gewöhnlich
ordinary
As an adjective: normal, usual, everyday, and not special or extraordinary.
EXAMPLE
Es war ein ganz gewöhnlicher Dienstag ohne besondere Vorkommnisse.
It was a completely ordinary Tuesday with no special incidents.
gewöhnlich
ordinary / usually
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Meanings
gewöhnlich
usually
As an adverb: normally, as a rule, most of the time.
EXAMPLE
Gewöhnlich trinke ich morgens einen Kaffee.
Usually, I drink a coffee in the morning.
gewöhnlich
vulgar
Derogatory: crude, unrefined, or without good manners; vulgar.
EXAMPLE
Sein lautes und respektloses Verhalten wurde als gewöhnlich empfunden.
His loud and disrespectful behavior was perceived as vulgar.
Usage tips
Word family
'Gewöhnlich' (ordinary / usually) belongs to the word family of 'die Gewohnheit' (habit) and 'sich gewöhnen' (to get used to). So it describes something that has become a habit or that one has gotten used to.
EXAMPLE
Es ist meine Gewohnheit, morgens früh aufzustehen.
It is my habit to get up early in the morning.
Word order as an adverb
When 'gewöhnlich' (usually) stands at the beginning of a sentence as an adverb, the verb follows in second position (inversion). If it stands within the sentence, it is usually placed after the conjugated verb.
EXAMPLE
Gewöhnlich gehe ich am Wochenende spazieren.
Usually, I go for a walk on the weekend.
Context clue
The derogatory meaning 'ordinär' (vulgar) can be recognized from context. When 'gewöhnlich' (vulgar) negatively describes behavior, language, or taste, this is the meaning intended. Tone is crucial here.
EXAMPLE
Ihre gewöhnlichen Witze kamen auf der Feier nicht gut an.
Her vulgar jokes did not go over well at the party.
Compare with
oftmeistnormalmeistensnormalerweiseüblichdurchschnittlichüblicherweiseherkömmlichalltäglicherfahrungsgemäss
gewöhnlich vs oft
often
Oft and gewöhnlich can both describe recurring behavior. Oft focuses on the number of occurrences, whereas gewöhnlich focuses on the usual or normal case. Use oft for many individual occasions and gewöhnlich when you want to say what normally happens.
gewöhnlich
Ich trinke gewöhnlich morgens Kaffee, aber manchmal Tee.
I usually drink coffee in the morning, but sometimes I drink tea.
oft
Ich trinke oft morgens Kaffee, aber manchmal Tee.
I often drink coffee in the morning, but sometimes I drink tea.
In real life
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