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emotional
Based on feelings or relating to them; full of feeling.
example
Die Band ist für ihre emotionalen Balladen bekannt.
The band is known for its emotional ballads.
emotional
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Word family
The adjective 'emotional' (emotional) is derived directly from the noun 'die Emotion' (emotion). So it means that something has to do with emotions or is shaped by them.
EXAMPLE
Der Abschied war für alle ein sehr emotionaler Moment.
The farewell was a very emotional moment for everyone.
Grammatical roles
'Emotional' (emotional) can stand before a noun, after a verb like 'sein' (to be), or be used as an adverb to describe an action.
EXAMPLE
Das war eine sehr emotionale Rede.
That was a very emotional speech.
Typical collocations
When it refers to a thing or situation, 'emotional' (emotional) is often combined with nouns such as 'Bindung' (bond), 'Intelligenz' (intelligence), 'Stress' (stress), or 'Unterstützung' (support).
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Unfall brauchte er viel emotionale Unterstützung von seiner Familie.
After the accident, he needed a lot of emotional support from his family.
Context clue
When 'emotional' (emotional) describes a person, it is often intensified by adverbs such as 'sehr' (very), 'extrem' (extremely), or 'eher' (rather) to emphasize the character trait.
EXAMPLE
Sie ist ein eher emotionaler Typ und zeigt ihre Gefühle offen.
She is a rather emotional type and shows her feelings openly.
Compare with
emotional vs heftig
violent / intense
'heftig' and 'emotional' can both have to do with strong feelings. 'heftig' describes how strong or loud a reaction, argument, or criticism is. It is often about the intensity of the moment. 'emotional' more often describes that feelings play an important role or that a person shows their feelings strongly. A conversation can be emotional without becoming loud or aggressive. An argument is 'heftig' when it is very intense and tense. So 'emotional' is more general for feelings, while 'heftig' emphasizes the strong effect or intense course of events.
emotional
Bleiben wir beim Termin ruhig, auch wenn das Thema emotional ist.
Let's stay calm at the meeting, even if the topic is emotional.
heftig
In der Pause haben wir wegen der Arbeit heftig diskutiert.
During the break, we had a heated discussion about work.
In real life
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