bist du schwul
The German phrase for "are you gay" is bist du schwul.
The phrase is a direct question used to ask if a man is romantically or sexually attracted to other men. You may also use the informal phrase Stehst du auf Männer? to ask "Do you like men?" as a way of inquiring about someone's sexual orientation.
Which one should you use?
The term schwul refers specifically to men. If you are speaking about a woman, you should use the term lesbisch instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the question formal, change the pronoun from the informal du to the formal Sie (e.g., Sind Sie schwul?).
Did you know?
- The word schwul is related to the sensation of humid, sultry heat. It originally meant 'hot and humid' and evolved from a word meaning 'to smoulder'.
- The adjective warm has historically been used as a slang term for 'homosexual' in German, similar to the expression 'warmer Bruder'.
- While schwul is the standard term, some older German speakers may still use the clinical term homosexuell to sound more formal or medical.
Examples in context
- Bist du schwul?Are you gay?This example shows how to use the phrase bist du schwul to ask the question directly.Tatoeba #2185377 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2183944 by Hybrid
- Entschuldigen Sie, ich hoffe, ich trete Ihnen nicht zu nahe, aber sind Sie schwul?Excuse me, I hope I am not being inappropriate, but are you gay?
- Ich habe gerade bemerkt, dass du dich noch nie über deine sexuelle Orientierung geäußert hast. Bist du schwul?I just noticed that you have never spoken about your sexual orientation. Are you gay?
Example conversation
Julian and Julia are talking about their dating lives.
- JulianIch bin Single im Moment.I am single at the moment.
- JuliaDas ist interessant. Bist du schwul, Julian?That is interesting. Are you gay, Julian?
- JulianJa, das stimmt.Yes, that is true.
- JuliaDanke, dass du es mir gesagt hast.Thanks for telling me.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bist, du, schwul, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
