schön

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beautiful, lovely, nice, pleasant, good
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/ʃøːn/
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Something pleasing or approved of, sometimes used for emphasis or irony.

Examples

  • „Danke schön“, sagte sie.
    “Thank you very much,” she said.
  • Er hat eine schöne Arbeit geschrieben.
    He wrote a good essay.
  • „Na, das sind ja schöne Aussichten!“
    “Well, those are fine prospects!”
  • Sagen Sie Ihrer Mutter schöne Grüße.
    Give my warm regards to your mother.
  • Wir mussten uns ganz schön beeilen.
    We had to hurry quite a lot.

Similar words

hübsch
gut
angenehm
beträchtlich

Meanings

Beautiful

adjective
beauty
neutral
Pleasing to the eye, ear or taste.

Examples

  • Das ist ein schönes Bild.
    That is a beautiful picture.
  • Sie hat schöne Augen.
    She has beautiful eyes.
  • Die Stadt ist sehr schön.
    The town is very beautiful.
  • Er spielt schön Klavier.
    He plays the piano beautifully.
  • Die Blumen sind schöner als gestern.
    The flowers are more beautiful than yesterday.

Similar words

Pleasant

adjective
experience
neutral
Enjoyable or giving a good feeling.

Examples

  • Wir hatten einen schönen Urlaub.
    We had a lovely holiday.
  • Heute ist schönes Wetter.
    The weather is nice today.
  • Es war eine schöne Zeit.
    It was a lovely time.
  • Ich wünsche dir ein schönes Wochenende.
    I wish you a nice weekend.
  • Schön, dass du da bist.
    How nice that you are here.

Similar words

Well done

adjective
approval
neutral
Worthy of praise or approval.

Examples

  • Das hast du schön gemacht.
    You did that well.
  • Das war ein schöner Zug von ihr.
    That was a kind thing she did.
  • Er hat eine schöne Arbeit geschrieben.
    He wrote a good essay.
  • Die Antwort ist schön klar.
    The answer is nice and clear.
  • Sie hat die Aufgabe schön gelöst.
    She solved the task well.

Similar words

Polite formula

adjective
courtesy
neutral
Softening a courtesy formula or showing agreement.

Examples

  • „Schön, dann machen wir es so.“
    “All right, then we will do it that way.”
  • Sagen Sie Ihrer Mutter schöne Grüße.
    Give my warm regards to your mother.
  • „Danke schön“, sagte sie.
    “Thank you very much,” she said.
  • „Bitte schön, hier ist das Buch.“
    “Here you are, here is the book.”
  • „Na schön, ich komme mit.“
    “All right, I will come along.”

Similar words

Quite a lot

adjective
emphasis
neutral
Used to stress a considerable degree or amount.

Examples

  • Das ist eine ganz schöne Menge.
    That is quite a large amount.
  • Er hat einen schönen Schreck bekommen.
    He had quite a fright.
  • Wir mussten uns ganz schön beeilen.
    We had to hurry quite a lot.
  • Sie hat ein schönes Alter erreicht.
    She has reached a good age.
  • Das war ganz schön teuer.
    That was pretty expensive.

Similar words

Ironic “nice”

adjective
irony
neutral
Said with irritation to call something bad “nice”.

Examples

  • „Na, das sind ja schöne Aussichten!“
    “Well, those are fine prospects!”
  • Das war ein schöner Reinfall.
    That was a fine fiasco.
  • „Eine schöne Bescherung!“, sagte sie verärgert.
    “What a nice mess!” she said angrily.
  • „Das wäre ja noch schöner!“
    “That would be too much!”
  • „Du hast etwas Schönes angerichtet“, sagte er bitter.
    “You have made a fine mess,” he said bitterly.

Similar words

Etymology

From Middle High German schœne and Old High German scōni, originally “pleasant to look at”.

FAQ

What does schön usually mean?

Usually beautiful or pleasant, but it also marks approval, politeness, emphasis or irony.

What are its comparison forms?

schöner and am schönsten.

Can it describe a pleasant day?

Yes: ein schöner Tag is an enjoyable day.

Why can it sound ironic?

Tone reverses the praise: schöne Bescherung can mean an unpleasant mess.

Where does it come from?

Duden connects it with older forms related to schauen, to look.

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