Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| nicht schlecht | /nɪçt ʃlɛçt/ (word by word) |
| nicht schlimm | /nɪçt ʃlɪm/ (word by word) |
Nicht schlecht is the most common way to say "not bad" in German and is used to describe something that is reasonably good. You can add gar before it, gar nicht schlecht, to emphasize that something is "really" not bad. Alternatively, you can use nicht übel or gar nicht übel to express that something is "really" not bad in an informal manner.
Which one should you use?
While nicht schlecht describes something of good quality, nicht schlimm is used to mean "it's not a big deal" or "it doesn't matter."
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some regions, the informal phrase geht so can be used to mean "not bad", though it conveys an indifferent or lukewarm tone.
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adverbial phrase, nicht schlecht does not change its form to match the gender or case of the noun it modifies.
How do you pronounce it?
/nɪçt ʃlɛçt/
Did you know?
- In German culture, saying nicht schlecht can be a high compliment because of a tendency toward understatement.
- The word schlecht shares an ancestral root with the Icelandic word sléttur, which means 'smooth'.
Examples in context
- Das ist nicht schlecht.That's not bad.Tatoeba #1907051 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1897799 by CK
- Sie ist nicht schlecht.She's not bad.Tatoeba #6478028 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2513026 by Hybrid
- Er sieht nicht schlecht aus.He's not bad-looking.Tatoeba #11485717 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #6277598 by Hybrid
- Die Ergebnisse der Marktforschung sind nicht schlecht.The results of the market research are not bad.
- Das Essen hier ist gar nicht schlecht.The food here is really not bad.
- Deine Zeichnungen sind echt nicht übel!Your drawings are really not bad!
- Das Konzert gestern war gar nicht übel!The concert yesterday was really not bad!
- Was hältst du von diesem Buch? – Ach, geht so, nicht schlecht.What do you think of this book? – Meh, not bad, I guess.
- 32 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felix and Julia are tasting a cake at a party.
- FelixWie schmeckt der Kuchen, Julia?How does the cake taste, Julia?
- JuliaEr ist eigentlich nicht schlecht.It's actually not bad.
- FelixFindest du das wirklich?Do you really think so?
- JuliaJa, das Rezept ist nicht schlecht.Yes, the recipe is not bad.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “not bad” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (nicht, schlecht, schlimm) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nicht, schlecht, schlimm, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
