nervös
[nɛɐ̯ˈvøːs]
The English word 'nervous' is translated into German as nervös.
nervös is used to describe a feeling of being apprehensive, anxious or jittery. If you want to describe someone who is 'nervous' in the sense of being easily irritated or cranky, you should use the word gereizt instead.
Meaning: apprehensive, anxious (adj)
Which one should you use?
While nervös describes the feeling of apprehension, the word Angespannt means 'tense' but can also be used to convey a sense of nervousness. Additionally, the phrase Zittrig sein is an informal way to describe being physically shaky due to nervousness.
How does it change in a sentence?
When used as an attributive adjective before a noun, the form changes based on gender and case, such as the feminine or plural form nervöse, as seen in eine nervöse Person (a nervous person).
Did you know?
- The German word nerven can be used as a verb meaning 'to annoy'. For example, saying Du nervst! is a common way to tell someone they are being irritating.
- The Latin root of nervös refers to 'sinew' or 'tendon' rather than just the modern concept of a nerve. In many languages, including German, the history of the word links the feeling of being 'nervous' to the physical tension of one's physical fibers.
- A person who is constantly 'nervous' in a way that makes them irritable might be called a Nervenbündel. This literally translates to 'bundle of nerves'.
Examples in context
- Ich bin so nervös.I'm so nervous.This sentence is useful for expressing how nervous you feel using nervös.Tatoeba #10244979 by wolfgangth, translation #2549634 by CK
- Ich war so nervös.I was so nervous.This sentence is useful for expressing how nervous you felt in the past using nervös.Tatoeba #10244996 by wolfgangth, translation #2674886 by Hybrid
- Er war sehr nervös.He was very nervous.This sentence is useful for describing someone else's past state of being very nervous using nervös.Tatoeba #7712405 by wolfgangth, translation #1977831 by Spamster
- Ich bin nervös vor meiner Präsentation morgen.I am nervous about my presentation tomorrow.
- Ich bin echt aufgeregt vor meinem ersten Date.I am really nervous about my first date.
- 314 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Julian are at a café before Julian's job interview.
- JuliaBist du wegen des Gesprächs nervös?Are you nervous about the interview?
- JulianJa, ich bin ein bisschen nervös.Yes, I am a little nervous.
- JuliaDu wirst das ganz toll machen.You are going to do great.
- JulianDanke, das ist sehr lieb von dir.Thanks, that is very kind of you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nervous” translations and entries nervös, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nervös, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
