English–German
“by chance” in German
German
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈtsuːfɛlɪç/
Example
Ich bin gestern zufällig einem Freund im Supermarkt begegnet.
I happened to run into a friend at the supermarket yesterday.
How to say “by chance” in German
“By chance” in German is zufällig.
An event lands without a visible plan or pattern, like an unplanned meeting in a crowded place.
Example sentences with zufällig
Beim Aufräumen habe ich zufällig einen alten Brief entdeckt.
While tidying up, I happened to find an old letter.
Tips for using zufällig
- In everyday German, zufällig often means 'by chance' for an unplanned event, while zufälligerweise is a more explicit adverbial variant.