What does “jemandem jeden Wunsch von den Augen ablesen” mean in German?

It sounds like you are reading wishes off someone’s eyes, but it means you are so tuned in to your partner that you sense what they want and do it before they ask. Andreas is talking about the kind of love he longs for, and says he would do this for his woman — warm, devoted, a little old-fashioned, and exactly the romantic tone he is going for.

“Der Frau würde [ich] jeden Wunsch von den Augen ablesen” — “I would read her every wish from her eyes.” (Andreas is picturing how he would treat a partner; he jokes right after that he sounds almost like a poet from another century.) Note the shape: you do it FOR someone, and you read the wish “von den Augen” — from the eyes. It is about sensing a wish before it’s spoken, not just granting it. Examples: “Er liest seiner Frau jeden Wunsch von den Augen ab.” — “He senses his wife’s every wish before she says it.” “Die Großeltern lesen den Kindern jeden Wunsch von den Augen ab.” — “The grandparents give the kids whatever they want, before they even ask.” Usage: usually positive and affectionate, but it can sound like spoiling someone if used about kids or guests.