sieht gut aus
The English phrase 'looking good' is expressed in German as sieht gut aus.
sieht gut aus is used to say that someone or something has a pleasing appearance. This can be used to describe people, but it can also be used abstractly to describe a situation or a plan that appears promising.
Which one should you use?
While sieht gut aus refers specifically to appearance, the phrase ist gut (is good) is used to refer to quality or character.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Bavarian, you might hear Des schaut echt guad aus! to mean 'That looks really good!'
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb used here is the separable verb aussehen. In a simple sentence, the prefix aus moves to the end of the clause.
Did you know?
- The German word gut shares a common ancient ancestor with the English word 'good', tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European root *gʰedʰ- meaning 'to unite' or 'to suit'.
- In German, if you use sieht gut aus to describe a person's appearance, you are describing their current look rather than their innate beauty, which would be ist schön.
- If you want to say a plan 'looks good' in a more formal or professional way, Germans often use the verb wirken, as in es wirkt gut.
Examples in context
- Er sieht gut aus.He's looking good.Tatoeba #1341884 by al_ex_an_der, translation #326660 by CK
- Das sieht gut aus.Things are looking good.Tatoeba #1605833 by Esperantostern, translation #1476649 by Spamster
- Tom sieht gut aus.Tom is looking good.Tatoeba #6615013 by Felixjp, translation #2273274 by CK
- Deine neue Frisur sieht wirklich toll aus!Your new hairstyle looks really great!
- Deine Schuhe passen perfekt zu deinem Outfit, einfach klasse!Your shoes match your outfit perfectly, simply fabulous!
- Wow, wie hast du deine Haare gemacht? Sieht fantastisch aus!Wow, how did you style your hair? It looks fantastic!
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maximilian and Sarah are looking at a new painting in a gallery.
- MaximilianDas neue Bild sieht gut aus.The new picture looks good.
- SarahJa, die Farben sind toll.Yes, the colors are great.
- MaximilianDu siehst heute übrigens auch gut aus, Sarah.By the way, you look good today too, Sarah.
- SarahVielen Dank, Maximilian!Thank you very much, Maximilian!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aus, gut, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
