wehmütig
wistful
Filled with a quiet pain, often connected with memories, or a gentle sadness.
EXAMPLE
Beim Anblick des alten Hauses wurde sie wehmütig.
She felt wistful when she saw the old house.
wehmütig
wistful
wehmütig – wehmütiger – am wehmütigsten
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry wehmütig, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Comparison
| basic form | wehmütig |
|---|---|
| comparative | wehmütiger |
| superlative | am wehmütigsten |
After der, die, das
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -e | -e | -e | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -e | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to wehmütig.
After ein, eine
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to wehmütig.
Without article
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -e |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -e |
| dat. | -em | -er | -em | -en |
| gen. | -en | -er | -en | -er |
Add the ending to wehmütig.
Usage tips
Word family
'Wehmütig' (wistful) belongs to the word family of 'Wehmut' (wistfulness). The component 'Weh' (pain) points to inner pain or a quiet sadness and helps you work out the meaning.
EXAMPLE
Der wehmütige Blick aus dem Zugfenster zeigte, wie schwer ihr der Abschied fiel.
The wistful look out of the train window showed how difficult the farewell was for her.
Typical collocations
Common collocations include 'wehmütige Erinnerungen' (wistful memories), 'ein wehmütiger Rückblick' (a wistful look back), and 'wehmütig an etwas zurückdenken' (to look back wistfully on something). The adjective is especially often used with memories, farewells, and times gone by.
EXAMPLE
Bei seinem wehmütigen Rückblick auf die Schulzeit musste er lächeln.
During his wistful look back at his school days, he had to smile.
Sentence patterns
'Wehmütig' (wistful) is often used in the patterns 'wehmütig werden' (to become wistful) and 'jemanden wehmütig machen' (to make someone wistful). An event, place, or memory can trigger the emotional state described.
EXAMPLE
Wenn er alte Lieder hört, wird er immer ein bisschen wehmütig.
Whenever he hears old songs, he always becomes a little wistful.
Die Fotos aus seiner Kindheit machten ihn wehmütig.
The photos from his childhood made him wistful.
In real life
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