mysterious
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mysterious
Incomprehensible, puzzling, or mysterious. Used to express that you cannot understand or explain something.
Es ist mir schleierhaft, wie er die Prüfung ohne zu lernen bestehen konnte.
It's a mystery to me how he was able to pass the exam without studying.
The adjective 'schleierhaft' (mysterious) is related to the noun 'der Schleier' (the veil). A veil covers something and makes it hard to recognize. In the same way, something that is 'schleierhaft' is unclear and mysterious.
Ihre plötzliche Abreise bleibt schleierhaft.
Her sudden departure remains mysterious.
'Schleierhaft' (mysterious) is very often used in the fixed expression 'Es ist mir/dir/ihm schleierhaft, ...' (It's a mystery to me/you/him...). The person who does not understand something is in the dative. This is followed by a subordinate clause with 'wie' (how), 'warum' (why), or 'dass' (that).
Es ist mir schleierhaft, warum er den Job gekündigt hat.
It's a mystery to me why he quit the job.
This word belongs more to elevated colloquial language or written language. It expresses strong incomprehension or astonishment and sounds more expressive than a simple 'Ich verstehe es nicht' (I don't understand it).
Die Motive des Täters sind der Polizei noch immer schleierhaft.
The perpetrator's motives are still mysterious to the police.
unclear
Both words can describe something that you do not understand. „Unklar“ neutrally indicates a lack of clarity. „Schleierhaft“ emphasizes more strongly that the connection remains puzzling to the speaker and that they cannot explain or make sense of it.
Warum der Zug früher abgefahren ist, bleibt mir schleierhaft.
Why the train left earlier remains a mystery to me.
Es ist noch unklar, warum der Zug heute früher abgefahren ist.
It is still unclear why the train left earlier today.
