99 genuine ways to compliment and convey beautiful in German

Learning a new language like German is a beautiful journey. The trick to success is focusing on the small accomplishments and keeping a positive attitude. So learn to look for the good things!

Soon, you’ll find beauty in every person, object and situation. This is one of the most valuable life skills. It will help you tremendously when learning something difficult. Once you see all that beauty around you, you’ll want to share it with the world and tell everyone about it - including your German buddies.

That’s why we’ll teach you how to talk about beauty to your friends, colleagues and loved ones - plus the secret to giving appropriate compliments to a German stranger.

How to say “beautiful” in German

“Beautiful” in German is “schön” [ʃøːn]. It’s pronounced like the English “shone”, but with an ‘ö’ in the middle. “Wunderschön” is an even stronger word. It translates to “miracle-beautiful”.

Here are three common areas you’ll always find beauty in.

Beautiful people

When you're learning the language, you’ll probably meet some real life Germans, maybe through a class or when you take a trip to a German-speaking country.

Whatever your learning environment looks like, you’ll be surrounded by beautiful people and it’s always nice to find beauty in others and compliment them - whether it’s on their pants or personality.

Beautiful nature

From breathtaking sunsets to a litter of puppies - you’ll always find something positive to say about the beauty of nature. Point out a pretty flower or an interesting animal that catches your eye. You can pick one of our 162 marvelous birds in German and you’ll see there is something uniquely beautiful about every single one of them.

Beautiful design

Another easy way to find beauty is by appreciating all the different creative designs everywhere, for example in architecture, art and fashion. Just learn how to say your favorite beautiful colors in German and point them out.

Thanks to the so-called frequency Illusion, you’ll start seeing them everywhere once you’re looking for them.

How to say “you are beautiful” in German

There are so many ways to say You are beautiful in German. Your coworker has gotten a promotion and is beaming with joy today, which makes her especially beautiful in your eyes?

Or your best friend is wearing a new perfume that you’d like to compliment him on? Let them know! You’re about to make their day.

English	German	IPA
You look beautiful!	Du siehst schön aus	[du: zi:st ʃø:n aʊ̯s]
You look pretty	Du siehst hübsch aus	[du: zi:st hy:pʃ aʊ̯s]
You look handsome	Du siehst so gut aus	[du: zi:st zo: gu:t aʊ̯s]
You look great today	Du siehst heute toll aus	[du: zi:st hɔʏ̯tə tɔl aʊ̯s]
You are beautiful, inside and out	Du bist schön, von innen und außen	[du: bɪst ʃø:n fɔn ɪnən ʊnt aʊ̯szən]
You are so handsome	Du bist so gutaussehend	[du: bɪst zo: gu:taʊ̯sze:ənt]
You are so pretty	Du bist so hübsch	[du: bɪst zo: hy:pʃ]
You’re really good looking	Du siehst wirklich gut aus	[du: zi:st vɪɐ̯klɪç gu:t aʊ̯s]
You look gorgeous	Du siehst umwerfend aus	[du: zi:st ʊmvɛɐ̯fənt aʊ̯s]
You smell nice	Du riechst gut	[du: ʁi:kst gu:t]
Your smile is contagious	Dein Lächeln ist ansteckend	[daɪ̯n lɛçəln ɪst anʃtɛkənt]
You have a beautiful face	Du hast ein schönes Gesicht	[du: hast aɪ̯n ʃø:nəs gəzɪçt]
What a beautiful name	Was für ein schöner Name	[vas fy:ɐ̯ aɪ̯n ʃø:nɐ na:mə]
You’re perfect to me	In meinen Augen bist du perfekt	[ɪn maɪ̯nən aʊ̯gən bɪst du: pɛɐ̯fɛkt]
You’re such a beautiful person	Du bist so ein schöner Mensch	[du: bɪst zo: aɪ̯n ʃø:nɐ mɛnʃ]

How to say a thing is beautiful in German

We put a lot of thought into decorating our homes and picking our cars, accessories and gadgets and hardly get enough praise for it. Here are a number of ways to compliment someone on their design choices and call their lifestyle beautiful in German.

