What does “kurzsichtig” mean in German?
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B2 German listening practice · German · Picked for people who know more
The clip describes nearsightedness — in German, kurzsichtig. German builds the word from two parts: kurz (short) and -sichtig (seeing). The eye bends light too strongly, so the focus lands in front of the back of the eye instead of right on it. Near things look clear, far things go blurry. Once you know the parts, the opposite, weitsichtig (far-seeing), is easy to read too.
Spoken line: “Augen mit einem Brennpunkt vor der Netzhaut werden als kurzsichtig bezeichnet.” (Eyes with a focal point in front of the retina are called nearsighted.) How the pieces work: kurz = short, and the -sichtig part means “-seeing.” So kurzsichtig = “short-seeing,” used for an eye that sees close things clearly but far things blurry. The same pattern builds the family: - weitsichtig = “far-seeing” (weit = far) — the opposite case, far things clear, near things blurry. The clip pairs the two directly. - Kurzsichtigkeit = the noun, “nearsightedness” (add -keit to turn it into a thing). - kurzsichtig can also mean “short-sighted” about a plan or decision, the way English uses it too — usually a bit critical. Once you know kurz + sichtig, you can work out the others instead of memorizing each as a new word.
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Harder words in this video
These words are harder than B2. Here is what they mean.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-DE 2011 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.