doll
great
Colloquial for great, awesome, or fantastic.
EXAMPLE
Das war eine dolle Überraschung, vielen Dank!
That was a great surprise, thank you very much!
doll
great / intense
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Meanings
doll
wild / intense
Colloquial for crazy, wild, intense, or extreme.
EXAMPLE
Die Kinder haben heute Nachmittag ganz doll getobt.
The children romped around really wildly this afternoon.
doll
very / really
Colloquially used as an adverb meaning 'very' or 'strongly.'
EXAMPLE
Ich habe mich doll über dein Geschenk gefreut.
I was really happy about your gift.
Usage tips
False friend
'Doll' does not mean the English word 'doll' (toy doll). It is a colloquial word for 'toll' (great), 'stark' (strong/intense), or 'verrückt' (crazy). The German translation for the toy figure is 'die Puppe' (the doll).
EXAMPLE
Das war ein dolles Fest gestern Abend!
That was a great party last night!
Colloquial style
The word 'doll' is used almost exclusively in spoken, informal language. In written or formal contexts, it sounds inappropriate.
EXAMPLE
Meine Oma findet meine neue Frisur ganz doll.
My grandma thinks my new hairstyle is really great.
Use as an adverb
'Doll' can be used like 'sehr' (very) or 'stark' (strongly) to intensify a verb. In that case, it stays unchanged and is not declined with the verb.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe mich doll erschrocken, als du gerufen hast.
I got really scared when you shouted.
Compare with
doll vs sehr
very
Sehr and doll can both strongly intensify an adjective. Sehr is neutral and appropriate in all standard situations; doll is used adverbially here and sounds much more colloquial. In a casual conversation, both are therefore often possible, while sehr is a better fit in neutral language.
doll
Das Konzert war doll laut.
The concert was really loud.
sehr
Das Konzert war sehr laut.
The concert was very loud.
In real life
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