German Phrase
Nee, das ist zu weit weg, um's richtig zu sehen.
Meaning
The speaker is saying that something is located so far away that it cannot be seen clearly. The tone is informal and slightly dismissive, as indicated by the colloquial ‘Nee’.
When to use
Use this sentence in casual conversation when you want to point out that an object, a view, or a place is too distant to be observed clearly – for example, talking about a distant mountain, a far‑away sign, or a distant performance.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Nee,dasistzuweitweg,um'srichtigzusehen.
Nee (informal negation)
‘Nee’ is a colloquial, informal way to say ‘no’ in German, similar to ‘nah’ in English. It’s used mainly in spoken language among friends.
zu … um … zu (purpose/limit clause)
The construction ‘zu … um … zu’ expresses a purpose or a limit: ‘too … to …’. Here ‘zu weit weg, um's richtig zu sehen’ means ‘too far away to see it properly’.
um's = um es
‘um's’ is a contraction of ‘um es’. In spoken German the vowel is often reduced, but the written form keeps the apostrophe to show the omission.
Infinitive clause with zu
The infinitive ‘zu sehen’ follows the ‘um … zu’ pattern. The infinitive verb always carries ‘zu’ in such clauses.
richtig (adverb)
‘richtig’ modifies the verb ‘sehen’ and means ‘properly, correctly, clearly’.
🗨In Conversation
Nee, das ist zu weit weg, um's richtig zu sehen.
No, that's too far away to see properly.
Vielleicht können wir näher rangehen?
Maybe we can get closer?
✕Common Mistakes
Nee, das ist zu weit weg, um richtig zu sehen.
Missing the apostrophe in ‘um's’; the correct spoken contraction is ‘um's’ (um es).
Nee, das ist zu weit weg, um zu sehen richtig.
The adverb ‘richtig’ must precede the infinitive, not follow it.
Nee, das ist zu weit weg, um's richtig sehen.
The infinitive after ‘um’ always needs ‘zu’; omit it and the sentence is ungrammatical.
↔Alternatives
Nein, das ist zu weit entfernt, um es klar zu sehen.
No, that's too far away to see it clearly.
Das ist zu weit weg, um es richtig zu erkennen.
It's too far away to recognize it properly.
Zu weit weg, um es gut zu sehen.
Too far away to see it well.
Cultural Tip
‘Nee’ is especially common in northern Germany and among younger speakers. In more formal contexts you would replace it with ‘Nein’. The ‘um’s’ contraction is typical of spoken German; in formal writing you would write ‘um es’. Also, the ‘zu … um … zu’ pattern is a staple of German that learners often mix up with the simple ‘zu’ infinitive, so practicing it in real dialogues helps solidify the structure.