What does “das Unfassbare” mean in German?
Wang Lipings einsamer Olympiasieg in Sydney 2000
B1 German listening practice · German · Picked for people who know some
The clip reaches its turning point: “Dann geschah das Unfassbare” — then the unbelievable thing happened. “Unfassbar” means something is so big or shocking you cannot quite take it in. Adding “das” and a capital letter turns it into a noun: the unbelievable thing. It names the event — the leader gets a red card, Wang Liping wins out of nowhere — rather than just calling it surprising.
In the clip: “Dann geschah das Unfassbare.” (Then the unbelievable thing happened.) “Unfassbar” on its own means something is so big or shocking you can hardly take it in — too much to grasp. With “das” and a capital U, it becomes a noun: “the unbelievable thing,” naming the event itself. You will also hear “Unfassbar!” on its own as a strong reaction — roughly “I can’t believe it!” or “Incredible!” — when words almost fail.
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Harder words in this video
These words are harder than B1. Here is what they mean.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-DE 2011 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.