hässliche Frau
The English phrase "ugly woman" is translated into German as hässliche Frau.
The phrase is used to describe a woman who is not pleasant to look at.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the nominative case, the adjective hässlich takes the -e ending in several contexts. When there is no article, as in hässliche Frau, the adjective takes the -e ending. If you use the indefinite article eine, it remains eine hässliche Frau. If you use the definite article die, the ending also remains -e, as in die hässliche Frau.
When do people say it?
The informal phrase Hässliche Alte can be used to mean "ugly old lady".
Did you know?
- The word Frau is a cognate of the Old Norse word freyja, which was the name of the goddess of love and beauty.
- The adjective hässlich is an outlier to the English word 'ugly' in terms of direct cognates, but it is often used in German to describe things that are not just physically unattractive, but also 'hideous' or 'revolting' in a moral sense.
Examples in context
- Ja, die hässliche Alte auf dem Bild habe ich auch bemerkt.Yes, I also noticed the ugly old lady in the picture.
- Ja, die Frau mit dem blonden Haar. Sie ist leider nicht besonders hübsch.Yes, the woman with blonde hair. Unfortunately, she is not particularly attractive.
- Sie ist eine hässliche Frau.She is an ugly woman.
- Das ist eine hässliche Frau auf dem Foto.That is an ugly woman in the photo.
Example conversation
Julia and Felix are discussing a character in a movie.
- JuliaWer ist diese hässliche Frau im Film?Who is this ugly woman in the movie?
- FelixDas ist die böse Hexe.That is the evil witch.
- JuliaSie sieht wirklich schrecklich aus.She really looks terrible.
- FelixJa, das ist Absicht.Yes, that is intentional.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Frau, frau, CC BY-SA 4.0.
