careful / cautious
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careful
Acting with care and attention in order to avoid dangers, mistakes, or damage.
Sei bitte vorsichtig, der Boden ist frisch gewischt und sehr rutschig.
Please be careful, the floor has just been mopped and is very slippery.
cautious
Used to mark a statement, estimate, or opinion as restrained and not final.
Nach einer vorsichtigen Schätzung werden die Reparaturen etwa eine Woche dauern.
According to a cautious estimate, the repairs will take about a week.
The word is made up of 'Vor-' and '-sichtig' (from Sicht/sehen, sight/to see). Literally, it means 'foresighted,' that is, looking ahead in order to avoid dangers.
Ein vorsichtiger Kletterer prüft jeden Griff zweimal.
A careful climber checks every handhold twice.
Like many adjectives, 'vorsichtig' (careful/carefully) can also be used as an adverb to describe how an action is carried out. It then remains unchanged after the verb.
Fahr bitte vorsichtig, die Straßen sind glatt.
Please drive carefully, the roads are icy.
To mark a restrained statement, 'vorsichtig' (cautious/cautiously) is often combined with words like 'Schätzung' (estimate), 'Prognose' (forecast), or 'Optimismus' (optimism).
Ich bin vorsichtig optimistisch, dass wir das Projekt rechtzeitig abschließen.
I am cautiously optimistic that we will finish the project on time.
conservative
When talking about estimates, vorsichtig and konservativ can both express restraint. A vorsichtig estimate is presented as uncertain or not yet final. A konservativ estimate follows a deliberately low-risk planning approach and tends to set values on the low side. Use vorsichtig for a provisional statement and konservativ for this planning strategy.
Nach den ersten Daten schätzt das Team den Umsatz vorsichtig auf eine Million Euro.
Based on the initial data, the team cautiously estimates revenue at one million euros.
Für den Finanzplan rechnet das Team konservativ nur mit einer Million Euro Umsatz.
For the financial plan, the team conservatively expects only one million euros in revenue.
