How to express that something fits in German

The German verb “to fit”, in the sense of being the correct size, is “passen”. When used with the preposition “zu” the meaning is changed to “to fit to”, in the sense of being appropriate, in line with or typical for someone or something. The adjective for both is “passend” (“fitting”):

– “Der Anzug passt mir nicht!” – “The suit does not fit me.”
– “Der Anzug passt nicht zu ihm.” – “That suit does not fit to him.”
– “Diese Kleider passen nicht zusammen.” – “These clothes don’t fit together / don’t match.”
– “Das ist die passende Musik für den Anlass.” – “That’s fitting music for the occasion.”

Note: The adjective “fit”, in the sense of being in good physical shape, is also “fit” in German.


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