serious / seriously
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serious
Describes a person, situation, or intention that is serious and not in the mood for joking.
Sie führte ein ernsthaftes Gespräch mit ihrem Chef über ihre Zukunft.
She had a serious conversation with her boss about her future.
serious
Expresses that something is severe, concerning, or dangerous, especially with illnesses, problems, or consequences.
Die Dürre hat ernsthafte Folgen für die Landwirtschaft.
The drought has serious consequences for agriculture.
seriously
Used as an adverb to express disbelief or astonishment; in the sense of 'really' or 'seriously'.
Glaubst du ernsthaft, dass das funktionieren wird?
Do you seriously believe that will work?
The word consists of the adjective 'ernst' (serious) and the suffix '-haft'. The suffix '-haft' forms adjectives and means 'of the nature of' or 'full of'. 'Ernsthaft' (serious/seriously) is therefore an intensification of 'ernst' (serious).
Er hat ein ernsthaftes Interesse an der Stelle gezeigt.
He showed a serious interest in the position.
'Ernsthaft' can be used as an adjective before a noun or as an adverb to describe a verb. As an adverb, it means 'in a serious way' or 'intensely'.
Das ist ein ernsthaftes Thema, über das wir sprechen müssen.
That is a serious topic that we need to talk about.
In this meaning, 'ernsthaft' is often combined with negative things to emphasize their severity. Typical collocations are 'eine ernsthafte Krankheit' (a serious illness), 'ernsthafte Zweifel' (serious doubts), or 'ernsthaft verletzt sein' (to be seriously injured).
Die Firma hat mit ernsthaften finanziellen Problemen zu kämpfen.
The company is struggling with serious financial problems.
As a single word or at the beginning of a question, 'Ernsthaft?' expresses strong astonishment or disbelief in colloquial speech. Here it works like a question particle and means something like 'Really?'.
Ernsthaft? Du hast den ganzen Kuchen allein gegessen?
Seriously? You ate the whole cake by yourself?
really
In a surprised question, wirklich and ernsthaft can both ask whether something actually happened. ernsthaft usually sounds more like doubt, a challenge, or disapproval, while wirklich can also express neutral surprise. Choose ernsthaft when you clearly question the statement.
Du hast ernsthaft den Schlüssel verloren?
Did you seriously lose the key?
Du hast wirklich den Schlüssel verloren?
Did you really lose the key?
