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per se

as such; in itself

adverb per ZAY Rare
Communication Expressions

Origin: from Latin

Also means

intrinsically; by definition

Usage Note

Per se (Latin loanphrase) is used in German just as in English — to say something is true 'of itself' or 'as such', without further context needed: Das ist per se kein Problem ('That is not a problem as such'). It occurs in academic, journalistic, and increasingly casual speech.

Examples

"Die Methode ist per se nicht falsch, aber die Anwendung war problematisch."

Natural Translation

The method is not wrong as such, but the application was problematic.

Literal Translation

The method is per se not wrong, but the application was problematic.

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