What does “dicht machen” mean in German?

“Dicht” on its own means “tight” or “sealed,” so “dicht machen” looks like “make it tight.” The real everyday meaning is to close up a shop, stall, or business — for the day or for good. You can use it for anything from a market stall packing up at the end of the day to a café that has shut down for good.

In the clip: “Die ersten Verkäufer machen schon dicht, bis ich doch noch eine Nachricht bekommen habe.” — “The first sellers are already packing up by the time I finally get a message.” A buyer at a flea market is in a hurry — and the stall holders are already closing before he can get a reply. More examples: “Der Bäcker macht um sechs dicht.” — “The bakery closes at six.” “Das Café hat letztes Jahr für immer dicht gemacht.” — “The café shut down for good last year.” “Wir machen jetzt dicht, kommen Sie morgen wieder.” — “We’re closing up now, come back tomorrow.” Usage notes: This is casual, spoken German. It can mean closing for the day (a shop, a stall, a kitchen) or closing down for good. In a sentence the phrase splits: “machen” moves to the front and “dicht” goes to the end — “macht schon dicht.” A more neutral way to say the same thing is “schließen.”