01
sachte
gently
In a gentle, slow, and careful way; without much force or noise.
example
Sie schloss sachte die Tür, um das schlafende Kind nicht zu wecken.
She gently closed the door so as not to wake the sleeping child.
sachte
gentle
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Meanings
Usage tips
Use as an adverb
'Sachte' (gently) is very often used as an adverb to describe how an action is carried out. It usually stands directly next to the verb.
EXAMPLE
Er legte dem Baby sachte die Decke über die Schultern.
He gently laid the blanket over the baby's shoulders.
Register and style
The word 'sachte' (gently) often sounds somewhat poetic, literary, or tender. It is used less often in neutral everyday language.
EXAMPLE
Der Wind strich sachte über die Felder.
The wind gently swept across the fields.
Typical collocations
'Sachte' (gently) often describes careful movements. Typical verbs are 'sachte berühren' (to touch gently), 'sachte aufstehen' (to get up gently/carefully), 'sachte landen' (to land gently), or 'sachte klopfen' (to knock gently).
EXAMPLE
Er klopfte sachte an die Holztür.
He knocked gently on the wooden door.
Compare with
sachte vs langsam
slow
'langsam' and 'sachte' can both mean that something does not happen quickly. The difference is in the focus. 'langsam' mainly describes low speed or a gradual development. 'sachte' also means gentle and careful, often without much force or noise. You use 'sachte' when someone does something gently, for example closing a door or touching a child. Learners may confuse the words because something done 'sachte' is often also slow. But not every slow action is 'sachte': a slow train is not automatically gentle or careful.
sachte
Lena legt das schlafende Baby sachte ins Bett.
Lena gently lays the sleeping baby in bed.
langsam
Heute fährt der Bus langsam, weil auf der Straße viel Verkehr ist.
Today the bus is going slowly because there is a lot of traffic on the road.
In real life
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