aussehen

Definition & meaning

The verb aussehen has two primary meanings:

1. To look (a certain way): This refers to the physical appearance of a person or object or the condition of something.

   • Example: "Du siehst heute sehr müde aus." (You look very tired today.)
   • Example: "Das Haus sieht alt aus." (The house looks old.)

2. To appear / seem: This refers to the situation or likelihood of something happening, often used with "nach".

   • Example: "Es sieht nach Regen aus." (It looks like it is going to rain.)

3. To look out for (separable): Used in the sense of keeping a lookout or searching for something.

   • Example: "Ich halte nach einem neuen Job Ausschau." (I am looking out for a new job - note that here it often forms the noun Ausschau).

Grammar & Word origin

• Grammar: aussehen is a separable verb (trennbares Verb). In the present tense, the prefix "aus" moves to the end of the sentence. It is an irregular verb (strong verb).
  • Conjugation (ich): ich sehe aus
  • Past tense (Präteritum): ich sah aus
  • Perfect (Perfekt): ich habe ausgesehen
• Word origin: The word is composed of the prefix aus (out) and sehen (to see). Etymologically, it evolved from the idea of "looking out" or "gazing outward" to determine the appearance or state of something.

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms:

• erscheinen ↗ (to appear)
• wirken ↗ (to seem/have an effect)
• ausfallen ↗ (to turn out, in terms of appearance/result)
• ausschauen ↗ (colloquial synonym, very common in Southern Germany/Austria)

Antonyms:

• There is no direct single-word antonym, but in the context of "looking good/bad," one might contrast it with:
• untergehen ↗ (in the sense of being overlooked or disappearing, though rarely used as a direct antonym)