nicht gut
/nɪçt ɡuːt/word by word
The German phrase for 'not good' is nicht gut.
nicht gut is used to describe something that is of poor quality or unsatisfactory.
Which one should you use?
While nicht gut means 'not good', you might use the word schlecht to express that something is 'bad' in a more direct or stronger sense.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Swiss German, the phrase nöd guet is used to convey 'not good'.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase nicht gut, the word gut functions as an adjective and can take various endings depending on its grammatical role in a sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
/nɪçt ɡuːt/
Did you know?
- German has the concept of Untertreibung, where saying something is nicht gut can actually be a very strong criticism in a professional setting.
- The word nicht originally comes from a combination of words meaning 'never' and 'creature'. It essentially evolved from saying 'not a single creature'.
- While 'nicht gut' describes quality, if you are talking about a person's character being 'not good', Germans might use the word unmoralisch instead of just saying they are 'nicht gut'.
Examples in context
- Es ist nicht gut.It's not good.This sentence is useful for stating that something is not good using nicht gut.Tatoeba #6645041 by Felixjp, translation #3428636 by CK
- Das ist nicht gut.That's not good.Tatoeba #1907056 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1897802 by CK
- Was ist nicht gut?What's not good?This sentence is useful for asking what is not good using nicht gut.Tatoeba #13709922 by Biderl, translation #13714850 by Babelball
- Das Essen ist nicht gut.The food is not good.
- Die Leistung war unzureichend.The performance was inadequate.
- Der Film war nicht so gut.The movie was not so good.
- Das Konzert war mies.The concert was terrible.
- 126 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maximilian and Julia are looking at a new piece of furniture.
- MaximilianIst das neue Regal nicht gut?Is the new shelf not good?
- JuliaNein, es ist nicht gut.No, it is not good.
- MaximilianWarum findest du es nicht gut?Why do you think it is not good?
- JuliaEs ist instabil und nicht gut gebaut.It is unstable and not well built.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (nicht, gut) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gut, nicht, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
