German · Emotions & Descriptions

"Nice (pleasant)" in German: nett

nett

Say it: netadjective/nɛt/

Note: also: sympathisch

Nice in German is nett. Say Du bist nett or Das ist nett von dir. For people, ein netter Typ / eine nette Frau is common.

Thanking a favor

Das ist wirklich nett von dir.
That's really nice of you.
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How to pronounce nett

Say it

net

/nɛt/

net. Short e like bed. Double t is crisp.

"Nice (pleasant)" in German: quick reference

GermanEnglish
nettnice / kind

Core adjective.

netter / nette / nettesnice (inflected)

Before nouns.

Das ist nettthat's nice

Thanks or approval.

zu netttoo kind

Polite pushback.

How to use nett in real life

  1. 1Thanking a favor

    Das ist wirklich nett von dir.

    That's really nice of you.

    Nett von dir.

  2. 2Describing a coworker

    Mein neuer Kollege ist sehr nett.

    My new colleague is very nice.

    Predicate nett.

  3. 3Café chat

    Sie hat eine nette Stimme am Telefon.

    She has a nice voice on the phone.

    Nette before noun.

Mistakes English speakers make with nett

Incorrect: Du bist schön (when you mean kind)

Correct: Du bist nett.

Schön is beautiful; nett is pleasant/kind.

Incorrect: ein nett Mann

Correct: ein netter Mann

Before a masculine noun, nett → netter.

Good to know

Nett is everyday praise for kindness, not looks. Calling someone nett is safe and warm; for stronger liking Germans may switch to sympathisch or lieb.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Talking about a helpful host

  1. ChatPal

    Wie war die Familie gestern?

    How was the family yesterday?

  2. You

    Super nett. Sie haben alles erklärt.

    Really nice. They explained everything.

  3. ChatPal

    Das klingt nett. Hast du dich bedankt?

    That sounds nice. Did you thank them?

  4. You

    Ja. Es war echt nett von ihnen.

    Yes. It was truly nice of them.

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"Nice (pleasant)" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Nice (pleasant)" in German

How do you say nice?

Nett.

Nice of you?

Das ist nett von dir.

Before a noun?

Netter / nette / nettes depending on gender and case.

Sympathisch vs nett?

Both work for people; this page’s headword is nett.

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