fasting / sober
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fasting
Describing the state of not having eaten or drunk anything, often before a medical examination or in the morning.
Für die Blutabnahme müssen Sie morgen früh nüchtern in die Praxis kommen.
For the blood test, you must come to the doctor's office fasting tomorrow morning.
sober
Not under the influence of alcohol; the opposite of drunk.
Der Fahrer war bei der Polizeikontrolle vollkommen nüchtern.
The driver was completely sober during the police check.
level-headed
Describing an objective, unemotional, and rational manner. It can refer to a person, an analysis, or a style.
Sie betrachtete die Situation mit einem ganz nüchternen Blick.
She looked at the situation with a completely level-headed view.
plain
Simple and without ornaments or decoration, often used in connection with design, furnishings, or architecture.
Das Büro war sehr nüchtern eingerichtet, nur mit dem Nötigsten.
The office was furnished in a very plain way, with only the essentials.
The most common meanings are 'not having eaten' and 'not drunk'. The context makes the difference: in a medical setting (doctor, surgery), it means 'without eating'. In the context of parties, driving, or alcohol, it means 'not drunk'.
Vor der Operation müssen Sie acht Stunden nüchtern bleiben.
Before the operation, you must remain fasting for eight hours.
In a medical context, 'nüchtern' (fasting) is almost always used with the verbs 'sein' (to be) or 'bleiben' (to remain). You are fasting for an examination or must remain fasting for an operation.
Bitte denken Sie daran, für die Blutuntersuchung nüchtern zu sein.
Please remember to be fasting for the blood test.
To emphasize that someone has drunk absolutely no alcohol, you can use the word 'stocknüchtern' (stone-cold sober). It is a fixed and colloquial intensifier.
Er schwor der Polizei, er sei stocknüchtern gewesen.
He swore to the police that he had been stone-cold sober.
In the meaning of 'objective', 'nüchtern' (level-headed) is often used to describe a rational approach. Typical combinations are 'eine nüchterne Analyse' (a sober analysis), 'ein nüchterner Blick' (a level-headed view), or 'etwas nüchtern betrachten' (to look at something objectively).
Eine nüchterne Betrachtung der Fakten zeigt, dass wir den Plan ändern müssen.
A sober assessment of the facts shows that we need to change the plan.
When it is about rooms, buildings, or design, 'nüchtern' (plain) means simple and without decoration. It describes a minimalist style that is reduced to the essentials.
Die Architektur des neuen Museums ist bewusst nüchtern gehalten.
The architecture of the new museum is deliberately kept plain.
dry
Trocken usually describes long-term abstinence in a person who has alcohol dependence. Nüchtern, by contrast, refers to the temporary state of not being under the influence of alcohol and says nothing about any previous dependence. Someone who lives trocken is therefore nüchtern, but a nüchterne person does not necessarily live trocken.
Bei der Kontrolle am Abend war Paul nüchtern.
Paul was sober when he was checked that evening.
Nach seiner Therapie lebt Paul seit fünf Jahren trocken.
After his treatment, Paul has been sober for five years.
