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Igor
Der Unterschied zwischen "eng" und "schmal"
Kann mir jemand erklaeren, was der Unterschied zwischen "eng" und "schmal" ist, wenn es einen gibt?
Apr 9, 2017 2:15 PM
Comments · 1
"eng" means as much as "not wide enough" and is rarely used in a complimentary way: for clothes or shoes which are (too) tight, eyes which are too close together (eng zusammenstehende Augen), an uncomfortably narrow corridor or a cramped room, narrowmindedness (Engstirnigkeit)
"schmal" just means "not very wide". It's usually either neutral (a narrow stream, a narrow bed) or even complimentary: schmale Hüften (slim hips), schmale Taille (slim waist), schmale Hände/Füße (slim hands/feet). There are few instances that occur to me where it's not at all complimentary: "schmallippig" (thin-lipped), schmales Einkommen (meagre income), schmale Kost (meagre food, the German expression is almost obsolete, though)
April 9, 2017
Igor
Language Skills
Arabic, German, Persian (Farsi), Russian, Spanish, Urdu
Learning Language
Arabic, German, Persian (Farsi), Urdu
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