Ways to say it
| German | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Scham | /ʃaːm/ | feminine |
| Schande | /ˈʃandə/ (Germany) /ˈʃandɛ/ |
feminine |
In German, there is a distinction between the internal psychological feeling and an external state of disgrace. Scham is used for the internal, psychological feeling of shame or embarrassment. Schande is used to describe an external state of disgrace, a dishonor or a scandalous situation. If you want to express the action of causing someone to feel shame, you can use the verb beschämen.
Which one should you use?
While English speakers often use the word 'shame' to cover both internal feelings and external disgrace, German uses Scham specifically for the internal feeling and Schande for external disgrace or a scandalous situation.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective beschämend is derived from the verb beschämen and is used to describe something that causes shame.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʃaːm/
Did you know?
- German has a specific term Fremdscham, which describes the feeling of shame experienced on behalf of someone else who is embarrassing themselves.
- Even though they look similar, Scham and Schande come from two entirely different ancient roots, meaning they are not linguistically related despite their similar meanings.
- Unlike English, where 'shame' can be a pity, such as in 'It is a shame it rained', German uses Schade for pity, which is distinct from the disgrace of Schande.
Examples in context
- Es ist eine Schande!It's a shame!This sentence uses Schande to express that something is a shame.Tatoeba #1222781 by Esperantostern, translation #12688489 by Aghanim
- Was für eine Schande!What a shame!This sentence uses Schande to express 'What a shame!'Tatoeba #630543 by samueldora, translation #42149 by CK
- Das ist keine Schande.There's no shame in that.This sentence uses Schande to say there is no shame in something.Tatoeba #2901135 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2900652 by Hybrid
- Es ist eine Schande, wie er sich benimmt.It's a shame the way he behaves.
- Die ganze Situation ist sehr peinlich.The whole situation is very embarrassing.
- Er konnte sein Schamgefühl nicht verbergen.He couldn't hide his sense of shame.
- Die blamierenden Bilder sind im Internet aufgetaucht.The embarrassing pictures appeared on the internet.
- Es ist mir eine große Pein, diesen Fehler gemacht zu haben.It's a great shame for me to have made this mistake.
- 34 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julian and Julia are talking about a mistake Julian made at work.
- JulianIch spüre noch immer eine große Scham.I still feel a great sense of shame.
- JuliaDu musst dich nicht so fühlen, Julian.You don't have to feel that way, Julian.
- JulianAber die Scham ist einfach zu stark.But the shame is simply too strong.
- JuliaJeder macht einmal einen Fehler.Everyone makes a mistake once.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shame” translations and entries Scham, Schande, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Scham, Schande, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
