krank
sick
Suffering from an illness; not physically or mentally healthy.
EXAMPLE
Er kann heute nicht zur Arbeit kommen, er ist krank.
He can't come to work today; he's sick.
krank
sick
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
krank
sick
Colloquial for crazy, disturbed, or morally reprehensible.
EXAMPLE
Seine Eifersucht ist echt krank.
His jealousy is really sick.
krank
sick
A youth-slang expression that describes something as extreme, unbelievable, or impressive, often with admiration.
EXAMPLE
Wow, der neue Song ist ja mal richtig krank!
Wow, that new song is seriously sick!
kranken an
to suffer from
Describes that something has a flaw or a fundamental problem; to suffer from something.
EXAMPLE
Das politische System krankt an einem Mangel an Transparenz.
The political system suffers from a lack of transparency.
Usage tips
Word family
'Krank' (sick) is the base word for many important nouns such as 'die Krankheit' (illness) or 'das Krankenhaus' (hospital). If you understand 'krank' (sick), you can more easily work out these related words.
EXAMPLE
Wegen einer schweren Krankheit musste er operiert werden.
Because of a serious illness, he had to have surgery.
Typical use
When someone cannot go to work or school because of illness, German uses the fixed expression 'sich krankmelden' (to call in sick). The verb 'krankmelden' is used reflexively here.
EXAMPLE
Ich fühle mich nicht gut, ich glaube, ich melde mich für heute krank.
I don't feel well; I think I'll call in sick for today.
Fixed preposition
The verb 'kranken' is always used with the preposition 'an' and the dative. It metaphorically describes a fundamental problem or deficiency in a system or organization, not a person.
EXAMPLE
Viele Unternehmen kranken an einer veralteten Organisationsstruktur.
Many companies suffer from an outdated organizational structure.
Colloquial meaning
In colloquial use, 'krank' (sick) can express a negative judgment and then means 'verrückt' (crazy), 'gestört' (disturbed), or 'moralisch seltsam' (morally strange). It often refers to ideas or behavior.
EXAMPLE
Er kontrolliert ständig ihr Handy, das ist doch krank.
He constantly checks her phone; that's just sick.
Youth-slang meaning
In youth slang, 'krank' (sick) often has a positive meaning and expresses that something is extremely good, impressive, or unbelievable. Tone of voice and context make the difference from the negative meaning clear.
EXAMPLE
Hast du das Tor gesehen? Das war einfach nur krank!
Did you see that goal? That was just sick!
Compare with
krank vs verrückt
crazy
krank and verrückt can colloquially be used to judge a shocking or unreasonable action. Verrückt emphasizes the irrational or daring aspect, while krank usually sounds stronger and can suggest something morally repulsive or disturbed. Use verrückt for risky ideas and krank for a particularly extreme judgment.
krank
Dass er trotz der Warnung allein durch den Sturm wandert, ist krank.
It’s sick that he walks through the storm alone despite the warning.
verrückt
Seine Idee, allein durch den Sturm zu wandern, ist verrückt.
His idea of walking through the storm alone is crazy.
In real life
Loading video examples...