German · Emotions & Descriptions
"Smart" in German: klug
klug
Note: also: schlau
Smart in German is klug. Say Sie ist klug or ein kluger Plan. Schlau is close but often means clever/sly; the headword here is klug.
School talk
Dein Bruder ist echt klug in Mathe.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce klug
Say it
kloog
/kluːk/
kloog. Long u. Final g like a soft k in many accents.
"Smart" in German: quick reference
| German | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| klug | smart / clever Core adjective. | Core adjective. |
| kluger / kluge / kluges | smart (inflected) Before nouns. | Before nouns. |
| kluger Kopf | smart person Friendly praise. | Friendly praise. |
| nicht so klug | not so smart Mild criticism. | Mild criticism. |
How to use klug in real life
- 1School talk
Dein Bruder ist echt klug in Mathe.
Your brother is really smart in math.
Ist … klug.
- 2Idea review
Das war ein kluger Vorschlag.
That was a smart suggestion.
Kluger before noun.
- 3Self-check
War das klug oder nur schnell?
Was that smart or just fast?
Predicate klug.
Mistakes English speakers make with klug
Incorrect: Er ist smart (English loan only)
Correct: Er ist klug.
Prefer klug for this headword; smart exists as a loan but means stylish too.
Incorrect: eine klug Idee
Correct: eine kluge Idee
Feminine ending: kluge.
Good to know
Calling someone klug is sincere praise for thinking. Schlau can sound admiring or slightly tricky depending on tone — stick with klug when you mean intelligent.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Praising a problem-solving friend
ChatPal
Wie hast du das Ticket gefunden?
How did you find that ticket?
You
Zufall. Aber Tim war klug mit der Filter-Suche.
Luck. But Tim was smart with the filter search.
ChatPal
Ja, Tim ist klug bei so was.
Yes, Tim is smart with that kind of thing.
You
Ein kluger Tipp von ihm hat uns Stunden gespart.
A smart tip from him saved us hours.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"Smart" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "Smart" in German
How do you say smart?
Klug.
Smart idea?
Eine kluge Idee.
Klug vs schlau?
Klug is intelligent; schlau often means clever/sly.
Before nouns?
Kluger / kluge / kluges.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
