du siehst schön aus
To say "you look beautiful" in German, you use du siehst schön aus.
This phrase is a compliment used to tell someone that their current appearance is attractive. If you want to give a more casual or energetic compliment, you can replace schön with toll to say "you look great".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is built from du (you), the separable verb siehst…aus (to look/appear), and schön (beautiful).
Which one should you use?
While du siehst schön aus refers specifically to a person's current appearance or outfit, du bist schön refers to their inherent beauty as a person.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are complimenting a group of people, use ihr seht schön aus instead of the singular du. Use the form Sie sehen schön aus when speaking to a stranger, a superior or in a formal setting to maintain politeness.
Did you know?
- In some German dialects, the word schön is used as a filler word to add emphasis to a sentence, similar to how an English speaker might say 'really' or 'quite'.
- The word aus in this phrase literally means 'out', so the verb aussehen technically translates to 'looking out', describing how a person appears to the outside world.
- The word du shares the same ancient Proto-Indo-European ancestor as the English word 'thou', making the phrase a distant relative of Shakespearean English.
Examples in context
- Du siehst schön aus, wenn du schläfst.You look beautiful when you sleep.This example shows the phrase used in a sentence about sleeping.Tatoeba #12553579 by Waldelfe, translation #11484836 by shekitten
- Du siehst schön aus.You look beautiful.This is a simple use of the phrase to compliment someone.Tatoeba #9143244 by nusia2302, translation #954758 by CK
- Guten Abend, Frau Müller, Sie sehen heute Abend wunderschön ausGood evening, Mrs. Müller, you look beautiful tonight
- Herr Schmidt, Sie sehen heute Abend hervorragend/großartig/toll ausMr. Schmidt, you look outstanding/great/fantastic tonight
- Hallo Maria, du siehst heute wirklich wunderschön ausHi Maria, you look truly beautiful today
Example conversation
Felix is meeting Hannah at a restaurant for a date.
- HannahHallo, Felix!Hello, Felix!
- FelixHannah, du siehst schön aus.Hannah, you look beautiful.
- HannahVielen Dank, das ist lieb.Thank you, that is sweet.
- FelixSetz dich bitte.Please, sit down.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aus, du, schön, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
