01
mies
lousy
Colloquial for very bad, of poor quality, or unpleasant.
example
Der Film war total mies, ich bin fast eingeschlafen.
The film was totally lousy; I almost fell asleep.
mies
lousy / awful
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Colloquial language
'Mies' (lousy/awful) is a colloquial word and is mainly used in spoken or informal communication. It is rather uncommon in formal texts.
EXAMPLE
Ich hatte heute einen richtig miesen Tag im Büro.
I had a really lousy day at the office today.
Context clue
If 'mies' refers to a person or action, it often means 'mean'. If it refers to a thing or situation, it means 'of poor quality'. When used with 'mir ist...' (I feel...), it describes physical discomfort.
EXAMPLE
Das war eine miese Aktion von dir!
That was a mean thing for you to do!
Feeling unwell
To express that someone feels unwell, you use the construction 'jemandem ist mies' (someone feels awful). The person is in the dative case. Alternatively, you can also say 'sich mies fühlen' (to feel awful).
EXAMPLE
Iss das lieber nicht, sonst ist dir nachher mies.
You'd better not eat that, or you'll feel awful later.
Compare with
mies vs gut
good
'gut' and 'mies' are often clear opposites. 'gut' describes something positive: a good performance, a good feeling, or good behavior. 'mies' is a colloquial word meaning very bad, unpleasant, or unfair. So you can say that a film is 'gut' or 'mies', that someone is doing well or feels awful, or that someone's behavior was good or lousy. 'mies' is much more informal and more strongly colored than 'schlecht' (bad). In formal situations, it is better to use 'schlecht' or a more precise description.
mies
Morgen bleibt sie zu Hause, weil sie sich mies fühlt.
Tomorrow she is staying home because she feels awful.
gut
Nach der langen Fahrt hat sie sich im Bus gut unterhalten.
After the long trip, she had a good conversation on the bus.
In real life
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