hinüber
across
Expresses movement to the other side of something, away from the speaker.
EXAMPLE
Kommst du kurz zu mir hinüber?
Are you coming over to me for a moment?
hinüber
across / broken / gone
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
hinüber
broken
Colloquial for broken, destroyed, or no longer functional.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Sturz war mein Handy komplett hinüber.
After the fall, my phone was completely broken.
hinüber
passed away
A euphemistic, meaning softened, way of saying dead or deceased.
EXAMPLE
Nach langer Krankheit ist er letzte Nacht friedlich hinüber.
After a long illness, he passed away peacefully last night.
Usage tips
Word structure
The adverb 'hinüber' consists of 'hin' and 'über'. The prefix 'hin' describes movement away from the speaker, while 'über' indicates movement over a boundary or to the other side.
EXAMPLE
Siehst du den Kiosk dort? Ich gehe mal kurz hinüber und kaufe eine Zeitung.
Do you see the kiosk over there? I'll just go across and buy a newspaper.
Context clue
The literal meaning (movement) is almost always used with a verb of motion such as 'gehen' (to go), 'fahren' (to drive), or 'schauen' (to look). The colloquial meanings 'kaputt' (broken) or 'tot' (dead), on the other hand, almost always appear with the verb 'sein' (to be).
EXAMPLE
Er schwamm schnell zum anderen Ufer hinüber.
He quickly swam across to the other bank.
Register and style
In the meaning 'kaputt' (broken), 'hinüber' is very colloquial. In formal or written contexts, other expressions would be used.
EXAMPLE
Lass das Glas nicht fallen, sonst ist es hinüber!
Don't drop the glass, or it'll be broken!
Euphemism
The use of 'hinüber' for 'gestorben' (died) is a euphemism. That means it is a gentler, indirect way of referring to an unpleasant topic.
EXAMPLE
Der alte Hund meiner Nachbarin ist letzte Woche ganz friedlich hinüber.
My neighbor's old dog passed away very peacefully last week.
Compare with
hinüber vs tot
dead
Tot says directly and clearly that someone is no longer alive. Hinüber can express the same thing colloquially and euphemistically, but depending on the tone it can also sound flippant. Use tot for a clear statement and hinüber only when this particular euphemism suits the tone.
hinüber
Sein alter Nachbar ist letzte Woche hinübergegangen, wie er selbst immer scherzhaft sagte.
His elderly neighbor passed away last week, as he himself always jokingly said.
tot
Nach dem Unfall war sofort klar, dass der Fahrer tot war.
After the accident, it was immediately clear that the driver was dead.
In real life
Loading video examples...