Languages › German Schwer or Schwierig, Einfach or Leicht? A Common German Mistake Print Dougal Waters/Getty Images German Vocabulary History & Culture Pronunciation & Conversation Grammar By Ingrid Bauer Ingrid Bauer German Language Expert M.A., German Studies, McGill University B.A., German and French Ingrid Bauer, who is fluent in German, has been teaching and tutoring the German language since 1996. She has a teaching degree and an M.A. in German studies. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on February 04, 2019 Schwer or Schwierig? This mistake is so common, even among Germans, that many speakers don't realize they interchange these two adjectives when they actually shouldn't. The most obvious reason for the mixup is that these two words sound so much alike. Another is the meaning and the associations that people make with these two words. For instance, in the physical sense, schwer means heavy and schwierig means difficult, and though these are two distinct definitions, many people attribute carrying something heavy as something difficult and thereby mix these two words up when expressing this intent. For example, you will sometimes hear: Diese Tasche ist so schwer! ('This bag is so difficult' instead of 'This bag is so heavy') So before we go into the possible uses and differences between schwierig and schwer, the definitions of these two words should be made clear, as there is overlap in their meanings: schwer: heavy - Du bist aber schwer!severe - Es war ein langer, schwerer Winterhard, difficult - Sein Leben ist schwer schwierig, (adj., adv.): difficult Now that the definitions have been set, let's look at possible uses of schwer and schwierig You can interchange schwer with schwierig in: ein schwieriger Fall/ ein schwerer Fall ein schwieriges Thema/ ein schweres Thema ein schwieriges Problem/ ein schwerer Problem Deutsch ist schwer/ Deutsch ist schwierig Es ist schwer zu sagen/ Es ist schwierig zu sagen Be aware that sometimes interchanging schwierig and schwer, changes the meaning completely: Ein schwieriger Kopf - a complicated person Ein schwerer Kopf - to have a hangover Don't always use logic! Some expressions use schwer even when logically schwierig would be a better fit: Read More Learn the Difference Between "Sehr" and "Viel" in German By Ingrid Bauer schwer erziehbaren Kindern - difficult to raise children schwer verständlich - difficult to understand Expressions With Schwer schweren Herzens - heavy heart schwerer Junge - a criminal schwer von Begriff - to not be very bright schweren Mutes - to be discouraged schwere Zeiten - hard times das Leben schwer machen - to make one's life difficult eine Sache schwer nehmen - to take it hard Expressions With Schwierig sau schwierig/ total schwierig - extremely difficult schwierig verlaufen - to not go well Einfach or Leicht? Less common are mistakes made with einfach or leicht, though these two words do get mixed up at times due to similar reasons. Like schwer/ schwierig, einfach and leicht can get interchanged for phrases depicting the physical trait of light, as in not heavy. For instance, you can not say, Meine Tasche is einfach, as you are saying that your bag is easy. You need to state Meine Tasche ist leicht, which means that your bag is light. However, you can express: Die Aufgabe ist leicht. or Die Aufgabe ist einfach. They both mean the same thing: This task is easy. In a nutshell, these are the definitions for leicht and einfach: leicht: easy; light (not heavy) einfach: easy, simple Expressions With Leicht einen leichten Gang haben - to have an easy walk mit leichter Hand - lightly, effortlessly eine leichte Hand mit jemandem/für etwas haben - to have a way with somebody/something leichten Fußes - with a spring in one's step gewogen und zu leicht befunden - tried and found wanting jemanden um einiges leichter machen - to relieve somebody of some of his money Expressions With Einfach einmal einfach - one-way ticket please einfach falten - folded once einfach gemein - downright mean Das gehört einfach dazu - it comes with the territory Einfach nur das Beste - simply the best Um es einfach auszudrücken - to put it simply Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Bauer, Ingrid. "Schwer or Schwierig, Einfach or Leicht?" ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/schwer-or-schwierig-1444814. Bauer, Ingrid. (2023, April 5). Schwer or Schwierig, Einfach or Leicht? Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/schwer-or-schwierig-1444814 Bauer, Ingrid. "Schwer or Schwierig, Einfach or Leicht?" ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/schwer-or-schwierig-1444814 (accessed April 17, 2024). copy citation