01
ungenau
inaccurate
Not exact, precise, or detailed; vague or only approximately correct.
example
Die Wettervorhersage für nächste Woche ist noch sehr ungenau.
The weather forecast for next week is still very inaccurate.
ungenau
inaccurate
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Word structure
The adjective has a simple structure: it consists of the prefix 'un-', which expresses negation, and the adjective 'genau' (exact/precise). So it directly means 'not exact' or 'not precise'.
EXAMPLE
Deine Wegbeschreibung war leider etwas ungenau.
Unfortunately, your directions were somewhat inaccurate.
Context clue
If 'ungenau' (inaccurate) refers to information, data, or statements, it means 'not precise'. If it refers to an action or a person, it means 'not careful' or 'careless'.
EXAMPLE
Die Schätzung der Kosten war ungenau und viel zu niedrig.
The estimate of the costs was inaccurate and much too low.
Typical collocations
In the meaning 'not precise', 'ungenau' (inaccurate) is often combined with nouns that describe information or measurements. Typical examples are: 'eine ungenaue Angabe' (an inaccurate statement/detail), 'eine ungenaue Schätzung' (an inaccurate estimate), or 'eine ungenaue Erinnerung' (a vague memory).
EXAMPLE
Ich habe nur eine ungenaue Erinnerung an meine frühe Kindheit.
I have only a vague memory of my early childhood.
Use as an adverb
In the meaning 'careless', 'ungenau' (carelessly) is often used as an adverb to describe how an action is carried out. It then stands directly with the verb.
EXAMPLE
Wenn man das Gemüse so ungenau schneidet, wird es nicht gleichmäßig gar.
If you cut the vegetables so carelessly, they won't cook evenly.
Compare with
ungenau vs genau
exact / precise
'genau' and 'ungenau' are direct opposites when it comes to precision or care. 'genau' is used when a piece of information, measurement, or piece of work is exact and contains no important mistakes. 'ungenau' means that something is only approximately correct or was not done carefully enough. With numbers, times, descriptions, or instructions, 'genau' is important when people need to be able to rely on them. 'ungenau' fits when information is missing, vague, or makes mistakes possible.
ungenau
Die Wegbeschreibung war ungenau, deshalb sind wir zweimal falsch abgebogen.
The directions were inaccurate, so we took the wrong turn twice.
genau
Bitte schreib die Adresse genau auf, damit das Paket ankommt.
Please write down the address exactly so that the package arrives.
In real life
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