adjective
crooked, awry
B1
Schief: an adjective meaning 'crooked' (physically slanted) or 'awry' (going wrong). It’s gradable (schiefer, am schiefsten) with antonym gerade. Can describe angles, outcomes or attitudes. No special preposition; used as predicate or attributive. Common in phrases like 'etwas läuft schief'.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.EXAMPLES
Das Bild hängt schief an der Wand.
The picture is hanging crooked on the wall.
Das Bild hing schief, weil der Nagel locker war.
The picture hung crookedly because the nail was loose.
Wenn der Plan schiefgeht, brauchen wir eine schnelle Lösung.
If the plan goes awry, we need a quick solution.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.DETAILS_LABEL
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.MNEMONICS
Imagine a picture frame hanging at an angle, clearly not level — that's 'schief'.
Sounds like English 'chief' but with an 'sh' at the start.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.NOTES
schief can describe physical tilt (crooked) or more abstract failures (go awry: schiefgehen). It can be used in compounds like 'schiefgehen'.