überraschend
/yːbɐˈʁaʃənt/
The German word for "surprising" is überraschend.
überraschend is an adjective used to describe something that causes a surprise.
Meaning: that is or are a surprise (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is formed from the verb überraschen (to surprise) plus the suffix -end, which creates a present participle used as an adjective.
Which one should you use?
Use überraschend to describe the thing that causes the emotion (the surprising event), but use überrascht to describe the person who feels the emotion (the surprised person).
How does it change in a sentence?
When used as an attributive adjective before a noun, überraschend takes various endings depending on the gender, case and article of the noun, such as eine überraschende Nachricht (a surprising news/message).
How do you pronounce it?
/yːbɐˈʁaʃənt/
Did you know?
- To express extreme surprise, Germans use the colorful idiom aus allen Wolken fallen. It literally translates to 'falling out of all the clouds' and describes being completely stunned by a revelation.
- The prefix über- in überraschen can sometimes mean 'over', implying that a surprise is something that 'overtakes' or 'surpasses' your current state of awareness.
- German speakers use the word Überraschungsei to describe a 'surprise egg', a popular confectionery containing a toy.
Examples in context
- Es ist sehr überraschend.It's very surprising.This sentence is useful for saying "It's very surprising" using überraschend.Tatoeba #1985808 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1985574 by Spamster
- Das ist sehr überraschend.This is very surprising.Tatoeba #1985807 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1985573 by Spamster
- Das ist wirklich überraschend!That's really surprising.This sentence is useful for saying "That's really surprising" using überraschend.Tatoeba #2139182 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2136100 by CK
- Die Präsentation war erstaunlich!The presentation was surprising!
- Das Ergebnis war völlig unerwartet!The result was completely surprising!
- Das ist ja der Hammer!That is so surprising!
- Das war ganz schön überraschend!That was quite surprising!
- Deine Hilfe war erstaunlich!Your help was surprising!
- Seine Entscheidung war völlig unerwartet.His decision was completely surprising.
- Krass, wie schnell die Zeit vergangen ist!It's surprising how quickly time passed!
- Der Film war ganz schön überraschend.The movie was quite surprising.
- 38 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felix and Julia are talking about a friend's sudden visit.
- FelixEr ist heute plötzlich hier.He is suddenly here today.
- JuliaDas ist ja wirklich überraschend!That is really surprising!
- FelixJa, ich wusste von nichts.Yes, I knew nothing about it.
- JuliaEin überraschender Besuch ist immer schön.A surprising visit is always nice.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “surprising” translations and entries überraschend, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
