01
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
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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
gewöhnlich vs einfach
simple / just
'einfach' and 'gewöhnlich' can both describe that something is not special. However, 'einfach' can also mean that something is easy and not complicated. It can also mean plain or without luxury. 'gewöhnlich' is closer to normal, usual, or everyday. Learners may confuse the words because both can sometimes express the opposite of special or elaborate. For level of difficulty, you say 'einfach'. If you want to say that something is normal or nothing special, 'gewöhnlich' fits better.
gewöhnlich
Das war ein gewöhnlicher Arbeitstag ohne besondere Ereignisse.
It was an ordinary workday with no special events.
einfach
Die Übung ist einfach, weil alle Wörter schon bekannt sind.
The exercise is easy because all the words are already familiar.
In real life
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