hoarse
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hoarse
Describes a voice that is rough, scratchy, and lacking resonance. This condition is often caused by a cold, excessive talking, or shouting.
Nach dem langen Vortrag war der Redner völlig heiser.
After the long lecture, the speaker was completely hoarse.
'Heiser' (hoarse) is most commonly used together with the verb 'sein' (to be) to describe a person's condition. The structure is: [person] + ist + heiser.
Ich kann kaum sprechen, ich bin total heiser.
I can hardly speak; I'm totally hoarse.
To state the reason for the hoarseness, you often use the preposition 'von' followed by the dative. Typical reasons are shouting, singing, or a cold.
Die Kinder sind vom vielen Rufen auf dem Spielplatz heiser.
The children are hoarse from all the shouting on the playground.
A fixed expression is 'sich heiser schreien' (to shout oneself hoarse) or 'sich heiser singen' (to sing oneself hoarse). It means that you shout or sing for so long and so loudly that your voice becomes hoarse.
Die Fans haben sich beim Konzert heiser gesungen.
The fans sang themselves hoarse at the concert.
rough
Rau and heiser can both describe a raspy voice. Rau mainly refers to the perceived tone of the voice, while heiser usually points to an impaired voice, for example after a cold or too much talking. Use rau for the sound, and heiser when the voice has temporarily changed.
Nach dem langen Konzert war ihre Stimme so heiser, dass sie kaum sprechen konnte.
After the long concert, her voice was so hoarse that she could barely speak.
Seine raue, tiefe Stimme passte gut zu der alten Figur im Film.
His rough, deep voice suited the old character in the film perfectly.
