Adjectives are easiest to learn in pairs. Once you have groß, you want klein; once you have teuer, you need günstig. The pairs stick because each word gives the other a reason to exist.
German also has a few pairs that English doesn't. English can say "hungry" but has no single word for its opposite. German does: satt. You'll use it after every meal someone cooks for you.
Size and Shape
big, tall / small, short
groß / klein
long / short
lang / kurz
high / low
hoch / niedrig
wide / narrow
breit / schmal
thick, fat / thin
dick / dünn
heavy / light
schwer / leicht
full / empty
voll / leer
deep / shallow, flat
tief / flach
Practice these words
groß / klein
Quick notes:
- Groß and klein cover both size and a person's height. Er ist groß means he's tall.
- Schwer and leicht each have a second meaning: schwer is also "difficult," leicht is also "easy." Die Prüfung war leicht — the exam was easy.
- Dick is the everyday word for "fat" and it's blunter than the English. Germans use it about objects all the time (ein dickes Buch), about people rarely and not kindly.
Good, Bad and Everything Between
good / bad
gut / schlecht
new / old
neu / alt
young / old
jung / alt
beautiful / ugly
schön / hässlich
clean / dirty
sauber / schmutzig
right, correct / wrong
richtig / falsch
easy / difficult
einfach / schwierig
important / unimportant
wichtig / unwichtig
interesting / boring
interessant / langweilig
possible / impossible
möglich / unmöglich
Practice these words
gut / schlecht
Quick note: alt is the opposite of both neu and jung, exactly as "old" is in English. Context sorts it out.
Senses and Surroundings
hot / cold
heiß / kalt
warm / cool
warm / kühl
dry / wet
trocken / nass
light, bright / dark
hell / dunkel
loud / quiet
laut / leise
fast / slow
schnell / langsam
early / late
früh / spät
near / far
nah / weit
open / closed
offen / geschlossen
soft / hard
weich / hart
Practice these words
heiß / kalt
Quick notes:
- On shop doors you'll see geöffnet and geschlossen — the formal versions. In speech people say offen and zu: Die Bäckerei ist schon zu.
- Leise is quiet as in low volume. A quiet, peaceful place is ruhig — which is also the word behind Ruhezeit, the quiet hours your neighbours will expect you to keep.
People and Money
expensive / inexpensive
teuer / günstig
rich / poor
reich / arm
happy / sad
glücklich / traurig
friendly / unfriendly
freundlich / unfreundlich
healthy / ill
gesund / krank
hungry / full, no longer hungry
hungrig / satt
tired / awake
müde / wach
busy / free
beschäftigt / frei
polite / rude
höflich / unhöflich
strong / weak
stark / schwach
Practice these words
teuer / günstig
Quick notes:
- Satt is the useful one. Ich bin satt — "I'm full" — is how you politely refuse more food. Nein danke, ich bin satt ends the offer of a third helping without offending anyone.
- Günstig is the polite word for cheap. Billig also exists, but it hints at poor quality — shops never advertise billige Preise.
- Ich bin frei means you're available. "I'm free of charge" is kostenlos.
Bigger, Biggest
Comparatives add -er, superlatives use am … -sten. Short adjectives with a, o or u usually take an umlaut too.
fast / faster / fastest
schnell / schneller / am schnellsten
cheap / cheaper / cheapest
billig / billiger / am billigsten
old / older / oldest
alt / älter / am ältesten
young / younger / youngest
jung / jünger / am jüngsten
big / bigger / biggest
groß / größer / am größten
warm / warmer / warmest
warm / wärmer / am wärmsten
good / better / best
gut / besser / am besten
much / more / the most
viel / mehr / am meisten
gladly / preferably / most of all
gern / lieber / am liebsten
Practice these words
schnell / schneller / am schnellsten
Quick notes:
- The last three are irregular and very common. Lieber is how Germans state preferences: Ich trinke lieber Tee — "I'd rather have tea."
- "Than" is als: Berlin ist größer als München. Not wie — so groß wie means "as big as."
One Grammar Warning, Kept Short
After sein, adjectives never change: Das Haus ist groß. In front of a noun, they take an ending: ein großes Haus, der große Garten, eine große Wohnung.
The ending system is real grammar and it takes months to get automatic. The good news is that getting it wrong almost never causes a misunderstanding. Use the adjective, guess the ending, keep talking.
What to Know About Describing Things in German
Germans describe in understatement. The most common praise is nicht schlecht — "not bad" — and it means good. The most common criticism is nicht so gut — "not so good" — and it means bad. When a German colleague calls your work ganz okay, that's a pass, not a complaint. Enthusiastic words exist (toll, super, großartig), but they're used less often than in English, and hearing them means more.
Three Mistakes to Avoid
Saying ich bin voll for "I'm full." Voll about a person means drunk. After a meal, it's ich bin satt.
Using wie in comparisons. "Bigger than" is größer als. Wie is for "as … as."
Calling a price billig as a compliment. It sounds like you're calling the product cheap. Say günstig.