How to Say Beautiful in the German Language; Complimenting Is an Art!

Some people say that flattery won’t get you anywhere. We, on the other hand, say that compliments never hurt. Giving a compliment is a great way to start a conversation! 

Learning how to say beautiful in the German language will help you find the right words when you want to praise someone or something. Not only is it a great small-talk icebreaker, but you can also make the other person feel good.

 

Our unique German Frequency Dictionary series is a must if you want to expand your German vocabulary fast and effectively. We have carefully selected 10,000 most common German words and listed them by frequency and alphabet.

Learning new words by frequency is the fastest way to fluency!

How to Say Beautiful in the German Language

Like English, German also has countless synonyms for the word “beautiful.” The most commonly used translation is schön. It is pronounced [ʃøːn] in the IPA transcription.

Don’t forget the so-called umlaut – the double dots over the “o.” In this case, it completely changes the meaning of the word! Schon means already or yet. It is pronounced [ʃoːn].

Here you can listen to the pronunciation of schön and the pronunciation of schon.

When to Use Schön in German

We have mentioned above that the most common word for beautiful in German is schön. You can say for example:

 

• Du hast aber schöne Augen. – You have such beautiful eyes.
• Welch ein schöner Tag! – What a beautiful day!

 

You can use it when talking about people, things, or places. It is as universal as its English counterpart. However, you can use other words to translate it into English:

 

• Hier können Sie auch schöne Geschenke für besondere Anlässe finden. – You can also find nice gifts for special occasions here.
• Dieses Zimmer hat einen Balkon mit schöner Aussicht über den See. – This room has a balcony with lovely views over the lake.
• Nichts ist angenehmer als an einem schönen Tag spazieren zu gehen. ­– Nothing is more pleasant than going for a walk on a fine day.
• Wir wünschen Ihnen einen schönen Aufenthalt in München. – We wish you a pleasant stay in Munich.

 

Intensifying “Beautiful” in German

Does a simple schön sound uninspired? You can add some sophisticated adverbs! How about strahlend schön? You can say Du bist strahlend schön. – You are dazzlingly beautiful.

Below is a list of possible ways to intensify the meaning of schön.

 

• Atemberaubend – breathtaking(ly) – Der Blick auf die umliegenden Berge ist atemberaubend schön. – The view of the surrounding mountains is breathtakingly beautiful.
• Bildschön literally means picture-perfect. Habe ich dir schon mal gesagt, dass du bildschön bist. – Have I ever told you that you are gorgeous?
• Wunderschön – (das) Wunder means a wonder. Vielen Dank für die wunderschönen Blumen. – Thank you very much for such beautiful flowers.
• Traumschön – this is another compound containing the word schön. In this case, (der) Traum means a dream. Die Königin war traumschön und hatte drei Söhne. – The queen was stunningly beautiful and had four sons.

 

Synonyms for Beautiful in German

You have seen above that you can use several forms of the word to intensify its meaning. However, to expand your vocabulary and sound more eloquent, you can learn several other expressions with similar meaning.

 

1. Hübsch (pronounced [hʏpʃ]) – pretty, handsome, cute

 

You can use hübsch when describing men and women. It means handsome and pretty. You can also use it for some inanimate objects, but schön counts as more universal.

 

• Was für ein hübsches Mädchen! – What a pretty girl!
• Dein Lächeln macht dich noch hübscher. ­– Your smile makes you even more handsome.

 

 

2. Gutaussehend (pronounced [ɡuːt ˈaʊ̯sˌzeː.ənt]) – good-looking

 

Gutaussehend is the exact translation of “good-looking.” It is used in the same situations.

 

• Er ist reich, jung und gutaussehend. – He is young, rich, and good-looking.

 

 

3. Herrlich (pronounced [ˈhɛʁlɪç]) – gorgeous, splendid, lovely

 

Use herrlich when talking about, for example, times, weather and most inanimate objects.

 

• Wir haben eine herrliche Zeit zusammen verbracht. ­– We had a lovely time.
• Es war ein herrlicher Samstag. – It was a beautiful Saturday.
• Dank ihrer Lage bietet sie herrliche Panoramablicke auf die Berge. – The position provides splendid panoramic view of the mountains.

 

 

4. Großartig (pronounced [ˈɡʁoːsˌʔaːɐ̯tɪç]) – fabulous, magnificent, awesome

 

You can also use großartig as an exclamation to show your enthusiasm.

 

• „Machen wir es noch einmal!“ „Großartig!“ – “Let’s do it one more time!” “Awesome!”
• Die großartige Leistung dieses Schauspielers übertrifft alle Erwartungen. ­­– The magnificent performance of the actor exceeded all expectations.

 

 

5. Wunderbar (pronounced [ˈvʊndɐˌbaːɐ̯] in the IPA transcription) – wonderful

 

Wunderbar is an equivalent of the English “wonderful.” We have already mentioned that (das) Wunder means “wonder,” and you can say wunderschön meaning “very beautiful.”

 

Let’s take a look at some examples with wunderbar.

 

• Beide waren wunderbar, jeder auf seine Weise. ­– They were both wonderful, each one in their own way.
• Sie ist eine gute Frau und wunderbare Mutter. – She is a good wife and a wonderful mother.

 

 

6. Hervorragend (pronounced [hɛɐ̯'fo:ɐ̯ra:ɡn̩t]) – superb, outstanding

 

Hervorragend is often used to talk about someone’s superb performance or quality of goods or services.

 

• Das Essen ist hervorragend, die Bedienung auch. ­– The food is superb, and the same is true of the service.
• Das Konzert war einfach hervorragend. – The concert was simply outstanding.

 

A Quick Guide on German Compliments

Now you have learned several ways to say something or someone is beautiful in German. It will come in handy when you look for the right words to show your admiration in various situations. Below is a list of several useful example sentences and phrases to help you give compliments in German with more fluency.

 

• Rot steht dir. – Red suits you. You can use jemandem stehen – "to suit somebody" when you want to say that something looks good on them.
• Du siehst umwerfend aus. – You look stunning. Aussehen means “to look” (when talking about appearance).
• Ich mag deine Haare. – I like your hair. Mögen is translated as “to like.” Another common translation of “to like” is gefallen. However, be careful with how it is used.

 

“I like your car” translates to Dein Auto gefällt mir. The object of the English sentence becomes the subject of the German translation.

 

Don’t forget to take a look at our German Frequency Dictionaries. You will get 10,000 most common German words translated into English. Moreover, each entry has a pronunciation transcription (IPA), basic grammar information, and an example sentence translated into English to show you word usage in context. This way, you will learn new grammar and more advanced structures naturally.

 

In today’s article, you have learned how to say beautiful in the German language. Knowing how to compliment someone in your target language is an important social tool! It leads to better communication, which is what you, as a learner of German, seek.

If you have any questions or suggestions, let us know in the comments below. We are more than happy to answer!