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barsch
brusque
Describes an unfriendly, abrupt, and curt way of speaking or acting.
example
Er gab mir eine barsche Antwort und drehte sich weg.
He gave me a brusque answer and turned away.
barsch
brusque
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Meanings
Usage tips
Origin of the word
The adjective 'barsch' (brusque) is related to the fish 'der Barsch' (perch). The fish has spiny fins, and the adjective describes a similarly 'spiky', that is, abrupt and unfriendly, style of communication.
EXAMPLE
Seine Reaktion auf meine Frage war unerwartet barsch.
His reaction to my question was unexpectedly brusque.
Typical collocations
'Barsch' (brusque) usually describes the manner of communication. Common combinations are 'ein barscher Ton' (a brusque tone), 'eine barsche Antwort' (a brusque answer), or verbs like 'jemanden barsch ansprechen' (to address someone brusquely).
EXAMPLE
Mit einem barschen Ton wies er uns zurecht.
He reprimanded us in a brusque tone.
Use in a sentence
You can use 'barsch' (brusque) as an adjective before a noun or as an adverb to describe a verb. It can also be used with 'sein' (to be) and the preposition 'zu' (to).
EXAMPLE
Der Chef war heute sehr barsch zu seinen Mitarbeitern.
The boss was very brusque with his employees today.
Compare with
barsch vs freundlich
friendly
'freundlich' and 'barsch' describe opposite ways of speaking or acting. 'freundlich' comes across as nice, polite, and pleasant. 'barsch' comes across as brusque, curt, and unfriendly. The difference is often especially important in someone's tone: a friendly answer makes the other person feel good, while a brusque answer sounds harsh or impatient. 'barsch' usually describes a specific reaction or way of speaking, not necessarily a person's entire character.
barsch
In der Schule reagiert meine Schwester manchmal barsch, wenn sie gestresst ist.
At school, my sister sometimes reacts brusquely when she is stressed.
freundlich
Nico wird morgen im Büro freundlich nach dem Weg zum Bahnhof fragen.
Tomorrow at the office, Nico will ask for directions to the train station in a friendly way.
In real life
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