Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| gesund | /ɡəˈzʊnt/ (Germany) /ɡeˈsʊnt/ (Austria) |
| gut | /ɡuːt/ (standard) /ɡʊt/ (colloquial) |
The term gesund is used to describe a person's medical state of being free from illness or being in good health. The related form gut can also mean well, but it is used to express general well-being or to say that one is doing well. Additionally, gut can function as an adverb meaning accurately or competently or as an interjection to acknowledge a statement or situation.
Which one should you use?
While gut is used to say one is doing well or feeling well, gesund specifically refers to the state of being free from illness or being in good health.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing that one is doing well, German uses the dative construction es geht mir gut (it goes to me well) rather than a direct subject-predicate structure.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡəˈzʊnt/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use gesund to mean 'I am doing well' (e.g., *Ich bin gesund), but gesund refers to medical health, whereas gut refers to general well-being.
Did you know?
- When someone sneezes, Germans say Gesundheit, which literally means 'health'.
- The word gesund shares a common ancestor with the English word 'sound', as in being 'of sound mind and body'.
- While gesund means healthy, using the phrase gesund sein can sometimes imply a state of being 'sane' or 'mentally sound' depending on the context.
Examples in context
- Er sah gut aus.He looked well.This sentence shows how to describe someone's appearance using gut.Tatoeba #4943047 by Hans_Adler, translation #296046 by CK
- Mir geht es gut.I am well.This sentence demonstrates the dative construction used to say 'I am well' with gut.Tatoeba #659407 by Esperantostern, translation #574624 by Zac2333
- Tom geht es gut.Tom's well.This sentence shows how to say someone else is well using gut.Tatoeba #1500187 by al_ex_an_der, translation #2107653 by CK
- Alles gutEverything is well.
- Die Arbeit war hervorragendThe work was excellent.
- 2652 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felix and Laura are talking about a friend's recovery.
- FelixIst dein Bruder wieder gesund?Is your brother healthy again?
- LauraJa, er ist zum Glück wieder gesund.Yes, luckily he is healthy again.
- FelixDas freut mich sehr für ihn.I am very happy for him.
- LauraDanke, er fühlt sich viel besser.Thanks, he feels much better.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “well” translations and entries gesund, gut, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gesund, gut, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
