careless / casual
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careless
Not applying the necessary care or attention; inattentive or sloppy when carrying out a task.
Durch seine nachlässige Arbeit sind viele Fehler im Dokument entstanden.
Because of his careless work, many errors appeared in the document.
casual
In relation to clothing and appearance: deliberately relaxed, informal, or also somewhat untidy.
Am Wochenende kleidet er sich gern nachlässig in Jeans und einem alten Pullover.
On weekends, he likes to dress casually in jeans and an old sweater.
The word is derived from the verb 'nachlassen' (to decrease / to let up), which means 'to become less' or 'to lose intensity'. A 'nachlässige' (careless) person is therefore someone whose care or attention has decreased.
Seit er müde ist, lässt seine Konzentration nach und er wird nachlässig.
Since he has been tired, his concentration has been decreasing and he is becoming careless.
If 'nachlässig' (careless) refers to work, tasks, or behavior, it means 'inattentive' or 'sloppy'. If it refers to clothing or appearance, it means 'casual' or 'relaxed'.
Wegen seiner nachlässigen Arbeitsweise gab es viele Beschwerden.
Because of his careless way of working, there were many complaints.
To name the area in which someone is careless, German often uses the preposition 'bei' (with / in) with the dative. The structure is: 'nachlässig bei etwas sein' (to be careless with something / in doing something).
Sie ist oft nachlässig bei der Kontrolle ihrer Rechnungen.
She is often careless when checking her bills.
superficial / shallow
Both words can criticize an inadequate examination or treatment. „Oberflächlich“ means that important depth or detail is missing, while „nachlässig“ emphasizes a lack of care and attention. Use „oberflächlich“ when the content is not examined thoroughly enough, and „nachlässig“ when mistakes result from carelessness.
Die Prüfung des Falls war nachlässig und übersah mehrere wichtige Angaben.
The examination of the case was careless and overlooked several important details.
Die Prüfung des Falls war oberflächlich und berücksichtigte nur die sichtbaren Fakten.
The examination of the case was superficial and considered only the visible facts.
