to harmonize
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to harmonize
To go well together and form a pleasant, coherent whole. This can refer to the interaction between people, the appearance of colors, the taste of foods, or the sound of notes in music.
Die Rotweinsauce harmoniert wunderbar mit dem kräftigen Geschmack des Fleisches.
The red wine sauce harmonizes wonderfully with the strong flavor of the meat.
The verb 'harmonieren' (to harmonize) belongs to a word family with the noun 'die Harmonie' (harmony) and the adjective 'harmonisch' (harmonious). All of these words express that something goes well together and feels coherent.
Die Einrichtung des Zimmers ist sehr harmonisch.
The room's furnishings are very harmonious.
To express what goes well together, 'harmonieren' (to harmonize) is very often used with the preposition 'mit' (with). The structure is: A harmoniert mit B (A harmonizes with B).
Der Käse harmoniert hervorragend mit dem süßen Senf.
The cheese harmonizes excellently with the sweet mustard.
To describe the quality of the harmony, adverbs such as 'gut' (well), 'perfekt' (perfectly), 'wunderbar' (wonderfully), or 'hervorragend' (excellently) are often used directly before or after the verb.
Die beiden Sänger harmonieren stimmlich perfekt.
The two singers harmonize perfectly vocally.
to fit / suit / pass
'passen' and 'harmonieren' can both say that things go well together. 'passen' is very broad and neutral in everyday language: an appointment, a color, or a decision can 'passen'. 'harmonieren' sounds more precise when several things form a pleasant whole together, for example colors, flavors, sounds, or people. It places more emphasis on the beautiful or calm way things work together. Learners may confuse the words because in some sentences you can say both. 'passen' is often simpler and more general, while 'harmonieren' fits better when it is about a particularly coherent interaction.
Die hellen Möbel harmonieren schön mit der blauen Wand.
The light-colored furniture harmonizes beautifully with the blue wall.
Nach dem Unterricht passt mir ein kurzer Termin sehr gut.
After class, a short appointment suits me very well.