langwierig
lengthy
Lasting a very long time and often being laborious, complicated, or tiring.
EXAMPLE
Nach langwierigen Verhandlungen wurde endlich eine Einigung erzielt.
After lengthy negotiations, an agreement was finally reached.
langwierig
lengthy
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word structure
The word consists of 'lang' (long) and 'wierig'. The part '-wierig' is related to the old verb 'währen' (to last) and expresses that something not only takes a long time, but is also laborious.
EXAMPLE
Die Genesung nach der Operation war ein langwieriger Prozess.
Recovery after the operation was a lengthy process.
Typical collocations
'Langwierig' (lengthy) typically describes abstract processes. Common combinations are: 'ein langwieriger Prozess' (a lengthy process), 'langwierige Verhandlungen' (lengthy negotiations), 'eine langwierige Krankheit' (a long-lasting illness), or 'eine langwierige Suche' (a lengthy search).
EXAMPLE
Die Suche nach der Ursache des Problems war sehr langwierig.
The search for the cause of the problem was very lengthy.
Usage pattern
This adjective is used to describe the duration of processes or states, not the physical length of objects. You say 'eine langwierige Diskussion' (a lengthy discussion), but not 'ein langwieriger Tisch' (a lengthy table).
EXAMPLE
Es war eine langwierige Debatte mit vielen Unterbrechungen.
It was a lengthy debate with many interruptions.
Compare with
langwierig vs ewig
eternal / ages
Ewig is used colloquially as an exaggeration to show that someone experiences a period as very long. Langwierig describes more objectively that a process takes a long time and is often laborious or complicated. Use ewig for a subjective complaint, and langwierig for a neutral assessment.
langwierig
Die Reparatur ist langwierig, weil mehrere Ersatzteile fehlen.
The repair is lengthy because several replacement parts are missing.
ewig
Für mich dauert die Reparatur schon ewig.
The repair has been taking ages for me.
In real life
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