attentive / facing
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attentive
Describes a person who is open, friendly, and attentive in their dealings with other people.
Sie ist eine sehr geduldige und ihren Schülern zugewandte Lehrerin.
She is a very patient teacher who is attentive to her students.
'Zugewandt' (attentive/facing) is the past participle of the separable verb 'zuwenden'. The verb means to direct one's attention, or oneself, toward someone or something.
Ein guter Arzt wendet sich seinen Patienten aufmerksam zu.
A good doctor turns attentively to his patients.
The adjective is often combined with a dative object that indicates to whom or what the attention or physical orientation is directed.
Sie ist ihren Mitmenschen stets freundlich zugewandt.
She is always friendly and attentive to her fellow human beings.
You can recognize the figurative meaning ('friendly, open') by the fact that it describes a character trait. The literal meaning ('turned toward') describes a concrete body position in a situation.
Er ist ein sehr offener und den Menschen zugewandter Politiker.
He is a very open politician who is attentive to people.
In the meaning of 'friendly', 'zugewandt' (attentive) is often used to describe people or their behavior. Typical phrases are 'ein zugewandter Mensch' (an attentive/open person), 'eine zugewandte Art' (an attentive manner), or 'ein zugewandtes Lächeln' (a warm/attentive smile).
Ihre zugewandte Art macht sie bei Kollegen sehr beliebt.
Her attentive manner makes her very popular with colleagues.
open
'offen' and 'zugewandt' can both describe a positive attitude toward people or new things. 'offen' more often means that someone is willing to accept new ideas, experiences, or opinions. 'zugewandt' more strongly describes how someone interacts with other people: the person listens attentively, is friendly, and shows interest. So a person can be open to suggestions and at the same time seem attentive and engaged in conversation.
Die Ärztin sprach ruhig und zugewandt mit dem Kind.
The doctor spoke calmly and attentively with the child.
Meine Nachbarin ist offen für neue Ideen im Haus.
My neighbor is open to new ideas in the building.