German word of the day: Etwa
This little German word has a couple of uses that are very straightforward and one that is untranslatable.
Why do I need this word?
If you're among native German speakers, you're likely to hear it used a lot, especially when confronted with surprising or hard to believe situations.
What does it mean?
Some of our readers might initially wonder if we made a typo, and accidentally omitted the 's' on etwas (something). Or maybe it's a regional variant, with the 's' swallowed like it is in Andalusian Spanish?
But, nope, etwa is actually its own word with totally different meanings.
The easiest to comprehend have direct translations, the first which simply means 'approximately'. So you might, for example, reassure your hiking companion that "Wir müssen nur noch etwa 2 Kilometer laufen, um unser Ziel zu erreichen." (We only have to walk approximately two more kilometres in order to reach our destination.) It's also common to use circa or ungefähr in its place.
Etwa is also often used to give an example, basically substituting for the German words beispielsweise or zum Beispiel. So you could say "Ich mag es, deutsche Städte zu besuchen, wie etwa Köln und Berlin." (I like to travel in German cities, for example Cologne and Berlin).
Now comes the more abstract meaning, when etwa is used as a particle, or a way to place emphasis on what we're saying. Inserting it in a sentence expresses astonishment, both negative and positive, but only in questions which can only be answered with a yes or no.
READ ALSO: Das ist ja mal wichtig: The complete guide to German particles
For example, if you know a friend needs to catch a flight in two hours and she tells you she's at a shopping centre searching for shoes, you might ask, "Musst du etwa schon am Flughafen sein? ("Don't you need to be at the airport already?")
Or if another friend finishes writing their master's thesis in a month you might proclaim, "Bist du etwa schon fertig?" ("Don't tell me you're already finished!")
Both of these sentences would work without the etwa, but it stresses a sense of disbelief that you can't quite get across without it.
Don't miss any of our German words and expressions of the day by downloading our new app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the German Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.
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Why do I need this word?
If you're among native German speakers, you're likely to hear it used a lot, especially when confronted with surprising or hard to believe situations.
What does it mean?
Some of our readers might initially wonder if we made a typo, and accidentally omitted the 's' on etwas (something). Or maybe it's a regional variant, with the 's' swallowed like it is in Andalusian Spanish?
But, nope, etwa is actually its own word with totally different meanings.
The easiest to comprehend have direct translations, the first which simply means 'approximately'. So you might, for example, reassure your hiking companion that "Wir müssen nur noch etwa 2 Kilometer laufen, um unser Ziel zu erreichen." (We only have to walk approximately two more kilometres in order to reach our destination.) It's also common to use circa or ungefähr in its place.
Etwa is also often used to give an example, basically substituting for the German words beispielsweise or zum Beispiel. So you could say "Ich mag es, deutsche Städte zu besuchen, wie etwa Köln und Berlin." (I like to travel in German cities, for example Cologne and Berlin).
Now comes the more abstract meaning, when etwa is used as a particle, or a way to place emphasis on what we're saying. Inserting it in a sentence expresses astonishment, both negative and positive, but only in questions which can only be answered with a yes or no.
READ ALSO: Das ist ja mal wichtig: The complete guide to German particles
For example, if you know a friend needs to catch a flight in two hours and she tells you she's at a shopping centre searching for shoes, you might ask, "Musst du etwa schon am Flughafen sein? ("Don't you need to be at the airport already?")
Or if another friend finishes writing their master's thesis in a month you might proclaim, "Bist du etwa schon fertig?" ("Don't tell me you're already finished!")
Both of these sentences would work without the etwa, but it stresses a sense of disbelief that you can't quite get across without it.
Don't miss any of our German words and expressions of the day by downloading our new app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the German Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.
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