English	German	IPA
I love your home office	Ich liebe dein Home Office	[ɪç li:bə daɪ̯n ho:mə ɔfɪs]
I like your background	Ich mag deinen Hintergrund	[ɪç mak daɪ̯nən hɪntɐgʁʊnt]
Exquisite choice of decor	Vorzügliche Wahl deines Dekors	[fo:ɐ̯t͡sy:klɪçə va:l daɪ̯nəs de:kɔʁs]
Your office looks amazing	Dein Büro sieht fantastisch aus	[daɪ̯n by:ʁo: zi:t fantastɪʃ aʊ̯s]
Your house looks great	Dein Haus sieht toll aus	[daɪ̯n haʊ̯s zi:t tɔl aʊ̯s]
You have a gorgeous home	Du hast ein traumhaftes Zuhause	[du: hast aɪ̯n tʁaʊ̯mhaftəs t͡su:haʊ̯zə]
I like your interior design	Ich mag deine Inneneinrichtung	[ɪç mak daɪ̯nə ɪnənaɪ̯nʁɪçtʊŋ]
Who decorated your home?	Wer hat dein Zuhause eingerichtet?	[ve:ɐ hat daɪ̯n t͡su:haʊ̯zə aɪ̯ngəʁɪçtət]
You have a great taste in furniture	Du hast echt Geschmack für Möbel	[du: hast ɛçt gəʃmak fy:ɐ̯ mø:bəl]
What a beautiful lamp	Was für eine schöne Lampe	[vas fy:ɐ̯ aɪ̯nə ʃø:nə lampə]
What a beautiful desk	Was für ein schöner Schreibtisch	[vas fy:ɐ̯ aɪ̯n ʃø:nɐ ʃʁaɪ̯ptɪʃ]
Your office chair looks pretty comfy	Dein Bürostuhl sieht schön bequem aus	[daɪ̯n by:ʁo:stu:l zi:t ʃø:n bəkve:m aʊ̯s]
I like the view	Mir gefällt die Aussicht	[mi:ɐ̯ gəfɛlt di: aʊ̯szɪçt]
Beautiful backyard	Schöner Garten	[ʃø:nɐ ga:ɐ̯tən]
That’s a great car you have	Du hast ein klasse Auto	[du: hast aɪ̯n klasə aʊ̯to:]
That’s a great bike you have	Du hast ein klasse Fahrrad	[du: hast aɪ̯n klasə fa:ɐ̯ʁa:t]
You did a great job designing that	Du hast das toll gestaltet	[du: hast das tɔl gəʃtaltət]
You have style	Du hast Stil	[du: hast ʃti:l]
You have great taste	Du hast einen guten Geschmack	[du: hast aɪ̯nən gu:tən gəʃmak]

How to compliment someone on their work in German

If you’re working with Germans, a great way to practice the language is by complimenting your colleagues on their work.

English	German	IPA
You did a really great job today	Du hast deine Arbeit heute wirklich toll gemacht	[du: hast daɪ̯nə aɐ̯baɪ̯t hɔʏ̯tə vɪɐ̯klɪç tɔl gəmaxt]
You excelled at that presentation	Du warst überragend während der Präsentation	[du: vaʁst y:bɐʁa:gənt vɛ:ʁənt de:ɐ̯ pʁɛzɛntat͡sjo:n]
I was very impressed by your report	Dein Bericht hat mich sehr beeindruckt	[daɪ̯n bəʁɪçt hat mɪç ze:ɐ bəaɪ̯ndʁʊkt]
You’re really talented	Du bist wirklich talentiert	[du: bɪst vɪɐ̯klɪç talɛnti:ɐ̯t]
You’re really diligent	Du bist wirklich fleißig	[du: bɪst vɪɐ̯klɪç flaɪ̯sɪç]
You’re really thorough	Du bist wirklich gründlich	[du: bɪst vɪɐ̯klɪç gʁʏntlɪç]
Congratulations on a job well done	Herzlichen Glückwunsch, du hast den Job gut gemacht	[hɛɐ̯t͡slɪçən glʏkvʊnʃ du: hast de:n d͡ʒɔp gu:t gəmaxt]
You did a great job with that project	Du hast bei dem Projekt großartige Arbeit geleistet	[du: hast baɪ̯ de:m pʁo:jɛkt gʁo:saɐ̯tɪgə aɐ̯baɪ̯t gəlaɪ̯stət]
You’re a valuable team member (formal)	Sie sind ein wertvolles Teammitglied	[zi: zɪnt aɪ̯n ve:ɐ̯tfɔləs ti:amɪtgli:t]
You’re a valuable leader (formal)	Sie sind eine wertvolle Führungskraft	[zi: zɪnt aɪ̯nə ve:ɐ̯tfɔlə fy:ʁʊŋskʁaft]
I enjoy working with you	Ich arbeite gern mit dir zusammen	[ɪç aɐ̯baɪ̯tə gɛɐ̯n mɪt di:ɐ̯ t͡su:zamən]
You’re my favorite colleague	Du bist mein Lieblingskollege (male) / meine Lieblingskollegin (female)	[du: bɪst maɪ̯n li:plɪŋskɔle:gə / maɪ̯nə li:plɪŋskɔle:gɪn]
I appreciate what you do for the company	Ich weiß zu schätzen, was du alles für das Unternehmen tust	[ɪç vaɪ̯s t͡su: ʃɛt͡sən vas du: aləs fy:ɐ̯ das ʊntɐne:mən tu:st]
You’re good at everything you do	Du machst gute Arbeit, in allem, was du tust	[du: makst gu:tə aɐ̯baɪ̯t ɪn aləm vas du: tu:st]
You have once again done a great job	Du hast wieder mal super Arbeit geleistet	[du: hast vi:dɐ ma:l zu:pɐ aɐ̯baɪ̯t gəlaɪ̯stət]
Well done	Gut gemacht	[gu:t gəmaxt]
Good job	Gute Arbeit	[gu:tə aɐ̯baɪ̯t]
Impressive performance	Beachtliche Leistung	[bəaxtlɪçə laɪ̯stʊŋ]
Strong performance	Starke Leistung	[ʃtaɐ̯kə laɪ̯stʊŋ]

