das Staunen
amazement
A feeling of great surprise or admiration at something unexpected, unusual, or impressive.
EXAMPLE
Beim Anblick der riesigen Gletscher war ihr Staunen groß.
Her amazement at the sight of the enormous glaciers was immense.
das Staunen
amazement
das Staunen
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Meanings
jemanden in Staunen versetzen
to amaze
To cause someone to feel great surprise or admiration.
EXAMPLE
Die Fähigkeiten der jungen Pianistin versetzten das Publikum in Staunen.
The young pianist's abilities amazed the audience.
aus dem Staunen nicht herauskommen
to keep marveling
To feel very surprised or impressed repeatedly or for a prolonged period.
EXAMPLE
Bei der Führung durch den prächtigen Palast kamen wir aus dem Staunen nicht heraus.
During the tour of the magnificent palace, we kept marveling at what we saw.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Staunen, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| genitive | des Staunens |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Staunen | – |
| accusative | das Staunen | – |
| dative | dem Staunen | – |
| genitive | des Staunens | – |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Word family
'Das Staunen' (amazement) belongs to the same word family as 'staunen' (to marvel) and expresses the feeling or process as a noun. It is often used with 'über' (at) followed by the accusative, or in the fixed expression 'zu meinem Staunen' (to my amazement).
EXAMPLE
Zu meinem Staunen kannte das kleine Kind bereits alle Planeten.
To my amazement, the small child already knew all the planets.
Sein Staunen über die technische Erfindung war deutlich zu sehen.
His amazement at the technological invention was clearly visible.
Fixed construction
In 'jemanden in Staunen versetzen' (to amaze someone), the person who is surprised or impressed is in the accusative case. The fixed construction is 'jemanden in Staunen versetzen', not 'jemandem in Staunen versetzen'.
EXAMPLE
Die Musikerin versetzte das Publikum mit ihrem Auftritt in Staunen.
The musician amazed the audience with her performance.
Fixed expression
In 'aus dem Staunen nicht herauskommen' (to keep marveling), 'aus' takes the dative; 'dem Staunen' is a fixed part of the expression. This expression is particularly suitable when surprise or admiration lasts for some time.
EXAMPLE
Wegen der überraschenden Wendungen kamen die Zuschauer aus dem Staunen nicht heraus.
The viewers kept marveling at the surprising twists.
In real life
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