adjective
clean, tidy
A2
sauber means clean or tidy. It is a regular, gradable adjective (comparative: sauberer; superlative: am saubersten). Used attributively and predicatively; antonym: schmutzig. No special preposition or reflexive use. Not a participle — standard adjective behavior in German. Common everyday adjective.
Examples
Sie hält ihre Bücher sauber und ordentlich.
She keeps her books neat and tidy.
Das Zimmer ist sauber.
The room is clean.
Die Putzfrau wischte die Küche sauber, bevor die Gäste am Abend ankamen.
The cleaning lady wiped the kitchen clean before the guests arrived in the evening.
Details
Mnemonics
imagine soap (sa-) shining on a bear (-ber) that looks tidy
sounds a bit like 'sober' — imagine being sober and neat
Notes
Common everyday adjective used for cleanliness and order. Often used with 'sauber machen' (to clean).