As you build your fluency in the German language, you’ll increasingly encounter situations where your opinion or approval is needed. You can use phrases like sehr gut (very good) to show your acceptance or as a filler before words like “thank you” in German or bitte in German to sound more natural and emotive. Learn the many ways to say “very good” in German to express your approval or appreciation.
Table of Contents
1. Sehr gut (very good)
The most direct way you can call something “very good” in German is sehr gut, which is the direct translation. Because of the simplicity of sehr gut, you can use it in most situations where something has gone above and beyond without having to worry much about the level of formality your praise should show.
Here’s an example so you can see where sehr gut fits in a German sentence:
- Die Kuchen meiner Mutter schmecken sehr gut! = My mother’s pies taste very good!
To say something is “not very good,” you need the word nicht (not) because you’re modifying sehr (very), which is an adverb. You’ll use nicht for any version of “very good” in this list when deciding between kein vs. nicht for negation.
- Das Wetter ist heute nicht sehr gut. = The weather today was not very good.
2. Wunderbar (wonderful)
Wunderbar means “wonderful” in English, and it’s easy to remember because they’re spelled similarly! This word conveys high praise in German culture, but given their reserved natures, be sure to only use it in informal conversations with friends or when truly impressed in more formal settings.
- Sie spielt wunderbar Klavier. = She plays the piano wonderfully.
3. Fantastisch (fantastic)
Similar in tone to wunderbar (wonderful), fantastisch translates to “fantastic” in English. This term is used almost interchangeably with other sehr gut (very good) phrases, so you won’t have to think much about sentence construction as you pull this word from your linguistic cornucopia.
- Das Team hat fantastisch gearbeitet. = The team did a fantastic job.
4. Toll! (great, awesome)
The somewhat informal term toll (great, awesome) is particularly common in spoken German among younger native speakers to show their approval. While this term isn’t exactly suitable for formal reports, you can use this word with friends to sound cool and excited about something or what’s to come.
- Toll, dass du kommen konntest! = It’s great that you could come!
5. Prima (premium, top-notch)
When something is of the highest quality, you can say prima to mean “top-notch” or “premium.” Though this term is generally only used in informal conversation, it’s still considered polite and kind. Imagine taking a bite of grandma’s Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (black forest cake) and wanting to tell her it’s top-notch German food. This is a perfect opportunity to call it prima!
- Danke, mir geht’s prima! = Thanks, I am doing top-notch!
6. Total geil! (totally awesome)
If you’re out skateboarding with your German friends and see someone pull a sick trick, you can call out Total geil! (Totally awesome!) to give them props. Here, total (totally) is a German adverb modifying how geil (cool) something you enjoy is. Geil is considered slang and is highly casual, so this isn’t a phrase you’d bring to a business meeting.
- Dein Trick war total geil! = Your trick was totally awesome!
7. Hervorragend (excellent)
Hervorragend (excellent) is typically seen more in written evaluations, like an academic performance. Due to Germans’ reserved natures in giving such high praise, this term is only suitable in formal contexts and when you really mean that something is hervorragend.
- Das ist ein hervorragendes Restaurant. = This is an excellent restaurant.
When approval is appropriate in German culture
Culturally speaking, being reserved in your praise can be a hard concept for the average American to get used to. While a “Great job!” or “Amazing!” can be tossed around in American culture for even modest efforts, Germans tend to be more reserved in their approval. In fact, calling something more mundane “very good” can come across as disingenuous, or even sarcastic, to a German, which would give them the exact opposite understanding of your intended message. When someone says sehr gut (very good) in German, you can bet your bottom dollar that they mean it.
‘Very good’ in different German dialects
Did you know there are around 20 dialectal groups spoken in Germany alone, and many of them have their own German accent? Review the list of ways to say “very good” in different German dialects below so you’re not caught off guard as you travel.
| Dialectal Region | German Phrase | English Translation |
| Southern Germany | affengeil | freaking awesome |
| Bavaria | bärig | wicked good |
| Northern Germany | bombe | bomb/fantastic |
| Switzerland | fein | fine/very good |
| Berlin | janz dufte | totally cool |
| Southern Germany | kracher | banger/excellent |
| Austria | leiwand | awesome/great |
| Swabia, Baden-Württemberg | mords gut | bloody good |
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