2.21 Particles — doch, mal, ja, denn, eben, halt — Epoché
What you will be able to do Understand the six commonest modal particles — doch, mal, ja, denn, eben, halt — in spoken German. Use mal and doch to make requests sound friendly rather than abrupt: Warte mal! Setz dich doch! Answer a negative question with doch : Doch, ich war zu Hause! Translate the particles into English by their effect — tone of voice, a tag question, just , do — rather than word for word. Sentences from this lesson, before the explanation. Read the German aloud; all of them come back below. German English Schau mal da rein. [1] Take a look in there. Schau gut hin. Ich werde dir zeigen, wie man es macht. [2] Look carefully. I'm going to show you how it's done. Nein, das ist nicht seltsam. Warum glaubst du, es sei seltsam? [3] No, that's not weird. Why do you think it's weird? Nein, setz dich hin. [4] No, sit down. Komm doch bitte rein! [5] Do come in, please. Glaubst du nicht an Wunder? [6] Don't you believe in miracles? Doch, ich glaube an Wunder. [7] I do believe in miracles. So seltsam ist das doch nicht? [8] It isn't that weird, is it? Prerequisites : 2.20 — you need the middle field from 2.10 Grammar , the imperative from 2.13 Grammar , and doch and denn as ordinary words from 2.11 Grammar . Listen to two Germans talking and you will hear a stream of short, unstressed words that a textbook sentence lacks: Komm doch mal her! Das ist ja seltsam. Was ist denn los? These are modal particles. They do not change what a sentence states. They change how it is meant: friendly or impatient, surprised or resigned, as shared knowledge or as a new point. English does the same work with tone of voice, with tag questions such as isn't it? , and with words like just and do . That is why the particles have no dictionary translation. This lesson gives you a working sense of the six most frequent. The six particles Particle Where Effect English often mal requests, commands softens; makes it casual just , or a friendly tone doch commands encourages, urges do come in , why don't you doch statements contradicts or reminds after all , but , stress ja statements shared knowledge; surprise as you know , really , wow denn questions shows interest; makes the question less blunt then , so , or a softer tone eben , halt statements resignation: that's how it is just , simply Particles sit in the middle field, after the finite verb and after unstressed pronouns, and they are normally unstressed. The exceptions are doch as an answer, which is a different use, and a few stressed particles with a meaning of their own, such as the warning ja in a command: Komm ja nicht zu spät! , don't you dare be late! eben is more northern and halt more southern; their meaning is the same. In real sentences doch . As a one-word answer it contradicts a negative question or statement: Didn't you go? — Yes, I did. Inside a command it urges; inside a statement it insists. German English Komm doch rein! [9] Do come in! Setz dich doch! [10] Why don't you have a seat? Lüg doch nicht! [11] Don't lie! Das ist doch was! [12] This really is something. mal . Short for einmal , once . It makes a request casual, as if it were a small thing. German English Warte mal! [13] Hey, wait up. Schau mal. [14] Take a look. Zeig mal her! [15] Let me see it. Sag mal, wer ist dieser junge Mann? [16] Tell me; who is this young man? ja . Not yes here. In a statement it marks surprise, or reminds the listener of something they already know. German English Das ist ja süß! [17] That's so sweet. Du bist ja stark. [18] You are strong. Ich habe es dir ja gleich gesagt! [19] I told you before! denn . In questions it adds interest or mild impatience. A question without it can sound like an interrogation. German English Was ist denn das? [20] What is this? Wo bist du denn gerade? [21] Where are you at the moment? Sag mal, was hast du denn? [22] Hey, what's wrong with you? eben and halt . Resignation: nothing can be done about it. German English Das ist eben so. [23] It's just one of those things. Das ist halt so. [24] That's just the way it is. Es funktioniert halt nicht so. [25] It just doesn't work that way. How English does it English uses intonation where German uses particles. An English speaker can make sit down friendly or rude by tone of voice alone. German speakers use tone too, but a bare imperative such as Setz dich! sounds abrupt in a way that tone cannot fully repair. Setz dich doch! or Setz dich mal hin! is what a friendly host says. For English speakers this is the most useful lesson of the particles: adding mal or doch to a request is the German equivalent of saying it with a smile. English has particles too, but fewer. Do come in , just wait a moment , so where are you? , you know how it is : these English words do the same job as doch, mal, denn, ja . Tag questions — isn't it? , don't you? — often correspond to German ja or doch in the statement. When you translate from German, look for the English equivalent of the effect, not of the word. doch as an answer has no single English word. English answers a negative question with yes or no and then explains: Weren't you at home? — Yes, I was. German has three answers: ja and nein for a positive question, and for a negative one, nein to agree and doch to contradict. French has the same word, si . It removes all ambiguity, and Germans use it constantly. Do not overuse them. Particles are a feature of speech. They rarely appear in formal writing, and a learner who scatters them everywhere sounds odd. Start by recognising them, then use mal in requests and doch as an answer. The others will come with listening. New words Seven words: four particles and three words that often appear with them. Word (article, plural) Meaning Notes mal de softens a request; once, times Gender / part of speech particle, adverb How English differs Short for einmal ; in arithmetic drei mal zwei is three times two . Warte mal. [26] Wait a moment. ja de as you know; indeed, really Gender / part of speech particle Ho