überraschend
surprising
In a way that one did not expect; unexpected or unforeseen.
EXAMPLE
Der Sieg der Außenseitermannschaft kam für alle überraschend.
The underdog team's victory came as a surprise to everyone.
überraschend
surprising
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
Usage tips
Word structure
'Überraschend' (surprising) is the present participle of the verb 'überraschen' (to surprise). Many adjectives in German are formed this way by adding '-d' to the infinitive of a verb.
EXAMPLE
Das war eine überraschende Wendung in der Geschichte.
That was a surprising twist in the story.
Adjective and adverb
This word can stand before a noun as an adjective or function as an adverb that describes a verb or another adjective. As an adverb, it remains unchanged.
EXAMPLE
Wir erhielten eine überraschende Nachricht.
We received a surprising message.
Typical collocations
As an adverb, 'überraschend' (surprisingly) is often used to intensify or modify another adjective. Typical combinations are 'überraschend gut' (surprisingly good), 'überraschend einfach' (surprisingly easy), or 'überraschend schnell' (surprisingly fast).
EXAMPLE
Die Prüfung war überraschend einfach.
The exam was surprisingly easy.
Compare with
überraschend vs erstaunlich
amazing
Überraschend and erstaunlich can both describe something unexpected. Überraschend mainly emphasizes that the result did not match expectations; erstaunlich places more emphasis on the fact that it causes astonishment or is particularly impressive. For a remarkable result, erstaunlich is therefore often the better choice.
überraschend
Sein gutes Prüfungsergebnis war überraschend, weil er kaum gelernt hatte.
His good exam result was surprising because he had hardly studied.
erstaunlich
Sein fast fehlerfreies Prüfungsergebnis war erstaunlich, weil er kaum gelernt hatte.
His almost error-free exam result was amazing because he had hardly studied.
In real life
Loading video examples...