nette Familie
The English phrase "nice family" is translated into German as nette Familie.
nette Familie is used to describe a pleasant or nice family. If you want to describe a family as warm, you can use herzliche Familie or use liebevolle Familie to mean a "loving family".
Which one should you use?
While nette Familie describes a family that is nice or pleasant, liebe Familie implies a warmer, more affectionate sentiment, similar to calling them a "dear" or "sweet" family. Additionally, Coole Familie can be used as an informal way to express the same idea of a "nice family".
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes based on number and case. The plural form for "nice families" is nette Familien. When the phrase is used in the genitive or dative case, such as following the preposition mit (with), the form changes to netter Familie.
Did you know?
- The word nett can sometimes carry a subtle, backhanded connotation in German. If someone describes a person or a group as just 'very nice', it can imply they are pleasant but perhaps a bit bland or lacking in character.
- The German word Familie shares its root with the Latin word familia, which originally referred to more than just blood relatives. In ancient times, it encompassed the entire household, including servants and even slaves.
- If a German describes a family as herzlich, they are literally saying the family is 'heart-full'.
Examples in context
- Du hast eine nette Familie.You have a nice family.Tatoeba #3843494 by Zaghawa, translation #2645588 by CK
- Tom hat eine nette Familie.Tom has a nice family.Tatoeba #10053443 by wolfgangth, translation #4666887 by CK
- Du hast eine sehr nette Familie.You have a very nice family.Tatoeba #6866108 by landano, translation #6900298 by kaiperkins271
- Ich habe Ihre schöne Familie auf dem Foto gesehen.I saw your nice family in the photo.
- Eure Familie ist echt cool.Your family is really cool.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maximilian and Sarah are talking about Sarah's relatives during a coffee break.
- MaximilianDeine Eltern sind sehr freundlich.Your parents are very friendly.
- SarahDanke, wir sind eine nette Familie.Thanks, we are a nice family.
- MaximilianDas merkt man sofort.That is obvious immediately.
- SarahDas ist sehr lieb von dir.That is very sweet of you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Familie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
