Meaning & use
schlager
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Meanings
nouncountablemusic
A style of popular German-language song with a simple, catchy tune and sentimental or romantic words.
Grammar: Countable: one song is 'a schlager', several are 'schlagers'.
Patterns
- a schlager singer
- sing a schlager
- a classic schlager
My grandmother still hums the schlagers she danced to as a teenager.
The contest is famous for its cheerful schlagers and glittering stage shows.
He switched from rock to schlager and suddenly had a hit in Germany.
nouncountableinformal
A successful popular song or tune of any kind, especially one that everybody knows.
Grammar: Countable; often used slightly humorously for a very catchy hit.
Patterns
- a real schlager
- turn something into a schlager
That chorus is a real schlager — everyone was singing it by the end.
The band wanted a schlager, something simple that crowds could join in with.
Word forms
| plural | schlagers |
|---|
Common combinations
- schlager music
- Schlager music fills the dance halls along the coast every summer.
- a schlager singer
- She became a schlager singer after winning a television talent show.
- a schlager festival
- Thousands of fans travel to the schlager festival each year.
- classic schlager
- The radio station plays classic schlager from the 1970s all weekend.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pop song
- Neutral and general; use it when you are not referring to the German-language style specifically.
- ballad
- A slow, emotional song; a schlager can be fast and cheerful, so the words are not interchangeable.
Word family
- schlagerish adjective
- Resembling or typical of schlager music, often said of a tune.
Commonly confused: schlager or shlager?
schlager vs shlager
A common misspelling; the correct spelling begins with 'sch-', as in German.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'schlager' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A schlager is a catchy German-style popular song, so playing and singing along fits. The other options treat it as an object or tool, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “schlager”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.