schnell
fast
Schnell (fast) is the everyday German adjective for speed. You'll see it describing a car, a worker, or a quick reply to a message. It's pronounced [ʃnɛl], with "sch" sounding like English "sh" and a short "ell" at the end. Three phrases show up constantly: mach schnell (hurry up), schnelle Hilfe (quick help), and so schnell wie möglich (as fast as possible).
The comparative is schneller (faster) and the superlative is am schnellsten (fastest). Like most short German adjectives, schnell also works as an adverb without changing form. Er läuft schnell means "he runs fast", with one word doing both jobs.
A couple of near-synonyms are worth knowing. Rasch also means fast, but it feels more formal and tends to describe sudden, brief actions, as in eine rasche Antwort (a quick reply). Eilig covers urgency, as in ich habe es eilig (I'm in a hurry). The opposite is langsam (slow).
When schnell describes a noun, it takes regular adjective endings that change with gender and case. With a definite article: das schnelle Auto (the fast car). With an indefinite article: ein schnelles Auto (a fast car). In the plural without an article: schnelle Autos (fast cars). The endings are what English speakers spend the most time learning, so practicing them in full sentences pays off more than memorizing a table.
English
fast
Positive
schnell
Comparative
schneller
Superlative
am schnellsten
Synonyms
Antonyms
schnell appears in the following vocabulary collections:
Der Bus ist schnell.
The bus is fast.
Predicative adjective after 'sein'.
Ich laufe schnell zur Schule.
I walk quickly to school.
Adverb goes after the verb.
Mein Bruder fährt schnell.
My brother drives fast.
Simple subject–verb–adverb order.
- What does schnell mean in German?
- Schnell means "fast" or "quick". It's the everyday German word for speed and works for both physical motion (a fast car) and abstract speed (a quick reply). It also functions as an adverb without changing form.
- What is the comparative of schnell?
- The comparative is schneller (faster) and the superlative is am schnellsten (fastest). Both follow the regular German pattern: add -er for the comparative and am ___sten for the superlative.
- How do you pronounce schnell?
- Schnell is pronounced [ʃnɛl], roughly "shnel". The "sch" sounds like English "sh", and the "ell" is short rather than drawn out.
- Is schnell an adjective or an adverb?
- Both. Schnell is an adjective when it describes a noun (ein schnelles Auto, a fast car) and an adverb when it modifies a verb (er läuft schnell, he runs fast). German doesn't add an extra ending for the adverb form the way English uses "-ly".
- What is the difference between schnell and rasch?
- Both translate as "fast", but rasch feels more formal and is often used for sudden, brief actions like a quick reply. Schnell is the general-purpose everyday word and is more common in conversation.