Modal Particles

“Particle” is a catch-all term for words that have no clear part of speech, like “hmm.” (Many
English particles are also described as “interjections.”) A modal particle is a word that’s used in
speech to convey extra emphasis or emotion, without any real grammatical function.

It’s often said that English has no modal particles, but we have some pretty similar features.
Think of asking a small child “What have you got there?” or “What’s your name then?” The
there and then aren’t really necessary in those sentences, they’re just a friendly way of express-
ing interest. Or if you say “Come on now!” to express disbelief or frustration, the now isn’t
strictly necessary. Some other examples are a little more old-timey: “What ever are you talking
about?” or “I’ll get him but good.” Notice that all these words have ‘ordinary’ usages apart from
their use as particles; this is also the case for the German particles below.

In any case, the exact definition of a modal particle is complicated, but hopefully you’re getting
the idea. For our purposes, let’s just define them as any common verbal flourish in spoken Ger-
man. (Another way to think of them is as ‘verbal emoticons.’) You’re going to hear a lot of these
if you talk to native speakers, so it’s useful to know them. Some can have different emphatic
meanings, so they appear under more than one heading below.

aber gerne!
with pleasure!
aber
aber sicher!
most certainly

Das ist wohl wahr!

wohl
That’s certainly true!
Affirmation/
Agreement
Das ist ja eine tolle idee!
ja
That’s really a great idea!

Na klar komme ich!

You bet I‘m coming!
na
Na logisch!
Of course!

Du bist doch nur zugekifft.

You're just [saying that because you're] high.
Contradiction/
doch
Disagreement
Q: Das ist doch nicht dein Ernst, oder? A: Doch!
Q: You’re not being serious, are you? A: I am!

Special gerade
Emphasis/ Dass ich das gerade von DIR höre...
Focus That I'm hearing that from YOU (of all people)…
 Gerade heute musste es schneien!
It had to snow today (of all days)!

Ich versuche, eine Antwort auf eben die Frage zu

eben formulieren.
I'm trying to find an answer to [just] that very
question.

So ist es eben. / Es ist eben so.

eben
That's just how it is.

Resignation naja Naja, was hast du erwartet?

Ah well, what did you expect?

Ich war halt besoffen.

halt
(What can i say?) I was drunk.

Das war aber nett von dir!

aber
That was nice of you! [I wasn't expecting it]

Surprise
Ist das etwa für mich?
etwa
Is that for me?

Wie alt bist du denn? [to a child]

denn
So how old are you?

Interest
Guck dir das mal an!
mal
Take a look at that!

Das ist schon viel!

schon
It’s more than you think/more than it seems

Du bist ja blöd!
Intensifiers ja
Are you ever dumb!

Das ist aber völliger Quatsch!

aber
That's complete nonsense!

Exasperation/ nur
Anger Wie konntest du nur?
How COULD you?

Was hat er sich nur dabei gedacht?

What WAS he thinking?
 Was will er schon von mir?
schon
What in the world does he want from me?

Was soll das nun bedeuten?

nun
Now what’s that supposed to mean?

Es war halt ein Vorschlag.

halt
It was just a suggestion.
Softening/
Casual
Warte mal.
mal
Wait a sec.