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sehr gut

How do you say Very Good in German?

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OK, so how do you say Very Good in German? When it comes to praise and appreciation, we have a number of words and phrases to express ourselves. The term “very good” is probably one of the most basic expressions for praise. But due to its pure and basic character, it is also a very solid phrase. If we want to get the same feeling across in German, how would we do it? Luckily, it’s not all that difficult. There’s one literal translation and quite a few other German words and phrases as an alternative.

sehr gut - very good in german
Background image by Darkmoon_Art from Pixabay

Sehr Gut – Very Good in German

Translating “very good” to German is actually quite easy. Germans simply use the literal translation “sehr gut.” It’s an expression every German is familiar with, as it’s the phrase used for the best mark in German schools. Elementary schools in Germany usually use a system of six grades from 1 to 6, with 1 being the best, i.e. “very good.”

But the German “very good” is also used in other areas of life. Whether Germans talk about their holidays, new recipes or books they read – when it comes to express highest satisfaction, the phrase “sehr gut” gets used frequently.

Examples

“Wie hat euch das neue Restaurant gefallen?” – “Oh, sehr gut. Mein Steak war ausgezeichnet!”

English Translation: “How did you like the new restaurant?” – “Oh, very good. My steak was excellent!”

“Wie fandest du den neuen Spider Man-Film?” – “Klasse. Die Special Effects waren super und die Schauspieler waren auch sehr gut!”

English Translation: “What did you think of the new Spider Man movie?” – “Great. The special effects were amazing and the actors were very good too!”

“Ich war laufen am Wochenende.” — “Sehr gut. Und, hast du Muskelkater?”

English Translation: “I went running this weekend.” – “Very good. So, are you sore?”

“Wie gefällt dir mein neues Kleid?” – “Sieht sehr gut aus!”

English Translation: “How do you like my new dress?” – “It looks very good!”

Not very Good in German

not very good in german
Image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay

If you want to vent your disappointment instead of enthusiasm, it is just as simple in the German language as it is in English. You only have to put a “nicht” in front of the phrase, the German translation for “not.”

Examples

“Wie war das Wetter in eurem Urlaub?” – “Leider nicht sehr gut. Die erste Woche hat es nur geregnet.”

English Translation: “How was the weather during your vacation?” – “Unfortunately, not very good. The first week it rained all the time.”

“Wie fandest du das Musical?” – “Nicht sehr gut. Das Bühnenbild war sehr düster und die Musik hat mir auch nicht gefallen.”

English Translation: “What did you think of the musical?” – “Not very good. The stage design was very gloomy and I didn’t like the music either.”

“Sprichst du Deutsch? – “Ja, aber leider nicht sehr gut.”

English Translation: “Do you speak German? – “Yes, but unfortunately not very good.”

Synonyms for Very Good in German

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

As in English, there are quite a few other German words to express enthusiasm with. We list a few of these words together with their closest English translations, so you can vary your expression if you want to.

  • ausgezeichnet — stellar
  • exzellent — excellent
  • großartig — great
  • hervorragend — superb
  • überragend — outstanding
  • super — super
  • traumhaft — dream-like
  • vorzüglich — first-rate
  • wirklich gut — really good

Examples

“Meine Pizza war wirklich vorzüglich! Der Boden war nicht zu dick und der Käse war super lecker!”

English Translation: “My pizza was really first-rate! The base was not too thick and the cheese was super tasty!”

“Ich habe eine Gehaltserhöhung bekommen!” – “Hervorragend, herzlichen Glückwunsch!”

English Translation: “I got a pay rise!” – “Excellent, congratulations!”

“Sie hatte einen großen Anteil an diesem Projekt und ihre Arbeitsmoral war überragend!”

English Translation: “She had a huge part in this project and her work ethic was outstanding!”

bad vs good
Image by Fathromi Ramdlon from Pixabay

German Phrases meaning “very good”

Apart from single words, there are also some phrases to express something (or someone) is very good:

  • das läuft wie geschnitten Brot — meaning something “sells like sliced bread”, is a huge success
  • alles in Butter — literally: “all in butter”, meaning everything is well and safe
  • auf Draht sein — “to be on the wire”, stems from a time when telegraphs were the latest invention in communication. Anyone who had access to this modern technology was “on the wire” and well informed about the latest news.
  • geht ab wie Schmidts Katze (informal) — “to go off like Schmidt’s cat” means something goes very quick or well

Conclusion

As you could see, it’s really easy to translate very good into German. And we also gave you a few alternative words you can use to voice your appreciation. So that shouldn’t be a problem for you anymore. Which is: “Sehr gut!” 🙂