01
mühsam
arduous
Involving great effort, exertion, or patience; difficult or time-consuming.
example
Der Aufstieg auf den Berg war mühsam, aber die Aussicht hat sich gelohnt.
The climb up the mountain was arduous, but the view was worth it.
mühsam
arduous / tedious
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Word formation
The adjective 'mühsam' (arduous / tedious) is derived from the noun 'die Mühe' (effort). The ending '-sam' means something like 'full of'. So 'mühsam' literally means 'full of effort'.
EXAMPLE
Das war eine mühsame Aufgabe, aber jetzt ist sie fertig.
That was a tedious task, but now it's finished.
Typical collocations
In its main meaning, 'mühsam' often describes physical or mental efforts. Typical nouns are 'Arbeit' (work), 'Aufgabe' (task), 'Weg' (path/way), or 'Suche' (search).
EXAMPLE
Die Suche nach der verlorenen Brieftasche war lang und mühsam.
The search for the lost wallet was long and arduous.
Adverbial use
As an adverb, 'mühsam' describes how an action is carried out: slowly and with a lot of effort. It then stands directly with the verb.
EXAMPLE
Der alte Mann bewegte sich mühsam die Treppe hinauf.
The old man moved laboriously up the stairs.
Colloquial meaning
Colloquially, 'mühsam' can also describe a person or situation that you find annoying or complicated. This use is informal and slightly negative.
EXAMPLE
Ein Gespräch mit ihm zu führen ist mühsam, er hört einfach nicht zu.
Having a conversation with him is tedious; he simply doesn't listen.
Compare with
mühsam vs schwer
heavy / difficult
'schwer' and 'mühsam' both describe something that does not go easily. 'schwer' mainly says that something is difficult or demanding. 'mühsam' puts more emphasis on the effort, patience, or long duration involved. A task can be 'schwer' because you have to think a lot. Work is 'mühsam' when it progresses slowly and costs a lot of energy or patience. 'mühsam' often sounds a little like annoyance or exhaustion.
mühsam
Das Ausfüllen der vielen Formulare war mühsam und dauerte den ganzen Vormittag.
Filling out all the forms was tedious and took the whole morning.
schwer
Für Aylin ist der Text schwer, weil viele neue Wörter darin stehen.
For Aylin, the text is difficult because it contains many new words.
In real life
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