brav sein
/bʁaːf saɪ̯n/word by word
To play nice in German is brav sein.
The phrase brav sein is most commonly used when speaking to children to tell them to behave themselves. It describes behaving well and being polite, especially when directed by an authority figure.
What does it mean word for word?
The word brav literally means well-behaved, good or obedient.
Which one should you use?
While the English phrase 'play nice' can sometimes refer to maintaining social harmony between peers, the German brav sein almost always implies obedience to an authority figure.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you want to command a single person informally to behave well, use the imperative form Sei brav! If you are addressing a group of children informally, use the plural form Seid brav! In an informal setting, you can also say Spielt schön miteinander. to mean 'Play nicely with each other' or Seid nett zueinander. to mean 'Be nice to each other.'
How do you pronounce it?
/bʁaːf saɪ̯n/
Did you know?
Examples in context
- Komm schon, spielt schön miteinander wie gestern im Park.Come on, play nicely with each other, just like yesterday at the park.
- Du musst jetzt brav sein.You have to be good now.
Example conversation
Lukas and Julia are about to visit their grandparents.
- LukasWir besuchen Oma und Opa.We are visiting Grandma and Grandpa.
- JuliaIch weiß, ich muss dort brav sein.I know, I have to play nice there.
- LukasDas ist gut, denn sie sind sehr alt.That's good, because they are very old.
- JuliaIch werde ganz lieb zu ihnen sein.I will be very sweet to them.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (brav, sein) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries brav, sein, CC BY-SA 4.0.
