Why do I need to know gönn dir?

Because you’ll hear this phrase a lot in everyday conversations in Germany especially among young people, and it’s often used in advertisements. 

What does it mean?

Gönn dir is a handy little German expression which essentially means ‘treat yourself’, ‘do something good for yourself’, ‘you deserve it’ or even ‘go for it’.

It comes from the German verb gönnen, which is a pretty complicated verb because it doesn’t translate perfectly to English. The infinitive is “jemandem (oder: sich) etwas gönnen”, which normally means ‘to treat someone (or allow oneself) to something’. You may hear “Ich gönne es dir” or “Gönn’ ich dir” but “Gönn dir” is the more shortened colloquial version that has increased in usage over time. 

The expression is basically a message of support for someone’s decision to treat themselves to something nice. 

If you want to use it, you have to make sure it’s in the appropriate setting. It isn’t suitable for formal communication – for instance during a serious phone call with the tax office or your boss (unless you’re good friends). 

It’s a good one to bring out during a text chat. If your German pal is finally booking that weekend trip away – you can write a quick ‘gönn dir!’ to express that you’re very happy for them and approve of this move. It’s often spoken in a positive way with no envy involved but it depends on the context and tone – the verb gönnen can also be used negatively. 

This phrase ‘gönn dir’ has gone mainstream and you’ll find it outside supermarkets and other shops or on advertisements, urging people to buy products as a treat for themselves.

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It’s also been used by pop stars in recent years. German rapper Kontra K released his song Gönn Dir in 2013, while TikTok star Twenty4Tim released a song of the same name in 2023. 

Use it like it like this: 

Nach acht Stunden arbeit erst mal Essen bestellt und jetzt bisschen Binge-Watching… – After eight hours of work, I’ve ordered some food and now a bit of binge-watching…

Ja, gönn dir!  – Yeah, treat yourself! 

Ich gönn mir heute meinen Lieblingsschokoriegel.

I’m treating myself to my favourite chocolate bar today.