Das berühmteste Merkel-Selfie und seine Geschichte

What does “Wir schaffen das” mean in German?

Schaffen has two meanings in German: “to create” and “to manage or pull off.” In wir schaffen das — “we’ll manage it” — it almost always means the second. The phrase became widely known after Angela Merkel used it in 2015 about the many refugees arriving. When schaffen sits next to a challenge, it means manage or pull off — not create or make.

“Frau Merkel hat damals gesagt, wir schaffen das” — “Mrs. Merkel said back then, 'We’ll manage it.'” “Schaffen” can mean two things: “to manage / pull off” and “to create / make.” With “das” after it — pointing at a challenge — it nearly always means manage. The examples below show both senses: Ich schaffe das schon. = “I’ll manage it (don’t worry).” Wir haben das geschafft! = “We did it / we pulled it off!” Er hat einen neuen Job geschaffen. = “He created a new job.” (here it means create, with no challenge in view) When someone uses “schaffen” about a hard task, a deadline, or a goal, think “manage” or “make it.” In the clip, the speaker says they “tatsächlich geschafft haben” — they actually pulled it off.