German Conversation · Level 48
75 words
German word
schief
Pronunciation
IPA/ʃiːf/
Meaning
- adverbwrong
Example
Bei dem Projekt ging vieles schief.
A lot went wrong with the project.
More examples
Das Experiment ging schief.
The experiment went wrong.
Core concept
A situation slips sideways from its proper path, producing an askew result or an unsuccessful outcome.
Common phrases
etwas läuft schief
Something goes wrong
alles geht schief
Everything goes wrong
Similar words
falsch: In an incorrect way that leads to a wrong result.
schlecht: In a poor or unsatisfactory way, with an undesirable outcome.
daneben: Off target or beside the point, producing a mistaken result.
Definition in German
auf eine Weise, dass etwas nicht wie geplant verläuft oder misslingt.
Word origin
The figurative meaning of schief grew from the older Germanic sense of physical slanting, while the modern word retains that concrete sense as well.
Usage tips
- Schiefgehen is written as one word in the infinitive and participle, but finite forms commonly show the separation: Das Projekt geht schief.
Other meanings
- crookedlyadverb
- askewadverb
Opposites
- reibungslossmoothlyadverb
- glattsmoothlyadverb
Related words
- schiefgehengo wrongverb
- Schieflagedifficult situationnoun