oh schön
/oː ʃøːn/word by word
The English phrase "oh nice" can be translated into German as oh schön.
oh schön is an exclamation used to express pleasure or approval upon seeing or hearing something pleasing.
Which one should you use?
While the English "oh nice" is often used for general approval, the German oh schön carries a stronger connotation of something being "beautiful" or "lovely". If you want to express that something is "great" or "cool" rather than just beautiful, use oh toll instead.
How do you pronounce it?
/oː ʃøːn/
Did you know?
- The word schön can be used to describe the completeness of an action. If someone says Ich habe das schön erledigt, they aren't saying the task was beautiful, but that it was done thoroughly and properly.
- The word schön shares a common ancestor with the English word 'sheen', as both originally described brightness and luster.
- If you say oh schön to a German speaker about a piece of news, it can sometimes sound slightly patronizing or dismissive, as if you are saying 'oh, how lovely' in a sarcastic tone.
Examples in context
- Oh schön, ein neuer Garten!Oh nice, a new garden!
- Oh schön, du hast gewonnen.Oh nice, you won.
- Oh schön, das Kleid passt perfekt.Oh nice, the dress fits perfectly.
Example conversation
Julia shows Felix a photo of her new dog.
- JuliaSchau mal, das ist mein neuer Hund.Look, this is my new dog.
- FelixOh schön! Er ist ja süß.Oh nice! He is so cute.
- JuliaJa, er ist sehr verspielt.Yes, he is very playful.
- FelixIch möchte ihn bald mal treffen.I would like to meet him soon.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (oh, schön) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries oh, schön, CC BY-SA 4.0.
