schön
/ʃøːn/
In German, the English word 'great' can be translated in several ways depending on the context, with schön being the default form. Wiktionary also lists fein and wundervoll.
Meaning: very good (adj)
Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| schön | /ʃøːn/ |
| fein | /faɪ̯n/ |
| wundervoll | /ˈvʊndɐfɔl/ |
When using 'great' as an adjective meaning 'very good', you can use several different terms. If you want to express 'great!' as an enthusiastic interjection or response to good news, you can use prima or super. Additionally, the noun Größe refers to the quality of being great in terms of scale, importance or stature.
Which one should you use?
While schön is a standard way to say great, wundervoll is a more emphatic and emotive choice, equivalent to the English word 'wonderful'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun Größe is used to denote greatness, size or importance.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʃøːn/
Did you know?
- The word prima is an Italian loanword that became a standard way for Germans to say 'great' or 'excellent'.
- If you call a person 'groß' (great/large), you are describing their physical stature rather than their character, which can lead to awkward misunderstandings.
- The word schön descends from the Proto-Germanic word *skauniz, which is a distant relative of the English word 'sheen'.
Examples in context
- Es ist schön Sie zu sehen.It's great to see you.This sentence shows how to use schön to express that seeing someone is great.Tatoeba #6645031 by Felixjp, translation #3518506 by CK
- Es ist schön hier zu sein.It's great to be here.This sentence demonstrates using schön to say it is great to be in a location.Tatoeba #6645032 by Felixjp, translation #3635904 by CK
- Sie galt als große Schönheit.She was considered a great beauty.This sentence uses schön in the context of a great beauty.Tatoeba #8399960 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #8187338 by Hybrid
- Der Film war ausgezeichnetThe movie was great.
- Das Konzert gestern war wirklich großartigYesterday's concert was truly great.
- Die Leistung des Teams war hervorragendThe team's performance was great.
- Das Essen im Restaurant war superThe food at the restaurant was great.
- Das ist eine tolle IdeeThat's a great idea.
- Dein Auftritt gestern war echt klasseYour performance yesterday was really great.
- 59 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felix and Laura are talking about a movie they just watched.
- FelixWie fandest du den Film?How did you like the movie?
- LauraIch fand ihn wirklich schön.I thought it was really great.
- FelixDie Musik war auch sehr schön.The music was also very great.
- LauraJa, das war ein schöner Abend.Yes, that was a great evening.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “great” translations and entries schön, fein, wundervoll, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fein, schön, wundervoll, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
