brav or tapfer?
b1English brave is German tapfer or mutig. German brav means well-behaved - obedient, good. Praise, but of a very different kind.
brav
Well-behaved, obedient. Said to children and dogs; about adults it sounds faintly condescending.
Der Hund hat brav gewartet.The dog waited nicely.
tapfer
What English brave means: courageous, steadfast, also in bearing pain. Alongside it stands mutig.
Sie hat den Eingriff tapfer ertragen.She bore the procedure bravely.
The mistake
Der Feuerwehrmann war sehr brav.
Der Feuerwehrmann war sehr tapfer.
The wrong sentence praises the firefighter for obedience. Courage was meant, and that is „tapfer“.
Rule of thumb
Mnemonic: brav is someone who obeys. Tapfer is someone who stands firm.
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