die Laune
mood
A person's current mood or state of mind.
EXAMPLE
Er hatte heute Morgen richtig schlechte Laune, aber jetzt ist er wieder fröhlich.
He was in a really bad mood this morning, but now he's cheerful again.
die Laune
mood / whim
die Laune, die Launen
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Meanings
die Laune
whim
A sudden, often unreasonable idea or wish; a caprice. Mostly used in the plural.
EXAMPLE
Man muss nicht jede Laune des Chefs mitmachen.
You don't have to go along with every whim of the boss.
eine Laune der Natur
a freak of nature
A fixed expression for an unusual, strange, or unexpected phenomenon in nature.
EXAMPLE
Ein vierblättriges Kleeblatt ist eine seltene Laune der Natur.
A four-leaf clover is a rare freak of nature.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Laune, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Launen |
| genitive | der Laune |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Laune | die Launen |
| accusative | die Laune | die Launen |
| dative | der Laune | den Launen |
| genitive | der Laune | der Launen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Typical adjectives
'Laune' (mood) is almost always combined with an adjective that describes the mood. The most common combinations are 'gute Laune' (good mood) and 'schlechte Laune' (bad mood).
EXAMPLE
Trotz des schlechten Wetters hatte sie den ganzen Tag gute Laune.
Despite the bad weather, she was in a good mood all day.
Typical verbs
Fixed expressions with verbs include 'gute/schlechte Laune haben' (to be in a good/bad mood), 'jemandem die Laune verderben' (to spoil someone's mood), or 'jemanden bei Laune halten' (to keep someone in a good mood).
EXAMPLE
Lass dir von dieser Kleinigkeit nicht die Laune verderben!
Don't let this little thing spoil your mood!
Singular vs. plural
In the singular, 'die Laune' almost always refers to mood. In the plural, 'die Launen' often means sudden, unreasonable ideas or changeable wishes.
EXAMPLE
Seine gute Laune von heute Morgen ist schon wieder vorbei.
His good mood from this morning is already gone again.
Fixed expression
The idiom 'eine Laune der Natur' (a freak of nature) refers to an unusual, strange, or unexpected phenomenon in nature that deviates from the norm.
EXAMPLE
Ein weißer Tiger ist eine seltene Laune der Natur.
A white tiger is a rare freak of nature.
Compare with
Laune vs Lust
desire / pleasure
Lust refers to the specific willingness or desire to do something. Laune means a person's current mood, which can influence that willingness. Someone who does not want to do a particular activity hat keine Lust; someone who is generally in a bad mood hat schlechte Laune.
Laune
Wegen ihrer schlechten Laune möchte Nora nach der Arbeit nicht ausgehen.
Because she is in a bad mood, Nora doesn't want to go out after work.
Lust
Nach der Arbeit hat Nora keine Lust, auszugehen.
After work, Nora doesn't feel like going out.
In real life
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