# Looking for a good corresponding native German proverb for "Adversity makes strange bedfellows" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 9, 2022, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-good-corresponding-native-german-proverb-for-adversity-makes-strange-bedfellows/960711 "2022-03-09T00:41:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-good-corresponding-native-german-proverb-for-adversity-makes-strange-bedfellows/960711/1 "2022-03-09T00:41:53Z")
I’m for a good corresponding native German proverb for "Adversity makes strange bedfellows. I have’t found anything online. my translation: Harte Zeiten bescheren seltsame Bettgenossen ---
**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-good-corresponding-native-german-proverb-for-adversity-makes-strange-bedfellows/960711/2 "2022-03-09T00:42:47Z")
Sorry. Meant to write: I’m lookin for a good corresponding native German proverb for “Adversity makes strange bedfellows”. I have’t found anything online. ---
**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-good-corresponding-native-german-proverb-for-adversity-makes-strange-bedfellows/960711/3 "2022-03-09T00:43:29Z")
perhaps Unglück kennt keine Freunde. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-good-corresponding-native-german-proverb-for-adversity-makes-strange-bedfellows/960711/4 "2022-03-09T02:10:28Z")
> [@Octagon](#): > > “Adversity makes strange bedfellows” ISTM that the sense of that in other English words is that difficult circumstances can lead to unlikely alliances. The sense I get from the German you’re offering is that bad luck leads to no friendships, so not the same thing. (My knowledge of German is far from complete.) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-good-corresponding-native-german-proverb-for-adversity-makes-strange-bedfellows/960711/5 "2022-03-09T02:20:23Z")
[Google translation:](https://www.google.com/search?q=German+translation+for+Adversity+makes+strange+bedfellows&ei=Vw4oYpKgJteawbkPpompmAQ&ved=0ahUKEwjSp-Km-7f2AhVXTTABHaZECkMQ4dUDCA8&uact=5&oq=German+translation+for+Adversity+makes+strange+bedfellows&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAM6BwgAEEcQsAM6BAghEApKBAhBGABKBAhGGABQ4wpYu0Bg90doAXABeACAAaMDiAGUGpIBCjAuMTQuMy4wLjGYAQCgAQHIAQjAAQE&sclient=gws-wiz) ---
**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-good-corresponding-native-german-proverb-for-adversity-makes-strange-bedfellows/960711/6 "2022-03-09T04:09:29Z")
That was the best choice I could come up with. My searches didn['t turn up anything resembling my modified Google translation. but ‘Unglück kennt keine Freunde’ is an actual maxim but doesn’t really correspond to “Adversity makes strange bedfellows” ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-good-corresponding-native-german-proverb-for-adversity-makes-strange-bedfellows/960711/7 "2022-03-09T12:55:44Z")
I can’t think of a real close corresponding proverb, but maybe this carries some of the sentiment and is a common saying: In der Not frisst der Teufel Fliegen. meaning literally: In times of trouble, the Devil eats flies. ---
**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-good-corresponding-native-german-proverb-for-adversity-makes-strange-bedfellows/960711/8 "2022-03-09T14:04:41Z")
Thanks EisteinHund. This does seem to be a good match.