zo mooi
/zoː moːi̯/word by word
The English phrase "so beautiful" is translated into Dutch as zo mooi.
zo mooi is used for emphasis.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of zo, meaning "so" and mooi, meaning "beautiful".
Which one should you use?
While zo mooi is used for emphasis, heel mooi (very beautiful) is a more neutral way to express high quality without the emotive intensity of 'so'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Belgium and the Southern Netherlands, the phrase Bloedmooi is more commonly used to mean "drop-dead gorgeous!"
How does it change in a sentence?
When zo mooi is used as an attributive adjective before a de-word noun, the adjective takes an -e ending, resulting in zo mooie (e.g., zo mooie bloemen – so beautiful flowers).
Did you know?
- The word mooi can be used sarcastically to mean 'great' or 'wonderful' when something goes wrong. Saying Mooi zo! after a mistake is similar to saying 'Great job!' in English.
- The word mooi may have originally meant 'clean' or 'washed', coming from a root meaning 'to wet'. This suggests that in early Dutch, beauty was closely linked to hygiene.
- In certain contexts, mooi is used to describe a 'nice' or 'fair' deal in business or trade. A 'beautiful' price is one that is advantageous to the buyer.
Examples in context
- Dat is zo mooi.That's so beautiful.Tatoeba #8563095 by MarijnKp, translation #2045756 by CK
- Het is zo mooi daar.It's so beautiful there.Tatoeba #6733484 by martinod, translation #6732526 by Eccles17
- Je bent zo mooi dat je geen make-up nodig hebt.You are so beautiful, you do not need to use makeup.Tatoeba #10041817 by Nylez, translation #7772317 by sharris123
- Jouw glimlach is echt schitterend!Your smile is truly radiant!
- De zonsondergang was adembenemend mooi!The sunset was breathtakingly beautiful!
- Jij bent bloedmooi!You are drop-dead gorgeous!
- Dat nieuwe kapsel van je is echt mooi zeg!That new hairstyle of yours is really beautiful, huh?
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sophie and Lucas are looking at a sunset on the beach.
- SophieKijk naar de lucht, het is zo mooi!Look at the sky, it is so beautiful!
- LucasJa, ik vind de kleuren prachtig.Yes, I think the colors are gorgeous.
- SophieAlles hier is vandaag echt zo mooi.Everything here is really so beautiful today.
- LucasIk ben blij dat we hier zijn.I am glad we are here.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (zo, mooi) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mooi, zo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
