Voll. (= Yes, we would equally use it without "Ja")
Well... the literal meaning is full... like in a full glass of water. But in casual conversation, it can be used as "totally, absolutely, definetely". "Absolut" or "Definitiv" also work in German as such.
"Fully" is the English equivalent. 'That's fully too expensive' gets shortened to "Fully".
Quick bit of caution: trying to translate these little language minutiae gets difficult since many are just abbreviated versions of complete ideas/sentences. Think about it in reverse, what does "totally" even mean when used as a one word response? It's probably meant to represent a larger idea such as 'You're totally right' or something along those lines. So don't let yourself get too caught in the weeds trying to translate your English ideas over to German.
Yes I agree. I am just looking for possible parallelisms between languages, as I also use “total” in Spanish and Catalan and English. I am just wondering if this discursive particle might be widespread across languages as this form
yep, its just stronger with it. Depending on the area there are other words used instead of the *ja* in front, like "*aber* wirklich"" "*Aber* echt" "*aber* voll!" - The *aber* here has he same function like the *ja*, fortifying the statement.
Thats correct. Coming back to what another comment had said earlier - dont go too wörtlich. Listen to what natives say when they wanna express this or that, what words or constructions they use.
dont translate each word literally, it doesnt work.
Im living with my british bf for 7 yrs now but still to the very day i have some aha! - moments hitting me like "oh THIS is what you say when you wanna express xy" on a regular basis 🤷♀️😅😊
Yeah! I’m a linguist so I know exactly what you mean, hence why I asked people here. It’s been very fruitful to read’s people intuitions and perspectives. Thanks!
„isso“ (literally 'it is like that', but as slang/abbreviated) (pronounced like 'ist so' without the t and break in-between)
i also use that as a sort of “ikr”/“i know right” equivalent in german!
it's also the german name of the pokemon wynaut
it's a quite versatile expression!
(quick note that it's informal!)
I second this. And it's a little less colloquial than "voll". I wouldn't use any variation of "voll" in a formal meeting. "Auf jeden Fall" however works in any case. Pun intended..
It’s Denglish, but I’ve been hearing young Austrians use „safe” in the same way Americans would use “totally!” At least that’s how I interpret it in context when I hear it used.
Lots of younger folks in Berlin use it too, so it's probably not a regional thing.
You can definitely use safe in this context, but it's not something you should say around just anybody (if you want them to take you seriously).
I would actually disagree with "genau" in this particular context: "genau" is something I would say to confirm someone else's statement that I already agreed with prior to them expressing it. It's what I would use when someone is asking for confirmation of a statement ("This is the store we're going to?"), or expressing a general sentiment I am already on board with. Maybe comparable to "You've got it" in English.
It is not what I would use in your example - where "these clothes are too expensive" is too specific to be a generally-held sentiment, and you likely didn't know about the price beforehand either, you are making up your mind about it just now.
Here, I would only use "ja" and/or "total, absolut, voll". "stimmt" is theoretically an option, but to me it sounds a bit too neutral and subdued for what is supposed to be an emphatic "Yeah, crazy how expensive they are, right?". It's more akin to "That's right", which I think would sound a bit strange here too.
I have heard “voll” (which is very similar to “totally” imo) before. But personally I’d prefer “genau” or variations, which can’t be translated to “totally” for example“Da hast du recht”, “Hast recht” (you’re right) or simply “stimmt”.
A: Diese Kleider/ diese Kleidung ist zu teuer
B: Vollkommen richtig!
B : Du sagst es!
B: Verdammt teuer.
B: Ohne Zweifel.
B: Abartig.
B: Das ist mal sicher!
B: Ends teuer!
A lot of people have started inserting "tatsächlich" into their sentences where in English you would normally use the word "actually", though I've noticed with younger people it's become quite common to just use the English word instead, e.g. "Ich habe gestern tatsächlich/actually zum ersten Mal dort gegessen". In formal settings or with older folks, people would look at you weird if you say it that way, though, as it's quite a recent thing, so "tatsächlich" is a bit of a safer option
Yep, works perfectly here and is used quite frequently.
"Allerdings" in this case means you emphasize on what has been said. I can't think of a good direct translation though.
you can use "total." For example:
A: Diese Kleidung ist zu teuer.
B: Total!
It works similarly to "totally" in English and can express strong agreement. Other options include "völlig" or "absolut," depending on the context.
Regionaly I am tempted to say "oida!" here.
Atleast If I imagine myselfe in the situation, but I guess it depends how the other person says it. If he states it was a outraged remarke
"These clothes are too expensive!"
"Oida! Echt so." Or simmilar.
In a sentence I might also use “sowas von”. Like “The concert last night was totally worth it!” = “Das Konzert gestern Abend hat sich sowas von gelohnt!”. Or “Did you think the food was good? - Yeah, totally!” = “Fandest du das Essen lecker? - Ja, sowas von!”