How to compliment someone on their appearance, clothing or things in German

People will appreciate it if you notice their new haircut or a clever outfit. So point it out. It shows that you’re attentive and generous with compliments.

English	German	IPA
I like your style	Ich mag deinen Style	[ɪç mak daɪ̯nən staɪ̯l]
I like your new outfit	Ich mag dein neues Outfit	[ɪç mak daɪ̯n nɔʏ̯əs ɔu:tfi:t ]
Love your shoes	Ich liebe deine Schuhe	[ɪç li:bə daɪ̯nə ʃu:ə]
Beautiful watch	Schöne Uhr	[ʃø:nə u:ɐ̯]
Gorgeous necklace	Traumhaft schöne Kette	[tʁaʊ̯mhaft ʃø:nə kɛtə]
Fabulous earrings	Wunderschöne Ohrringe	[vʊndɐʃø:nə o:ɐ̯ʁɪŋə]
That’s an incredible dress	Dein Kleid ist der Wahnsinn	[daɪ̯n klaɪ̯t ɪst de:ɐ̯ va:nzɪn]
What a beautiful skirt	Was für ein schöner Rock	[vas fy:ɐ̯ aɪ̯n ʃø:nɐ ʁɔk]
What a nice suit	Was für ein hübscher Anzug	[vas fy:ɐ̯ aɪ̯n hy:psɐ ant͡su:k]
Simply stunning outfit	Dein Outfit ist einfach spitze	[daɪ̯n ɔu:tfi:t ɪst aɪ̯nfax ʃpɪt͡sə]
That color looks really good on you	Die Farbe steht dir wirklich gut	[di: faɐ̯bə ʃte:t di:ɐ̯ vɪɐ̯klɪç gu:t]
That suits you really well	Das passt richtig gut zu dir	[das past ʁɪçtɪç gu:t t͡su: di:ɐ̯]
That color looks really good on you	Die Farbe steht dir wirklich gut	[di: faɐ̯bə ʃte:t di:ɐ̯ vɪɐ̯klɪç gu:t]
Beautiful hairstyle	Schöne Frisur	[ʃø:nə fʁɪu:ɐ̯]
Did you cut your hair?	Hast du Haare geschnitten?	[hast du: ha:ʁə gəʃnɪtən]
Looks great	Sieht gut aus	[zi:t gu:t aʊ̯s]
Aren’t you looking posh	Du siehst aber schnieke aus	[du: zi:st abɐ ʃni:kə aʊ̯s]
So fashionable	Sehr schick	[ze:ɐ ʃɪk]
Stylish	Stylisch	[staɪ̯lɪʃ]
Very elegant	Sehr elegant	[ze:ɐ e:le:gant]
Beautiful as always	Wunderschön wie immer	[vʊndɐʃø:n vi: ɪmɐ]

How to compliment someone on their personality or lifestyle in German

The best compliments are the personal ones. It’s nice to know that someone likes our shoes but at the end of the day, we’re gonna take those off.

What stays are our character traits and our accomplishments - that funny laugh of ours or the fact that we know all the lyrics to Deichkind’s “So ‘ne Musik” - these are the things we truly want to be complimented on.

