hip
Modern, fashionable, and trendy, especially in relation to trends in culture, music, or lifestyle.
EXAMPLE
Diese Bar in einem alten Fabrikgebäude ist gerade total hip.
This bar in an old factory building is totally hip right now.
hip
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Meanings
Usage tips
Origin and register
'Hip' is a loanword from English and is used in colloquial German to express that something is modern and on trend. It does not belong to formal written language.
EXAMPLE
Er trägt immer die neusten Sneaker, er will wohl hip sein.
He always wears the newest sneakers; he probably wants to be hip.
Adjective declension
When 'hip' comes before a noun, it must be declined like any other German adjective. Many learners forget this because it is a foreign word.
EXAMPLE
Wir haben gestern in einem hippen Café in der Innenstadt gesessen.
Yesterday we sat in a hip café in the city center.
Sentence structure
The adjective 'hip' is very often used predicatively, meaning it comes after verbs like 'sein' (to be), 'werden' (to become), or 'finden' (to find/consider).
EXAMPLE
Ich finde diesen neuen Musikstil gar nicht so hip.
I don't find this new music style all that hip.
Compare with
hip vs cool
cool
Cool and hip can both describe a modern style of music or lifestyle. Hip emphasizes above all that something is part of current cultural trends and is currently fashionable. Cool gives it a more general evaluation as impressive or fashionable and can also express a relaxed vibe.
hip
Der neue Musikstil ist hip, weil er gerade in vielen Clubs angesagt ist.
The new music style is hip because it is currently popular in many clubs.
cool
Der neue Musikstil ist cool, weil er lässig und beeindruckend klingt.
The new music style is cool because it sounds relaxed and impressive.
In real life
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