grün
/ɡʁyːn/
The English word 'green' is translated into German as grün.
grün is an adjective used to describe something that has the color green. For example, you can use it to describe the color of the sea, a mountain or a tree.
Meaning: having green as its colour (adj)
Which one should you use?
The lowercase grün is the adjective 'green', while the capitalized Grün is the noun referring specifically to 'the color green'. You can also use the compound adjectives hellgrün for 'light green' and dunkelgrün for 'dark green'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, grün takes various endings depending on the gender, case and article of the noun it modifies. For example, grüne is used for a feminine noun in the nominative case. The related verb begrünen means to add green spaces to something, and the noun Grün refers to the color itself.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡʁyːn/
Did you know?
- While English uses 'green' to mean inexperienced, a German speaker might use grün hinter den Ohren (green behind the ears) to describe someone who is very naive or young.
- If you describe a person as grün (specifically grün im Gesicht), it might mean they are feeling nauseous or about to vomit.
- The term Grüne is frequently used as a shorthand for members of the German political party 'Alliance 90/The Greens'.
Examples in context
- Die See ist grün.The sea is green.This sentence illustrates the use of grün to describe the sea.Tatoeba #8242416 by Luiaard, translation #2504015 by _undertoad
- Der Berg ist grün.The mountain is green.This sentence illustrates the use of grün to describe a mountain.Tatoeba #978124 by Esperantostern, translation #963699 by Eevee
- Der Baum ist grün.The tree is green.This sentence illustrates the use of grün to describe a tree.Tatoeba #2089166 by Esperantostern, translation #2042316 by somekinda
- Der Baum hat grüne Blätter.The tree has green leaves.
- Ich mag grünen Tee.I like green tea.
- Das Mädchen trägt ein grünes Kleid.The girl is wearing a green dress.
- In meinem Garten wachsen viele grüne Pflanzen.There are many green plants growing in my garden.
- 406 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felix and Hannah are shopping for home decor.
- FelixHannah, findest du das Kissen schön?Hannah, do you think this cushion is nice?
- HannahJa, aber ich finde das Kissen zu grün.Yes, but I think the cushion is too green.
- FelixWelche Farbe möchtest du stattdessen?What color would you like instead?
- HannahVielleicht ein blaues Kissen für uns.Maybe a blue cushion for us.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “green” translations and entries grün, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
