Ever had to suppress a giggle when you see a friend slip on some ice and fall flat on their back? The German language describes this unique emotion as Schadenfreude (damage joy), but you won’t find a direct translation for it in English.
If you’re a fan of funny German words, then add this one to your linguistic roster as you discover the ins and outs of the meaning of Schadenfreude, how to pronounce it, and situations where it’s an appropriate term to use.
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Understanding the meaning of Schadenfreude
So, what does Schadenfreude mean? Schadenfreude refers to “the feeling of joy you get when witnessing someone else’s harm.” Don’t confuse this feeling with malice or hatred, because there’s no evil or anger behind this kind of joy. Rather, Schadenfreude is about finding comedic enjoyment from the minor suffering or issues another person faces.
Like most long German words, you can better understand Schadenfreude’s meaning by taking it apart, down to the smaller words that Germans have smooshed together to make the term. The word Schadenfreude is made up of two smaller German words:
- Schaden = damage
- Freude = joy
If you glue the two terms back together, you get “damage joy.” While it’s a cruder Schadenfreude definition, getting used to taking apart longer German nouns such as this one is a great way to build your German vocabulary and contextual understanding. It’s a skill that can help you wrap your mind around other untranslatable German terms like Waldeinsamkeit.
Tips for pronouncing Schadenfreude like a native German
If you’re going to use Schadenfreude (damage joy) in conversation, you can come across more authentically German simply by pronouncing the term correctly. Here’s a handy guide on how to pronounce Schadenfreude, taken one step at a time:
- “Schah” = like the “sha” in “shawl,” but shorter
- “den” = similar to the English word “den,” but the “e” is soft and quick, like “d’n”
- “freu” = pronounced “froi,” as though it rhymed with “toy”
- “de” = a light “duh,” rather than being said as “dee”
For a natural English approximation for the term, say “SHAH-dn-FROY-duh.” Keeping your consonants sharp and crisp will help your German accent sound more authentic. Avoid stretching the vowels too long and let the final syllable drop off gently, too, and you’ll have the perfect, native pronunciation mastered!
Scenarios where you’re likely to feel Schadenfreude
You’ve likely felt Schadenfreude (damage joy) as an emotion before you even had a German word to describe it. Those guilty smiles at the cost of someone else’s misfortune are natural, and can even be justifiable when you feel they “got what they deserved.”
Below are some common situations in which you’re likely to feel Schadenfreude:
- Watching someone fall and wipe out while trying an overly ambitious stunt.
- Hearing a braggart being publicly corrected and humbled after making a rash, bold claim.
- Seeing your sibling trying to carry too many groceries at once despite your warnings and then dropping everything.
- Viewing a reality TV drama where one of your least favorite actors has to perform a gross or dangerous stunt.
- The driver who cut you off gets a speeding ticket moments later.
Brief look at the origins of Schadenfreude
The earliest known uses of Schadenfreude (damage joy) come from 17th-century German texts that described human nature through religious and moral lenses. It wouldn’t be until the mid to late 1800s that this uniquely German term would appear in English dictionaries like the Oxford English Dictionary and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and officially be cemented as an honorary part of the English language.
At the beginning of Schadenfreude’s entry into the English lexicon, many stipulated that there would be no need for this term because English-speaking people did not feel this emotion. They would be proven wrong, however, as the term was used primarily by academics until an episode of The Simpsons in 1991. The straightforward definition of Schadenfreude helped it enter pop culture and made it accessible for any English speaker who did, in fact, experience it as an emotion.
Frequently asked questions about Schadenfreude
Over the years, pop culture and academics alike have brought the German word Schadenfreude (damage joy) into the daily English vernacular. Here are the three am häufigsten gestellten Fragen (most frequently asked questions) about Schadenfreude.
What is the difference between Schadenfreude and Freudenschade?
While the two terms look similar, they have entirely opposite meanings. Schadenfreude refers to “the joy one feels at another’s suffering.” This is a comedic, light-hearted approach to someone else’s misfortune. On the other hand, Freudenschade means “damage caused by excessive joy.” Imagine feeling despair at seeing your friend buy a house, because it highlights your own financial troubles in contrast.
What is the English word for Schadenfreude?
Because the term Schadenfreude has been adopted into the English language, the direct translation for Schadenfreude is “schadenfreude,” just without the first letter being capitalized. Otherwise, there is no direct one-to-one word translation. Using a phrase, you can translate Schadenfreude into “the joy one feels as a result of another’s suffering.”
How do you use Schadenfreude in a sentence?
Because Schadenfreude (damage joy) is a noun, you can confidently drop it into sentences in German or English where you’d place any other emotion, like “happy” or “angry.” For example, you can say, “I felt a bit of schadenfreude when he bragged all week, then lost the game.” Or in German, you can say Er verspürte einen Moment harmloser Schadenfreude, als der Scherz nach hinten losging (He felt a moment of harmless schadenfreude when the joke backfired).
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