bös
evil
Morally bad, cruel, or intent on harming others.
EXAMPLE
Die böse Hexe wollte den Kindern Angst machen.
The evil witch wanted to frighten the children.
bös
evil / angry / nasty
bös – böser – am bösesten
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Meanings
bös auf
angry with
Annoyed or angry with someone, usually because of something that person has done.
EXAMPLE
Bist du noch böse auf mich?
Are you still angry with me?
bös
nasty
Very unpleasant, harmful, or serious; this meaning is often used for problems, events, or injuries.
EXAMPLE
Er hat sich bei dem Unfall eine böse Verletzung zugezogen.
He suffered a nasty injury in the accident.
bös
very
Used colloquially as an intensifier meaning 'sehr' (very) or 'äußerst' (extremely).
EXAMPLE
Das war bös teuer.
That was very expensive.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry bös, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Comparison
| basic form | bös |
|---|---|
| comparative | böser |
| superlative | am bösesten |
After der, die, das
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -e | -e | -e | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -e | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to bös.
After ein, eine
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to bös.
Without article
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -e |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -e |
| dat. | -em | -er | -em | -en |
| gen. | -en | -er | -en | -er |
Add the ending to bös.
Usage tips
Fixed preposition
In the expression 'böse auf' (angry with), the person following 'auf' is in the accusative case. Here, the adjective describes one person's anger toward another person.
EXAMPLE
Warum bist du böse auf deinen Bruder?
Why are you angry with your brother?
Typical collocations
When meaning 'morally bad or harmful to others', 'böse' (evil) frequently occurs with words such as 'Absicht' (intention), 'Mensch' (person), 'Worte' (words), or 'Tat' (deed).
EXAMPLE
Sie vermutete eine böse Absicht hinter seinem Vorschlag.
She suspected an evil intention behind his suggestion.
Typical collocations
When referring to unpleasant or serious problems, events, and injuries, 'böse' (nasty) often appears in fixed expressions, such as 'eine böse Verletzung' (a nasty injury), 'ein böser Sturz' (a nasty fall), or 'eine böse Überraschung' (a nasty surprise).
EXAMPLE
Nach dem bösen Sturz musste er mehrere Wochen pausieren.
After the nasty fall, he had to take several weeks off.
Colloquial intensifier
As an intensifier, 'bös' (very) is used colloquially before an adjective or adverb and means 'sehr' (very). In this use, its form does not change.
EXAMPLE
Draußen war es gestern bös kalt.
It was very cold outside yesterday.
In real life
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