heil
intact
Not damaged, broken, or injured; unharmed and whole.
EXAMPLE
Trotz des Sturzes ist das Glas heil geblieben.
Despite the fall, the glass remained intact.
heil
intact / safe / healed
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Meanings
heil
safe
Having arrived somewhere safely and without harm.
EXAMPLE
Nach der langen Fahrt sind wir endlich heil zu Hause angekommen.
After the long drive, we finally arrived home safe.
heil
healed
Fully recovered from an illness or injury; healed.
EXAMPLE
Die Wunde ist nach einer Woche wieder heil.
The wound is healed again after a week.
heil
ideal world
In the expression 'heile Welt' (ideal world): a state that is ideal, harmonious, and without problems.
EXAMPLE
In dem kleinen Dorf scheint die Welt noch heil zu sein.
In the small village, the world still seems to be ideal.
Usage tips
Word family
The adjective 'heil' (intact/safe/healed) is the root of the verb 'heilen' (to heal) and the noun 'die Heilung' (healing, the process of becoming healthy). All these words have to do with wholeness or health.
EXAMPLE
Der Arzt konnte die Krankheit heilen.
The doctor was able to heal the illness.
Sentence structure
'Heil' is usually used predicatively, meaning it appears at the end of a sentence after a verb like 'sein' (to be), 'bleiben' (to remain), or 'ankommen' (to arrive). Using it directly before a noun (attributively) is rare.
EXAMPLE
Die Tasse ist vom Tisch gefallen, aber sie ist heil geblieben.
The cup fell off the table, but it remained intact.
Typical combination
In the meaning 'arrived safely', 'heil' is very often used in the fixed combination 'heil ankommen' (to arrive safely).
EXAMPLE
Ich hoffe, ihr seid alle heil angekommen.
I hope you all arrived safely.
Context clue
You can tell from context whether 'heil' means 'intact' or 'healed'. If it refers to an object (e.g., glass, bicycle), it means 'intact'. If it refers to an injury (e.g., wound, bone), it means 'healed'.
EXAMPLE
Mein Handy ist heruntergefallen, aber das Display ist zum Glück noch heil.
My phone fell down, but luckily the display is still intact.
Fixed expression
The meaning 'harmonious' or 'ideal' occurs almost exclusively in the fixed expression 'heile Welt' (ideal world). This often describes, sometimes ironically, a naive or unrealistically positive state.
EXAMPLE
Viele Kinderfilme zeigen eine heile Welt ohne echte Probleme.
Many children's films show an ideal world without real problems.
Compare with
heil vs ganz
whole / quite
For an undamaged object, ganz and heil can express the same thing. The choice often depends on the usual phrasing and regional usage; there is no general difference in meaning here. Both words can therefore work in the same situation.
heil
Zum Glück ist die Tasse beim Umzug heil geblieben.
Luckily, the cup remained intact during the move.
ganz
Zum Glück ist die Tasse beim Umzug ganz geblieben.
Luckily, the cup remained intact during the move.
In real life
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