sie' (Singular, Nominativ)
- Modal verb 'können' (can)Modalverb 'können'
- Conjunction 'oder' (or, alternative)Konjunktion 'oder' (Alternative)
Examples
Mach die — was du kannst , das verschiebe nicht auf .
Do the tax return now — don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today.