21 December 2025
How do you say that something fits or not in German?
The German verb “to fit”, in the sense of being the correct size, is passen. With the preposition zu, it means “to suit” or “to go with” - being appropriate for or typical of someone or something.
The adjective for both is passend (“fitting”).
Examples
Der Anzug passt mir nicht! The suit does not fit me.
Der Anzug passt nicht zu ihm. That suit isn’t really his style.
Diese Kleider passen nicht zusammen. These clothes don’t fit together/don’t match.
Das ist die passende Musik für den Anlass. That’s fitting music for the occasion.
Good to Know
The adjective “fit”, in the sense of being in good physical shape, is also fit in German. And you’ll hear passen all the time in everyday speech: Passt! (or Passt schon!) means “OK, fine,” and Das passt mir nicht can also mean “That doesn’t work for me” about a time or plan.
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