level / neck and neck
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neck and neck
Describes the state in which two or more people or things in a competition or comparison have reached the same position, the same score, or the same level.
Die beiden Läuferinnen lagen bis kurz vor dem Ziel gleichauf.
The two female runners were neck and neck until shortly before the finish.
The adverb 'gleichauf' (level/neck and neck) is made up of 'gleich' (equal) and 'auf' (on, up). Literally, it means being at the same height or at the same level.
Im Rennen waren die beiden Favoriten lange Zeit gleichauf.
In the race, the two favorites were neck and neck for a long time.
To name the person or thing with which someone or something is at the same level, you use the preposition 'mit' followed by the dative. The pattern is: 'gleichauf sein/liegen mit jemandem/etwas' (to be/be lying level with someone/something; to be neck and neck with someone/something).
Die Firma liegt nun mit ihrem stärksten Konkurrenten gleichauf.
The company is now level with its strongest competitor.
'Gleichauf' (level/neck and neck) is very frequently combined with the verbs 'sein' (to be) and 'liegen' (to be positioned/stand) to express the state of being tied or level.
Nach der ersten Runde lagen beide Teams gleichauf.
After the first round, both teams were level.
The meaning depends on the context. In sports, elections, or business, 'gleichauf' (level/neck and neck) means an equal score or equal success. In a spatial context, e.g. in traffic, it means being at the same physical level.
In der letzten Umfrage sind beide Parteien gleichauf.
In the latest poll, both parties are neck and neck.
immediate / same
'gleich' and 'gleichauf' can both express that two things are at the same point or level. 'gleich' is more general: it can mean that something is identical or has the same value. 'gleichauf' is used especially in comparisons, competitions, or positions when two people or things are exactly at the same level or the same height. Learners may confuse the words because both show a kind of equality. But 'gleichauf' is narrower and does not fit everything that is simply the same.
Nach der letzten Runde waren die beiden Teams wieder gleichauf.
After the last round, the two teams were neck and neck again.
Am Ende der Stunde hatten alle Schüler die gleiche Aufgabe gelöst.
By the end of the lesson, all the students had solved the same task.