vague
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vague
Not clear, imprecise, or only unclearly formulated or recognizable. It lacks precision and details.
Er hatte nur eine vage Vorstellung davon, wie er das Problem lösen sollte.
He had only a vague idea of how he should solve the problem.
'Vage' (vague) often describes unclear thoughts, memories, or information. Typical combinations are 'eine vage Ahnung' (a vague suspicion/idea), 'eine vage Erinnerung' (a vague memory), 'eine vage Beschreibung' (a vague description), or 'eine vage Aussage' (a vague statement).
Ich habe nur eine vage Erinnerung an meine frühe Kindheit.
I have only a vague memory of my early childhood.
The word can also be used as an adverb to modify a verb. It then means 'not exactly' or 'only indistinctly'.
Er konnte sich nur vage an den Vorfall erinnern.
He could only vaguely remember the incident.
'Vage' (vague) belongs to standard language and is often used to express oneself cautiously or to emphasize that details are missing. It often sounds somewhat more formal than 'ungenau' (imprecise).
Die Pläne für das Projekt sind bisher noch sehr vage.
The plans for the project are still very vague so far.
dark
Dunkel and vage can both describe an imprecise memory. In this meaning, dunkel is used mainly in the fixed expression sich dunkel erinnern. Vage is more general and can also describe memories, information, or statements without clear details.
Ich habe nur eine vage Erinnerung an unser erstes Treffen.
I have only a vague memory of our first meeting.
Ich erinnere mich dunkel an unser erstes Treffen.
I vaguely remember our first meeting.
