auskommen

Auskommen is a German verb and, in its noun form, a term for livelihood. As a verb, auskommen primarily means to get by, to cope, or to manage a situation or resource. It is often used with the preposition mit to indicate what one is able to handle, for example: gut mit jemandem auskommen (to get along well with someone) or mit dem Geld gut auskommen (to get by financially). It can also express whether someone can live without something, as in ohne etwas auskommen.

Grammatically, auskommen is a separable verb. In finite tenses the prefix aus splits off: Wir kommen gut mit dem Geld aus. Perfect forms typically use ist: Wir sind gut damit ausgekommen. The construction mit + Dativ is common, but other objects can appear without mit, depending on the context.

The noun Auskommen denotes one’s means of subsistence or living conditions. It describes whether a person or household can cover basic needs: Das Auskommen sichern means to secure one’s livelihood. In usage, Auskommen often appears in discussions of budgeting, family economics, or social policy.

Related terms include durchschnappen phrases such as über die Runden kommen (to get by for the moment) and sich durchschlagen (to struggle through). Synonyms and close meanings vary by nuance, from “zurechtkommen” (to manage) to “überleben” (to survive) in more difficult contexts.

Overall, auskommen centers on the ability to manage resources or relations, whether financially, socially, or practically.