The German "Guter Hoffnung sein" literally says "to be of good hope," but it means to be hopeful or have faith that something (good) will happen. The English "to have high hopes" might just nail it on the head. But watch out! The German phrase is also an outdated euphemism for "being in the family way" or expecting a baby.

"Die Hoffnung nicht aufgeben": This is what you would to say to anyone who means something to you and you want to lift them up. It's the same as in English: don't give up hope! Surely during trying times, we have all tried not to lose hope.

"Einen Funken Hoffnung haben" is such a visual expression: to have a spark of hope (left over). It implies that there is the tiniest of chances of something good happening. In English, an expression with "spark" is perhaps slightly more promising: to spark someone's imagination.

Quite similar in meaning is "leise Hoffnung haben," which says "to have quiet hope." In English, "there's a shimmer of hope" might just be what gets us through difficult times. Maybe it could imply that uttering one's hope aloud could diminish or extinguish it.

Anyone with compassion would not want to get someone's hopes up, or "jemandem Hoffnungen machen," as the German saying goes. Instead, we might feel invigorated if we do indeed get someone’s hopes up! Without wanting to make false promises, we surely get a surge from making other people happy. Interestingly, the German word for "hope" (Hoffnung) is related to the word for "hop" (hüpfen).

Okay, admittedly, pictures of monkeys and apes are always cute. But why knock that? The majority of us have a soft heart when it comes to largely unthreatening animals. Which is why such an image lends itself to conveying the meaning of this German phrase: "sich an eine Hoffnung klammern" or to cling to hope. Once we lose hope, we lose a large portion of life.

This lovely German expression, "eine Hoffnung hegen," is largely connected to nature: "to care for and protect" something from the earth, to guard it. In English, we would say: "to nourish, foster, entertain hope." In light of the plight of bees nowadays, it might just sound like a rallying call.

Literally, "hope is the last thing to die" (Die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt) in German, the English version is more poetic: "Hope springs eternal." What better way to enjoy life and spark the imagination than to take the lead both from children and summer? Enjoy!