schöne Frau
/ˈʃøːnə fʁaʊ̯/word by word
The English phrase "beautiful woman" is translated into German as schöne Frau.
The phrase schöne Frau is used to describe a woman who is physically attractive.
Which one should you use?
While schöne Frau implies a deeper or more striking beauty, hübsche Frau is often used to mean a "pretty" or "cute" woman.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the accusative case, used when the phrase is a direct object, schöne Frau remains the same if it is preceded by the indefinite article eine, as in Ich sehe eine schöne Frau.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʃøːnə fʁaʊ̯/
Did you know?
- The word Frau is cognate with the Old Norse word freyja, which was the name of the goddess of love, beauty and fertility.
- Using schöne Frau as a direct compliment to a stranger in Germany can sometimes be perceived as overly forward or flirtatious compared to the English phrase.
- The lowercase version frau was coined by feminists as a gender-neutral alternative to the word man, which means 'one' or 'human'.
Examples in context
- Du bist eine schöne Frau.You're a beautiful woman.This sentence is useful for telling someone that they are a beautiful woman.Tatoeba #2385392 by Tamy, translation #2045768 by CK
- Wer ist diese schöne Frau?Who is that beautiful woman?This sentence is useful for asking who a beautiful woman is.Tatoeba #13344610 by Biderl, translation #13347726 by rul
- Maria ist eine schöne Frau.Mary is a beautiful woman.This sentence is useful for stating that Maria is a beautiful woman.Tatoeba #10702695 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2045780 by CK
- Du bist eine wunderschöne Frau mit einem charmanten LächelnYou are a gorgeous woman with a charming smile
- 27 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julian and Julia are at a wedding reception.
- JulianSie ist eine sehr schöne Frau.She is a very beautiful woman.
- JuliaJa, das stimmt.Yes, that is true.
- JulianIch möchte sie kennenlernen.I want to get to know her.
- JuliaViel Glück dabei, Julian.Good luck with that, Julian.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (Schöne, Frau) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Frau, frau, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
