German Words of the Day: froh and glücklich. Both of these German words essentially express happiness, with some subtle differences:
The word froh expresses a somewhat more temporary gladness or relief.
Ich bin froh, dass es funktioniert hat. I am glad it worked.
The word glücklich expresses a deeper, more permanent happiness or life satisfaction.
Er ist eine glückliche Person. He is a happy person.
Keep in Mind
Contrary to what it may sound like, the word glücklich DOES NOT mean “lucky”. In fact (perhaps tellingly), the German language has no word for “lucky”. Germans have to use the construction “to have luck” in order to express good fortune befalling them.
Er hatte Glück als er den Jackpot gewonnen hat. He was lucky when he won the jackpot.
Hey. My name's Stephan. I wrote this blog post. What I also did: I filmed myself teaching German to some absolute beginners! See how that went...