What does “nachbessern” mean in German?

He is talking about the Schufa app and says you can see where you lose points — “und wie Du nachbessern kannst” — and how you can improve your score. “Nachbessern” means going back to something not good enough yet and making it better. Here it is your credit score: pay loans off faster, make fewer requests at once. The word carries hope — the situation is not fixed, but you have a real chance to improve.

Spoken line: “Du erkennst, wo Du überhaupt Punkte verlierst und wie Du nachbessern kannst.” — “You can see where you lose points and how you can improve them.” The word combines “bessern” (to make better) with a prefix that points back at something already done. Together they describe one specific action: returning to a weak result and fixing it up. It is not just “verbessern” (to improve in general) — “nachbessern” implies there was a first attempt that fell short. More plain examples: - “Der Handwerker musste nachbessern.” — The worker had to come back and fix the flaws. - “Beim Angebot können wir noch nachbessern.” — We can still improve our offer. - “Ich muss meine Bewerbung nachbessern.” — I need to polish up my application. Usage notes: It usually means a second pass on something already done that was not quite good enough — repairs, an offer, a test, your finances. In speech the middle syllable often has a weak e sound, so the ending sounds like “-bess-ern” rather than “-bess-ern” said fully.