gut feeling
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gut feeling
An intuitive hunch or decision that is not based on rational thought, but on an inner feeling that is often hard to explain.
Obwohl alles logisch klang, sagte mir mein Bauchgefühl, dass ich den Vertrag nicht unterschreiben sollte.
Although everything sounded logical, my gut feeling told me that I shouldn't sign the contract.
The word is made up of 'Bauch' (belly/gut) and 'Gefühl' (feeling). So it literally describes a 'feeling from the belly', which highlights the intuitive, non-rational nature of this hunch.
Manchmal ist es besser, auf sein Bauchgefühl zu hören als auf den Verstand.
Sometimes it's better to listen to your gut feeling than to your mind.
Common expressions are 'ein gutes/schlechtes Bauchgefühl haben' (to have a good/bad gut feeling), 'sich auf sein Bauchgefühl verlassen' (to rely on one's gut feeling), or 'seinem Bauchgefühl vertrauen' (to trust one's gut feeling).
Ich hatte von Anfang an ein schlechtes Bauchgefühl bei diesem Projekt.
I had a bad gut feeling about this project from the start.
A very typical construction is to use 'Bauchgefühl' (gut feeling) as the subject with the verb 'sagen' (to say/tell). It is then treated like a person giving you advice.
Mein Bauchgefühl sagt mir, dass hier etwas nicht stimmt.
My gut feeling tells me that something isn't right here.
hunch / idea
Both words can express a hard-to-explain impression that something is the case or will happen. Ahnung refers more to the uncertain impression itself, while Bauchgefühl emphasizes its emotional basis. Use Bauchgefühl when you especially want to emphasize the inner feeling.
Mein Bauchgefühl sagte mir, dass der Vertrag einen Fehler enthielt, obwohl ich keinen fand.
My gut feeling told me that there was an error in the contract, even though I couldn't find one.
Ich hatte die Ahnung, dass der Vertrag einen Fehler enthielt, konnte aber keinen finden.
I had a hunch that there was an error in the contract, but I couldn't find one.