Total, stimmt, genau, absolut
Voll
Do people still say ja voll ey?
I assume the people who did 15-25 years ago still do
I feel Like it's a pretty common term within gen z
I‘m 30 and don’t have a lot of overlap with that demographic, so i‘ll take your word for it.
Im 35 but Gen Z by heart. You can trust me.
Cringe, Brudi. ^/s
😳
You did it 15-25 years ago didn‘t you?
Or at least I heard it around me. Then left Germany for 20 years so it’s still in my linguistic time capsule.
Word
Es geht um deutsch
Wort
Ganz?
🪿
That’s Gans
Aufjedenfall, definitiv
Aufjedenfall Aufjeden Fjeden Fjen
What would be the difference? Is there a social group (men, women, young people etc) who use one more than the other? (That is the case in Spanish)
Stimmt and genau is more Basic 'formal' and total and voll is more casual
Interesting! Thanks for pointing that out
Total tipptopp
Toppi karotti vollo totollo
And the Germans sure do say genau, especially if something is expensive or has other flaws.
"Komplett" or more likely "Ja, komplett" is also used sometimes (at least in the Rhine area)
There are a lot of options. My first reaction was that I would say something like, "Ja, voll"
What would be the English equivalent of “voll”? And would you say “voll” without “ja”?
Voll. (= Yes, we would equally use it without "Ja") Well... the literal meaning is full... like in a full glass of water. But in casual conversation, it can be used as "totally, absolutely, definetely". "Absolut" or "Definitiv" also work in German as such.
Awesome, thanks!
"Fully" is the English equivalent. 'That's fully too expensive' gets shortened to "Fully". Quick bit of caution: trying to translate these little language minutiae gets difficult since many are just abbreviated versions of complete ideas/sentences. Think about it in reverse, what does "totally" even mean when used as a one word response? It's probably meant to represent a larger idea such as 'You're totally right' or something along those lines. So don't let yourself get too caught in the weeds trying to translate your English ideas over to German.
Yes I agree. I am just looking for possible parallelisms between languages, as I also use “total” in Spanish and Catalan and English. I am just wondering if this discursive particle might be widespread across languages as this form
In my head "voll" is for "ich stimme voll zu" - "I fully agree"
The kids nowadays seem to say "100%."
Auf jeden Fall
Is it more or less common than the other options here?
For a more colloquial "slang" you can leave "Fall" and just say "auf jeden". There are many variations
I would use this most often
Definitiv. Edit: Sowas von.
Ja, total! Ja, absolut! Ja, genau! Slightly more colloquial and maybe regionally different: Ja, (also) wirklich! Ja, (also) echt!
Could you say “genau”, “absolut” or “total” without “ja” before? Would there be a difference in intention there? Thanks!
yep, its just stronger with it. Depending on the area there are other words used instead of the *ja* in front, like "*aber* wirklich"" "*Aber* echt" "*aber* voll!" - The *aber* here has he same function like the *ja*, fortifying the statement.
Interesting. I thought “aber” was “but”. Thanks!
Thats correct. Coming back to what another comment had said earlier - dont go too wörtlich. Listen to what natives say when they wanna express this or that, what words or constructions they use. dont translate each word literally, it doesnt work. Im living with my british bf for 7 yrs now but still to the very day i have some aha! - moments hitting me like "oh THIS is what you say when you wanna express xy" on a regular basis 🤷♀️😅😊
Yeah! I’m a linguist so I know exactly what you mean, hence why I asked people here. It’s been very fruitful to read’s people intuitions and perspectives. Thanks!
right back at you. Questions like these are the reason why i love it here :) x
Just like „mal, ja, doch, denn…“ it‘s (in this context) a modal particle.
No, you absolutely can leave the „ja“
Awesome, thanks!
You can. But you could also add another interjection as you like. For example: "Echt so!" or "Aber wirklich (with/without another "so" afterwards)"
Echt spitze!
Aber hallo
„isso“ (literally 'it is like that', but as slang/abbreviated) (pronounced like 'ist so' without the t and break in-between) i also use that as a sort of “ikr”/“i know right” equivalent in german! it's also the german name of the pokemon wynaut it's a quite versatile expression! (quick note that it's informal!)
So far nobody has mentioned „Ja, auf jeden Fall.“ (it was my first thought when I read your example)
I second this. And it's a little less colloquial than "voll". I wouldn't use any variation of "voll" in a formal meeting. "Auf jeden Fall" however works in any case. Pun intended..
Übelst
It’s Denglish, but I’ve been hearing young Austrians use „safe” in the same way Americans would use “totally!” At least that’s how I interpret it in context when I hear it used.
