Whether it’s an Instagram influencer presenting a picture-perfect life or the dramatic scenes of a Blockbuster movie, the worlds created for us on screen aren’t always what they seem. 

If you want to peak behind the curtains and understand the work that goes into creating a cinematic masterpiece or a social media persona, the German phrase hinter den Kulissen is a good one to know. 

What does it mean?

Hinter den Kulissen (pronounced like this) can best be translated as ‘behind-the-scenes’, with Kulissen describing the staging and backdrops that you find on a traditional theatre set.

You’ll likely come across this phrase in promotional content for films or TV shows, where audiences might get a sneak peak at what goes on beyond the view of the cameras.

READ ALSO: German word of the day – Schweigen

More broadly, however, the phrase is used to describe anything that is deliberately concealed from the public or that goes on behind closed doors. In fact, a good alternative phrase to hinter den Kulissen is hinter verschlossenen Türen, which means exactly that. 

If a seemingly happy couple suddenly announce they’re splitting up, you may ponder with a mutual friend what really went on hinter den Kulissen. Or after pulling off a perfect presentation at work after weeks of stress, you may wearily tell a colleague that, hinter den Kulissen things didn’t go as smoothly as it may have seemed.

With the internet making it easier than ever to create a public persona that has nothing to do with our private ones, asking what really goes on hinter den Kulissen has never been more relevant. 

Use it like this:

Es lohnt sich immer, hinter den Kulissen zu blicken.

It’s always worth looking behind the scenes.

Er sieht immer sehr glücklich aus, aber hinter den Kulissen soll er wirklich deprimiert sein. 

He always looks happy, but behind the scenes he’s apparently very depressed.