Are you looking for some great positive words to spice up your German? Perhaps you want to impress your German friends with just a few simple words? Then this article is perfect for you! What’s more, these simple words will help to keep you motivated while learning German. Bereit? (Ready?) Los geht’s! (Let’s go!)
1. Sehr gut (Very Good)
Sehr gut simply means “very good”. We don’t only use it as a response to the question Wie geht’s dir? (How are you?), but we also use it to describe something which is “very good” in general.
- Schmeckt dir das Essen? (Do you like the food?)
- Ja, es schmeckt mir sehr gut! (Yes, it tastes very good!)
2. Alles klar! (All right!)
This is a very common German phrase to express that you got it. An example:
- Hast du das verstanden? (Did you understand this?)
- Jap! Alles klar! (Yap! Everything’s clear.)
We also use the saying as a question, in order to make sure that your conversation partner understood you:
- Alles klar? (All right?)
- Ja, hab ich verstanden! (Yes, I understood!)
3. Wunderbar (Wonderful)
Das Wunder is a marvel or miracle. Thus, wunderbar means marvellous or wonderful. You can use this word pretty much anywhere if you feel that something is wonderful.
-bar is a very common ending for adjectives in German, such as dankbar (grateful), machbar (doable) or kostbar (valuable).
4. Toll (Great)
Du bist toll! (You are awesome!) does not just mean “You are nice” (Du bist nett), but rather, that you are great overall. People can never get enough of such a compliment.
5. Klasse (Great)
Klasse is another word to express that you think somebody or something is great. For example, you could say Es war klasse! (It was great), meaning that something was great. Weltklasse (world-class) is one level higher than klasse. Weltklasse basically means “world-class” or “super great”.
Klasse can also mean “class” as in a school class. For example:
- Mein Sohn geht in die erste Klasse. (My son is in the first class/grade.)
Also, it can mean first class on a train or airplane.
- Wir kaufen ein Ticket für die erste Klasse. (We are buying a first class ticket.)
6. Stark (Strong)
Stark literally means “strong”. When you say Gemeinsam sind wir stark, this means “Together we are strong!” However, sometimes Germans like to say Eine starke Sache! (Great stuff!) or Echt stark! (Really great!).
7. Fantastisch (Fantastic)
Du siehst fantastisch aus! (You look fantastic!) is one of the greatest compliments you can ever give to somebody. After a great event, Germans are also likely to say Es war einfach fantastisch! (It was simply fantastic).
8. Super
No matter where you are in Germany, I can promise you that you will hear this word all the time. Here are a few examples:
- Wie geht’s dir? Super! Und dir? (How are you? Super! And you?)
- Deutsch ist super-leicht. (German is super easy.)
- Ich finde es super, dass du heute abend mit zum Konzert kommst! (It’s great that you are coming along to the concert tonight!)
9. Großartig (Great)
Großartig means great. Großartig literally means “big-like”. If somebody tells you Du bist einfach großartig, this doesn’t mean that you are large in size, but rather that you are simply great!
10. Genial (Genius)
I personally love this word. Genial is a word that really shows that you like something or somebody to death. You basically think a person or something is genius.
- Ich finde, dass deine Idee genial ist! (I think your idea is great/genius!)
- Er hat wirklich einen genialen Verstand. (He really has an ingenious mind.)
- Der Typ ist genial! (That guy is awesome/great!)
11. Ausgezeichnet (Excellent)
Ausgezeichnet means “excellent”, and it is likely to be found on a certificate or any other type of qualification. It’s equivalent to hervorragend (outstanding) and exzellent (excellent).
12. Mega
Mega is another word to express something positive. You can just say Mega!! which means “Great!” Also, we like to use this word in combination with other words, such as mega-reich (very rich) or mega-cool (very cool).
13. Dufte (Neat)
Duften literally means “to smell good”, but is translated as “neat”. When you say dufte! it basically means that you “like the smell of something”; meaning that you simply like something. Dufte Puppe (great doll) is a compliment for a girl, which has the same meaning as tolles Mädchen (great girl), but is a bit more creative.
14. Krass (Extreme)
Krass is a German slang word that suggests either something extremely positive OR extremely negative is happening or has happened. Although it can also have a negative meaning, I still decided to include it in this list as you hear this word very frequently when in Germany, especially among young people.
The following two examples show that it can have a positive OR negative meaning, depending on the context:
Positive
- Ich hab im Lotto gewonnen! (I won the lottery!)
- Krass! Wirklich? Herzlichen Glückwunsch! (Awesome! Really? Congratulations!)
Negative
- Ich hatte einen Unfall und bin fast gestorben! (I had an accident and almost died!)
- Krass!! Was ist passiert? Erzähl! (Crazy! What happened? Tell me about it!)
Are you excited to throw around random enthusiastic German words when surrounded by German people? Ja? Wunderbar! Klasse! Genial! Alles klar? Ja, alles super! Das ist wirklich toll! Find Ania teaching German at italki now! As well, learn more phrases from her here, or check her out here.
