German · Emotions & Descriptions

"Tired" in German: müde

müde

Say it: MYOO-duhadjective/ˈmyːdə/

Tired in German is müde. The everyday line is Ich bin müde. Strengthen it with sehr müde or todmüde when you are completely worn out.

After work

Ich bin heute echt müde.
I'm really tired today.
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How to pronounce müde

Say it

MYOO-duh

/ˈmyːdə/

MYOO-duh. The ü is like ee with rounded lips. Keep the final e soft.

"Tired" in German: quick reference

GermanEnglish
müdetired

Default adjective after sein.

sehr müdevery tired

Stronger everyday tiredness.

todmüdedead tired

Informal, very exhausted.

müde vontired of / from

Müde von der Arbeit, müde vom Laufen.

How to use müde in real life

  1. 1After work

    Ich bin heute echt müde.

    I'm really tired today.

    Echt müde is casual spoken German.

  2. 2Skipping plans

    Lass uns morgen treffen, ich bin zu müde.

    Let's meet tomorrow, I'm too tired.

    Zu müde explains canceling politely.

  3. 3With kids

    Die Kinder sind schon müde.

    The kids are already tired.

    Müde does not change after sein in the plural.

Mistakes English speakers make with müde

Incorrect: Ich habe müde.

Correct: Ich bin müde.

Tiredness uses sein, not haben.

Incorrect: Ich bin müder. (when you mean exhausted now)

Correct: Ich bin müde. / Ich bin sehr müde.

Müder is the comparative "more tired". For a simple state, use müde or sehr müde.

Good to know

Saying Ich bin müde is a normal, honest exit from evening plans among friends. It rarely sounds like a weak excuse. In offices people may soften it with Ich bin etwas müde heute.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Ending a long study evening

  1. ChatPal

    Noch eine Seite, oder bist du müde?

    One more page, or are you tired?

  2. You

    Ich bin müde. Mein Kopf macht nicht mehr mit.

    I'm tired. My head isn't cooperating anymore.

  3. ChatPal

    Verstehe. Wenn du müde bist, lernen wir schlecht.

    Got it. When you're tired, we learn poorly.

  4. You

    Genau. Morgen bin ich weniger müde.

    Exactly. Tomorrow I'll be less tired.

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"Tired" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Tired" in German

How do you say I'm tired?

Ich bin müde.

How do you say very tired?

Ich bin sehr müde or, more casually, Ich bin todmüde.

Does müde change with gender?

Not after sein: er/sie/es ist müde. Before a noun it takes endings: ein müdes Kind.

How do you say tired of something?

Müde von etwas: Ich bin müde von dem Lärm.

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