The main German word for “weak”, in the sense of lacking physical strength or energy, is “schwach”. Its opposite, “strong”, is “stark” in German. The corresponding nouns “weakness” and “strength” are “Schwäche” (f.) and “Stärke” (f.), respectively:

– “Ich fühle mich so schwach. Ich muss etwas essen.” – “I feel so weak. I have to eat something.”
– “Der Typ ist echt stark.” – “That guy is really strong.”
– “Ich habe eine Schwäche für Schokolade.” – “I have a weakness for chocolate.”
– “Ihre Stärke ist Mathe.” – “Math(s) is her strength.”
– “Der Geist ist willig aber das Fleisch ist schwach.” – “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”

Note that “strong” and “strength” can also be translated as “kräftig” and “Kraft” in the sense of “powerful” and “power” (or “force”), respectively:

– “Das ist ein kräftiges Argument.” – “That’s a strong/powerful argument.”
– “Er ist die treibende Kraft im Büro.” – “He’s the driving force in the office.”

Relatedly, “weak point” is “Schwachstelle” (f.) and “weak willed” is “willensschwach”. Lastly, note that the noun “Stärke” can also refer to “starch”.

About the Author Stephan

Stephan has been a professional language teacher since the early 2000s. He's been calling Berlin his home since 2006, when he started managing (and founding his own) language schools in addition to teaching German and English. He's the owner of Deutschable and loves writing about language, history, and game changers.

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

Get our Free E-Book

Do you know the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German? You should. Join our mailing list for German learners and check out our exclusive, illustrated ebook - and supercharge your German vocab today!

>