When you break off a square of chocolate, you are breaking it at its Sollbruchstellen.
The German word Sollbruchstelle is unique and not easily translatable. But it is useful: this word describes the predetermined breaking point of an object, such as the ridges in a bar of chocolate where you break off a square. As you’ve probably noticed by now, Germans really do have a word for everything!
Directly translated, Sollbruchstelle means “should-break-spot” – in other words, the spot where you should break the object. This word can be used to describe points on many different objects.
If you’re assembling furniture, opening a can of soda, dividing a bar of chocolate, or setting up a brand new fish tank, you are using the Sollbruchstelle to open, peel or break the object in a predetermined location. Thanks to the Sollbruchstelle, your life is a whole lot easier! But describing the Sollbruchstelle is no easy task in English, since there is no word for it. You’re better off using German!
By Nicole Glass, German Embassy
