German · Emotions & Descriptions

"Heavy" in German: schwer

schwer

Say it: SHVAIRadjective/ʃveːɐ/

Heavy in German is schwer. Say Die Tasche ist schwer or ein schwerer Koffer. Schwer also means difficult: Die Prüfung war schwer.

Luggage

Dein Koffer ist echt schwer.
Your suitcase is really heavy.
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How to pronounce schwer

Say it

SHVAIR

/ʃveːɐ/

SHVAIR. Schw like English sh+v; long e-air.

"Heavy" in German: quick reference

GermanEnglish
schwerheavy / difficult

Base adjective.

schwere / schwerer / schweresheavy (inflected)

Before nouns.

zu schwertoo heavy

Luggage and lifting.

leichtlight / easy

Opposite.

How to use schwer in real life

  1. 1Luggage

    Dein Koffer ist echt schwer.

    Your suitcase is really heavy.

    Predicate schwer.

  2. 2Helping

    Die Kiste ist zu schwer für mich.

    The box is too heavy for me.

    Zu schwer.

  3. 3Shopping

    Ich trage die schwere Tasche.

    I'm carrying the heavy bag.

    Schwere before feminine.

Mistakes English speakers make with schwer

Incorrect: ein schwer Tasche

Correct: eine schwere Tasche

Before feminine nouns use schwere.

Incorrect: heavy only for weight

Correct: schwer also means difficult

Context decides weight vs difficulty.

Good to know

Airline staff hear Das ist zu schwer all day at check-in. For exams, eine schwere Prüfung means a hard one.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Moving a desk

  1. ChatPal

    Ist der Tisch schwer?

    Is the table heavy?

  2. You

    Ja, ziemlich schwer. Zu zweit besser.

    Yes, fairly heavy. Better with two people.

  3. ChatPal

    Okay, ich nehme die schwere Seite.

    Okay, I'll take the heavy side.

  4. You

    Danke. Auf drei heben.

    Thanks. Lift on three.

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"Heavy" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Heavy" in German

Heavy?

Schwer.

Also difficult?

Yes — same adjective.

Too heavy?

Zu schwer.

Opposite?

Leicht.

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