01
getroffen
hurt
Feeling personally attacked, hurt, or offended by a comment or action.
example
Nach seiner scharfen Kritik fühlte sie sich sichtlich getroffen.
After his harsh criticism, she was visibly hurt.
getroffen
hurt / accurate
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
01 / 02
Usage tips
Word structure
'Getroffen' is the past participle of 'treffen' (to meet / to hit). Both adjective meanings come from the idea that something 'hits the mark': either a comment hits a person emotionally, or a description captures reality very accurately.
EXAMPLE
Seine Worte haben sie tief getroffen.
His words hurt her deeply.
Context clue
You can easily distinguish the meanings: when a person is the subject and feelings are involved, it means 'verletzt' (hurt), e.g. 'sie fühlt sich getroffen' (she feels hurt). When it is about the quality of an image or description, it means 'passend' (apt / accurate), e.g. 'das Foto ist gut getroffen' (the photo came out well / is a good likeness).
EXAMPLE
Er war von der Kritik sichtlich getroffen.
He was visibly hurt by the criticism.
Sentence structure and usage
To express that someone is emotionally hurt, the phrase 'sich getroffen fühlen' (to feel hurt) is often used. Alternatively, you can also use 'getroffen sein' (to be hurt).
EXAMPLE
Warum fühlst du dich immer gleich persönlich getroffen?
Why do you always immediately feel personally hurt?
Typical collocations
In the meaning 'passend dargestellt' (accurately represented), 'getroffen' is almost always accompanied by an adverb that evaluates the quality. Typical phrases are 'gut getroffen' (well captured / a good likeness), 'perfekt getroffen' (perfectly captured), 'ausgezeichnet getroffen' (excellently captured), or also 'schlecht getroffen' (poorly captured).
EXAMPLE
Der Witz in der Zeitung war wirklich gut getroffen.
The joke in the newspaper was really well aimed.
Compare with
getroffen vs passend
suitable / fitting
'passend' and 'getroffen' can both express that something fits a person or situation well. 'passend' is more general and means that something is suitable or appropriate. 'getroffen' is used here mainly for descriptions, images, or comments that show the essential point very precisely. A 'passende Beschreibung' is therefore suitably appropriate; a 'getroffene Beschreibung' is especially accurate and apt.
getroffen
Die Zeichnung ist sehr getroffen, weil man den Politiker sofort erkennt.
The drawing is very accurate because you recognize the politician immediately.
passend
Für die Einladung sucht Lisa noch ein passendes Foto.
Lisa is still looking for a suitable photo for the invitation.
In real life
Loading video examples...