ein Faible für
a soft spot for
A particular fondness or weakness for someone or something.
EXAMPLE
Sie hat ein Faible für alte französische Filme.
She has a soft spot for old French films.
das Faible
soft spot / penchant
das Faible, die Faibles
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Faible, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| plural | die Faibles |
| genitive | des Faibles |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Faible | die Faibles |
| accusative | das Faible | die Faibles |
| dative | dem Faible | den Faibles |
| genitive | des Faibles | der Faibles |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Register and style
'Faible' often sounds elevated and is especially common in written or more sophisticated texts.
EXAMPLE
Der Journalist hat ein Faible für ungewöhnliche Geschichten.
The journalist has a penchant for unusual stories.
Fixed preposition
In this meaning, 'Faible' almost always occurs with 'für' (for). 'Für' is followed by the accusative, regardless of whether it refers to a person or a thing.
EXAMPLE
Er hat ein Faible für historische Romane.
He has a soft spot for historical novels.
Sie hat ein Faible für charmante Musiker.
She has a soft spot for charming musicians.
Typical collocations
Common sentence patterns include 'ein Faible für etwas haben' (to have a soft spot for something) and 'ein Faible für etwas entwickeln' (to develop a penchant for something). The things referred to are often topics, styles, hobbies, or particular groups of people.
EXAMPLE
Im Laufe der Jahre entwickelte sie ein Faible für klassische Architektur.
Over the years, she developed a penchant for classical architecture.
In real life
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