clueless
Loading your saved state.
clueless
Having no knowledge or suspicion of a particular situation or fact; being completely unaware.
Er war völlig ahnungslos, dass seine Freunde eine Überraschungsparty für ihn planten.
He was completely clueless that his friends were planning a surprise party for him.
The word is made up of 'Ahnung' (idea, clue) and the suffix '-los' (-less). '-los' means 'without', so 'ahnungslos' literally describes the state of being 'ohne Ahnung' (without a clue) or 'ohne einen Schimmer' (without the faintest idea).
Der Tourist fragte ahnungslos nach dem Weg, obwohl er direkt vor dem Ziel stand.
The tourist cluelessly asked for directions, even though he was standing right in front of his destination.
'Ahnungslos' (clueless) is often intensified by adverbs such as 'völlig' (completely), 'total' (totally), or 'komplett' (completely) to emphasize a person's total lack of knowledge.
Sie war komplett ahnungslos, was hinter ihrem Rücken geschah.
She was completely clueless about what was happening behind her back.
To specify what someone is clueless about, a construction with 'davon' and a subordinate clause (with 'dass' or a question word) is often used.
Die Mitarbeiter waren ahnungslos davon, dass die Firma verkauft werden sollte.
The employees had no idea that the company was going to be sold.
naive
Naiv and ahnungslos can both describe a person who does not expect a danger. Ahnungslos only means that the person knows nothing about it or has no suspicion. Naiv additionally emphasizes that the person is too trusting or uncritical.
Paul ist ahnungslos und weiß nichts von der Gefahr durch den fremden Anrufer.
Paul is clueless and knows nothing about the danger posed by the unfamiliar caller.
Paul ist naiv und vertraut dem fremden Anrufer sofort.
Paul is naive and immediately trusts the unfamiliar caller.