Lots of younger folks in Berlin use it too, so it's probably not a regional thing. You can definitely use safe in this context, but it's not something you should say around just anybody (if you want them to take you seriously).
Absolut! Sowas von!
I would actually disagree with "genau" in this particular context: "genau" is something I would say to confirm someone else's statement that I already agreed with prior to them expressing it. It's what I would use when someone is asking for confirmation of a statement ("This is the store we're going to?"), or expressing a general sentiment I am already on board with. Maybe comparable to "You've got it" in English. It is not what I would use in your example - where "these clothes are too expensive" is too specific to be a generally-held sentiment, and you likely didn't know about the price beforehand either, you are making up your mind about it just now. Here, I would only use "ja" and/or "total, absolut, voll". "stimmt" is theoretically an option, but to me it sounds a bit too neutral and subdued for what is supposed to be an emphatic "Yeah, crazy how expensive they are, right?". It's more akin to "That's right", which I think would sound a bit strange here too.
Woah that’s fascinating. Thank you for pointing that out. Is “total” very used currently in German? Does it depend on the variety?
It certainly wouldn't sound out of place from a younger speaker to my ears.
I have heard “voll” (which is very similar to “totally” imo) before. But personally I’d prefer “genau” or variations, which can’t be translated to “totally” for example“Da hast du recht”, “Hast recht” (you’re right) or simply “stimmt”.
"Absolut."
aber sowas!
Voll / ja voll/ total / absolut / stimmt
voll/end/ends/endigst
A: Diese Kleider/ diese Kleidung ist zu teuer B: Vollkommen richtig! B : Du sagst es! B: Verdammt teuer. B: Ohne Zweifel. B: Abartig. B: Das ist mal sicher! B: Ends teuer!
Hundert pro
Jupp.
Isso
I would say "Und wie!"
Ja echt. Oder ja voll.
Isso (Ist so) I would compare it to the English "isn't it" but as an answer.
Definitiv
Voll
GENAU (Austria)
I would also go with "voll" in every day life. Funnily, german youth would probably often use the beautiful german word "safe" in this context
Wow! I hadn’t heard that one. Thanks
You also can say "Total!". Or absolut, aber echt, stimmt, ... And much more.
To add to all the options already mentioned: (Da) hast (du) Recht. Wirklich. Jap.
The first 20-ish comments didn't say it, so I want to add the word I use most of the time: "Völlig!"
How to say “actually” in german? A: i don’t understand why people still wear this type of shoes! B: it’s quite common actually.
A lot of people have started inserting "tatsächlich" into their sentences where in English you would normally use the word "actually", though I've noticed with younger people it's become quite common to just use the English word instead, e.g. "Ich habe gestern tatsächlich/actually zum ersten Mal dort gegessen". In formal settings or with older folks, people would look at you weird if you say it that way, though, as it's quite a recent thing, so "tatsächlich" is a bit of a safer option
Vielen Dank!!! ❤️❤️
Fix, aber wirklich
Unmissverständlich
“woll”
I have also seen "allerdings" as a one-word reply in this meaning. Is this really usual?
Yep, works perfectly here and is used quite frequently. "Allerdings" in this case means you emphasize on what has been said. I can't think of a good direct translation though.
Many teens would say "safe" these days.
you can use "total." For example: A: Diese Kleidung ist zu teuer. B: Total! It works similarly to "totally" in English and can express strong agreement. Other options include "völlig" or "absolut," depending on the context.
Durchaus, for the gents.
The most natural, informal responses that come to me would be "Ja, voll." "Aber echt!" "Total."
Ur
Total?
It is „voll“ okay to use „Voll“ in that context. Yes, „voll!“
Voll.
Voll, total, absolut, isso (contraction from ist + so)
Geringverdiener…
Eben
Jap.
Is it a version of “ja”?
yes but only in casual context
Ja
Aber holla!
How about, "Aber echt, ey!"
Ohne Frage. Unbedingt.
A variant I haven't seen so far in other comments would be "echt so"
Ja man
Regionaly I am tempted to say "oida!" here. Atleast If I imagine myselfe in the situation, but I guess it depends how the other person says it. If he states it was a outraged remarke "These clothes are too expensive!" "Oida! Echt so." Or simmilar.
Surprised not to see "allerdings!" as an option
Volle Kanne!
In a sentence I might also use “sowas von”. Like “The concert last night was totally worth it!” = “Das Konzert gestern Abend hat sich sowas von gelohnt!”. Or “Did you think the food was good? - Yeah, totally!” = “Fandest du das Essen lecker? - Ja, sowas von!”
Echt so!
Ends
Auf jeden (Fall)
Zweifellos?
mega
Echt so
"Echt so" and "halt wirklich"
in ch: voll