gefährlich
dangerous
Describes something that poses a danger and can lead to harm, injuries, or negative consequences.
EXAMPLE
Das Überqueren der Straße bei roter Ampel ist sehr gefährlich.
Crossing the street at a red light is very dangerous.
gefährlich
dangerous
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word family
The adjective 'gefährlich' (dangerous) is derived directly from the noun 'die Gefahr' (danger). The ending '-lich' is often used to form an adjective from a noun.
EXAMPLE
In dieser Gegend gibt es viele Gefahren, es ist dort sehr gefährlich.
There are many dangers in this area; it is very dangerous there.
Sentence structure with 'für'
To express for whom or what something is dangerous, you use the preposition 'für' (for) with the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Rauchen ist gefährlich für die Gesundheit.
Smoking is dangerous for your health.
Sentence structure with infinitive
A very common construction is 'es ist gefährlich, etwas zu tun' (it is dangerous to do something). Here, 'es' introduces the sentence, and the dangerous action follows in an infinitive clause with 'zu'.
EXAMPLE
Es ist gefährlich, bei Gewitter im See zu schwimmen.
It is dangerous to swim in the lake during a thunderstorm.
Typical collocations
'Gefährlich' (dangerous) is often used to describe nouns such as 'Situation' (situation), 'Tier' (animal), 'Gegend' (area), or 'Stoff' (substance). A common intensified form is the word 'lebensgefährlich' (life-threatening).
EXAMPLE
Er erlitt bei dem Unfall lebensgefährliche Verletzungen.
He suffered life-threatening injuries in the accident.
Compare with
gefährlich vs kritisch
critical
Gefährlich and kritisch can both describe a serious condition. Gefährlich emphasizes that harm is specifically threatened. Kritisch refers more to an unstable or decisive point at which the situation could take a turn for the worse.
gefährlich
Der Zustand des Patienten ist gefährlich, weil seine Atmung plötzlich aussetzen kann.
The patient’s condition is dangerous because his breathing could suddenly stop.
kritisch
Der Zustand des Patienten ist kritisch, weil die nächsten Stunden über seine Erholung entscheiden.
The patient’s condition is critical because the next few hours will determine his recovery.
In real life
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