die Saite
string
A thin, stretched thread made of metal, plastic, or gut on a musical instrument, which is made to sound by plucking, bowing, or striking.
EXAMPLE
Bei meiner Gitarre ist eine Saite gerissen.
A string on my guitar broke.
die Saite
string
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Meanings
andere Saiten aufziehen
to get tougher
An idiom that means that someone becomes stricter or chooses a tougher approach.
EXAMPLE
Wenn ihr nicht freiwillig aufräumt, muss ich wohl andere Saiten aufziehen.
If you don't tidy up voluntarily, I guess I'll have to get tougher.
Usage tips
Context clue
You can recognize the literal meaning from the context of musical instruments such as a guitar or violin. The idiom 'andere Saiten aufziehen' (to get tougher) is always connected with a change in behavior or stricter rules.
EXAMPLE
Der Musiker wechselt die Saiten seiner Violine.
The musician changes the strings on his violin.
Typical verbs
In a musical context, 'Saite' (string) is often combined with certain verbs: Saiten 'aufziehen' (to put on new ones), Saiten 'stimmen' (to tune), or eine Saite 'reißt' (a string breaks).
EXAMPLE
Vor dem Konzert muss ich noch die Saiten meiner Gitarre stimmen.
Before the concert, I still have to tune the strings on my guitar.
Fixed expression
The idiom 'andere Saiten aufziehen' (to get tougher) is a fixed unit. The person who becomes stricter is the subject of the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Die neue Chefin hat im Team sofort andere Saiten aufgezogen.
The new boss immediately got tougher with the team.
Compare with
Saite vs Seite
page / side
Seite and Saite sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. A Seite can be part of a book or notebook, for example. The stretched thread of a musical instrument, on the other hand, is called a Saite.
Saite
An der Gitarre ist die letzte Saite gerissen.
The guitar’s last string has snapped.
Seite
Im Notenheft fehlt die letzte Seite.
The last page is missing from the music notebook.
In real life
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