braver Hund
The German phrase for "good dog" is braver Hund.
braver Hund is an exclamation used to praise a dog immediately after it has behaved well or performed a command correctly.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "brave dog" because the German word brav means well-behaved or good when referring to animals or children.
Which one should you use?
While braver Hund is the general term for a good dog, you can be more specific based on the dog's sex. Use Braver Junge! for a male dog ("Good boy!") and Braves Mädchen! for a female dog ("Good girl!").
How does it change in a sentence?
In the form braver Hund, the adjective brav takes the -er ending because it precedes a masculine noun in the nominative case without a definite article.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use brav to mean "brave" in the sense of being courageous. For that meaning, use the word mutig instead.
Did you know?
- The German word brav is a linguistic loanword from the Italian bravo, but its meaning shifted from 'skilled' or 'brave' to simply 'well-behaved'.
- While brav means 'good' for a dog, using it to describe an adult person can be seen as condescending. It implies the adult is being obedient like a child or a pet.
- The word Hund is used in many common German idioms that are actually insults, such as Hundeleben meaning 'a dog's life' or a miserable existence.
Examples in context
- Braver Hund!Good dog!This example shows how to use the phrase braver Hund as an exclamation.Tatoeba #10052897 by wolfgangth, translation #4769857 by Hybrid
- Du bist ein braver Hund.You are a good dog.
- Was für ein braver Hund!What a good dog!
Example conversation
Lukas and Sarah are at the park with their pet.
- LukasSitzen bleiben, mein braver Hund!Stay sitting, my good dog!
- SarahEr hört heute wirklich gut auf dich, Lukas.He is really listening to you well today, Lukas.
- LukasJa, er ist heute ein sehr braver Hund.Yes, he is a very good dog today.
- SarahDas ist toll, er hat es verdient.That is great, he deserves it.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