English	German	IPA
You are so brave	Du bist so mutig	[du: bɪst zo: mu:tɪç]
You’re an inspiration	Du bist eine Inspiration	[du: bɪst aɪ̯nə ɪnʃpi:ʁat͡sjo:n]
You’re impressive	Du bist beeindruckend	[du: bɪst bəaɪ̯ndʁʊkənt]
You’re my hero / heroine	Du bist mein Held (male) / meine Heldin (female)	[du: bɪst maɪ̯nhɛlt / maɪ̯nə hɛldɪn]
You’re fun to be around	Es macht Spaß, mit dir zusammen zu sein	[ɛs maxt ʃpas mɪt di:ɐ̯ t͡su:zamən t͡su: zaɪ̯n]
I like your sense of humor	Ich mag deinen Humor	[ɪç mak daɪ̯nən hu:mɔɐ̯]
Your laugh is contagious	Deine Lache ist ansteckend	[daɪ̯nə laxə ɪst anʃtɛkənt]
You have a great personality	Du hast eine tolle Persönlichkeit	[du: hast aɪ̯nə tɔlə pɛɐ̯zø:nlɪçkaɪ̯t]
You’re a good person	Du bist ein guter Mensch	[du: bɪst aɪ̯n gu:tɐ mɛnʃ]
You have a good heart	Du hast ein gutes Herz	[du: hast aɪ̯n gu:təs hɛɐ̯t͡s]
You’re special	Du bist etwas besonderes	[du: bɪst ɛtvas bəzɔndəʁəs]
You’re kind	Du bist lieb	[du: bɪst li:p]
You’re smart	Du bist schlau	[du: bɪst ʃlaʊ̯]
You’re funny	Du bist witzig	[du: bɪst vɪt͡sɪç]
You’re cool	Du bist cool	[du: bɪst ku:l]
I like your attitude	Mir gefällt deine Einstellung	[mi:ɐ̯ gəfɛlt daɪ̯nə aɪ̯nʃtɛlʊŋ]
You’re great at…singing, dancing, swimming etc.	Du kannst toll…singen, tanzen, schwimmen etc.	[du: kanst tɔl zɪŋən, tantsən, ʃvɪmən]
You’re very musical	Du bist sehr musikalisch	[du: bɪst ze:ɐ mu:zɪka:lɪʃ]
You have a great voice	Du hast eine tolle Stimme	[du: hast aɪ̯nə tɔlə ʃtɪmə]
I wish I was as sporty as you	Ich wünschte, ich wäre so sportlich wie du	[ɪç vʏnʃtə ɪç vɛ:ʁə zo: ʃpɔɐ̯tlɪç vi: du:]
I wish I could do that, too	Ich wünschte, ich könnte das auch	[ɪç vʏnʃtə ɪç kœntə das aʊ̯x]
You’re good at that	Das liegt dir	[das li:kt di:ɐ̯]
You impress me	Du beeindruckst mich	[du: bəaɪ̯ndʁʊkst mɪç]

How to respond to compliments in German

There are many ways to say Thank You in German. Don’t just blush and run out of the room. If someone compliments you, take it. All the good things you heard about you are true!

English	German	IPA
I’m happy to hear that	Freut mich zu hören	[fʁɔʏ̯t mɪç t͡su: hø:ʁən]
Thank you for the compliment	Danke für das Kompliment	[daŋkə fy:ɐ̯ das kɔmplɪmɛnt]
That’s very kind of you	Das ist sehr lieb von dir	[das ɪst ze:ɐ li:p fɔn di:ɐ̯]
I’m so glad you noticed	Freut mich, dass es dir auffällt	[fʁɔʏ̯t mɪç das ɛs di:ɐ̯ aʊ̯ffɛlt]
It makes me really happy to hear that	Es tut wirklich gut, das zu hören	[ɛs tu:t vɪɐ̯klɪç gu:t das t͡su: hø:ʁən]
That’s so nice of you	Das ist so nett von dir	[das ɪst zo: nɛt fɔn di:ɐ̯]
That makes my day	Das versüßt mir den Tag	[das fɛɐ̯sy:sʃt mi:ɐ̯ de:n ta:k]
The same goes for you	Das kann ich nur zurück geben	[das kan ɪç nu:ɐ̯ t͡su:ʁʏk ge:bən]
I admire you, too	Ich bewundere dich ebenfalls	[ɪç bəvʊndəʁə dɪç e:bənfals]

A simple guide on making appropriate compliments

Making uncalled for comments on someone’s appearance is so 2020, but we’ll tell you the secret of making appropriate compliments in today’s world.

If you’re talking to your friend or lover, you can compliment them on everything you want, from face to butt, as long as they’re comfortable with it! Going through our guide of body parts in German together and telling them you like all 102 parts of them might actually be fun then - but be careful.

What works for your lover might not fly with a stranger. Whether you think someone has beautiful eyes or an impressive height, physical features like that don’t actually have anything to do with the actual person you’re trying to compliment.

They might be sensitive about the feature you’re pointing out or they might be sick of hearing the same compliment, feeling like no one ever sees behind those pretty eyes. So here’s the trick. Save the general compliments for later, when you’re already familiar with a person and can be sure that they’re okay with it.

If you’re complimenting a stranger, focus on something they’re actively responsible for. Focus on an action of theirs. Say you love the way they braided their hair, matched the colors of their outfit or the energy they hit the dance floor with. Be unique! Make them feel like you’re complimenting something they did.

It’s a beautiful life

The Frequency Illusion doesn’t just work for specific colors. It works for beauty, too. Once you have beauty on your mind and you’re looking for it, you’ll find it in everything - in people, in design, in nature, wherever you look - and hopefully in every step of the way to learning a new language.

Loved this German vocabulary blog lesson? Keep up the fun on our free German vocab blog.