hausgemacht
homemade
Prepared or made at home, not industrially produced or bought. Usually refers to food and drinks.
EXAMPLE
Der Gasthof ist berühmt für seine hausgemachten Kuchen und Torten.
The inn is famous for its homemade cakes and tortes.
hausgemacht
homemade / self-inflicted
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Meanings
hausgemacht
self-inflicted
Figuratively used for problems or difficulties that you or your own group have caused and for which you cannot blame others.
EXAMPLE
Die Krise des Unternehmens ist größtenteils hausgemacht und auf schlechtes Management zurückzuführen.
The company's crisis is largely self-inflicted and due to poor management.
Usage tips
Word composition
The word is built simply: it consists of 'Haus' (house) and 'gemacht' (made). So it literally means 'made in the house' and describes things that were made privately rather than industrially.
EXAMPLE
Ich bringe einen hausgemachten Nudelsalat zur Party mit.
I'm bringing a homemade pasta salad to the party.
Typical collocations
In its literal meaning, 'hausgemacht' (homemade) is almost always used for food and drinks. Typical examples are: homemade jam, homemade iced tea, or homemade pasta.
EXAMPLE
Probier mal die hausgemachte Limonade, sie ist sehr erfrischend.
Try the homemade lemonade; it's very refreshing.
Context clue
You can recognize the figurative meaning from the context. When it is about abstract things like 'Problem' (problem), 'Krise' (crisis), or 'Konflikt' (conflict), 'hausgemacht' (self-inflicted) means that you caused the difficulties yourself.
EXAMPLE
Sein Stress ist hausgemacht, er nimmt sich einfach zu viel Arbeit vor.
His stress is self-inflicted; he simply takes on too much work.
Compare with
hausgemacht vs selbstgemacht
homemade / self-inflicted
Hausgemacht and selbstgemacht can both express that food was made personally rather than bought. Hausgemacht emphasizes that something is made in one’s own household or establishment, while selbstgemacht highlights that a particular person made it themselves. Selbstgemacht is often more suitable when someone’s own personal work is the focus.
hausgemacht
Das Café bietet hausgemachte Kuchen aus der eigenen Küche an.
The café offers homemade cakes from its own kitchen.
selbstgemacht
Den Kuchen für das Fest habe ich selbstgemacht.
I made the cake for the party myself.
In real life
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