German course

Lesson 217 of 240

New here? This is lesson 217 of a free 240-lesson German course.

Start hereHow this works

Sound natural in German

Anton starts a thought at Bäckerei Krause, then hedges and loses the thread. Priya copies his fillers, and Renate still follows her.

These little words buy you a second when you need to sound natural, not textbook-stiff.

You'll use honest openers, anyway, basically, so to speak, let's put it this way, and a kind-of-yes.

They sit in different places. Some open a thought. Sozusagen qualifies wording. Irgendwie schon is a short response.

By the end of this lesson

Use native-sounding fillers and hedges when you need a beat.

  • Ehrlich gesagt, ___.To be honest, ___.
  • Jedenfalls, ___.Anyway, ___.
  • Im Grunde genommen.Basically.
  • Sozusagen.So to speak.
  • Sagen wir mal so.Let's put it this way.
  • Irgendwie schon.Kind of, yes.

Scene — the corner table

Priya is a regular now. She pushes the bakery door and Renate already has a glance for her.

Anton sits at the corner table on two chairs, Milchkaffee still untouched, about to start a story he may not finish.

Priya enters as Renate glances up from the counter and Anton waits at the corner table with his coffee untouched.

Learn — fillers and hedges

Six hedges help you sound less stiff. Some open a thought; others qualify a word or answer in short.

Use them when you need a beat before the real point.

  1. Priya pauses just inside the door and answers a friendly greeting with an open, relaxed gesture.

    Ehrlich gesagt, ___.

    To be honest, ___.

    When to use it: Use this when you start a frank thought with a friend.

    After this opener, the next clause still puts the verb second.

    Say it: Ehrlich uses the soft ch you hear in ich.

  2. Anton raises a hoof as if to begin a story, then stalls with his coffee still full.

    Jedenfalls, ___.

    Anyway, ___.

    When to use it: Use this to leave a side point and return to what matters.

    When a clause follows, the verb comes second, right after this word.

    Say it: Jedenfalls puts the stress on the first syllable.

  3. Renate rests one palm on the counter in a small, matter-of-fact gesture.

    Im Grunde genommen.

    Basically.

    When to use it: Use this when you boil a messy thought down to the core.

    Use it as one piece; nothing has to follow it.

  4. Anton looks down at his untouched Milchkaffee, his raised hoof hovering as his thought slips away.

    Sozusagen.

    So to speak.

    When to use it: Use this when the word you just chose is a bit of a stretch.

    Park this after a wording that is not exact.

  5. Priya shapes a careful rephrase toward Anton, who remains paused at the corner table.

    Sagen wir mal so.

    Let's put it this way.

    When to use it: Use this when you rephrase something to make it clearer or softer.

    Keep the four words in this order; mal stays in the middle.

  6. Renate gives Priya a small confirming nod as she reaches toward a waiting coffee.

    Irgendwie schon.

    Kind of, yes.

    When to use it: Use this when you half-agree, without giving a full yes.

    This answers a yes-no feel; it does not open a new sentence.

    Say it: Schon starts with sch, like the English ship.

Story — he loses the thread

Anton starts a sentence, then the hedge eats the rest. Priya tries the same fillers at the counter.

The highlighted words are the lines you just learned. Turn on Show English if you need it.

  1. Renate looks up from the coffee machine. The morning rush has thinned.
  2. RenateWie geht's?How are you?
  3. PriyaGut, danke.I'm good, thanks.
  4. Anton lifts a hoof, then stops with his mouth open.
  5. AntonEhrlich gesagt, ich wollte dir etwas erzählen.To be honest, I wanted to tell you something.
  6. PriyaJa? Dann erzähl.Yes? Then tell it.
  7. AntonIm Grunde genommen.Basically.
  8. He stares at the Milchkaffee. The rest of the thought is gone.
  9. PriyaUnd dann?And then?
  10. AntonJedenfalls war es nicht so wichtig.Anyway, it was not that important.
  11. RenateDu fängst an und bleibst stehen, Anton.You start and then you stop, Anton.
  12. AntonIch verliere den Faden, sozusagen.I lose the thread, so to speak.
  13. PriyaEhrlich gesagt, ich höre nur die Hälfte.To be honest, I only catch half of it.
  14. RenateIch verstehe dich trotzdem.I understand you anyway.
  15. PriyaSagen wir mal so. Anton bleibt oft in der Mitte stehen.Let's put it this way. Anton often stays stuck in the middle.
  16. RenateIrgendwie schon.Kind of, yes.
  17. PriyaIst das bei dir jeden Tag so?Is it like that for you every day?
  18. AntonDas kommt auf den Tag an.It depends on the day.
  19. PriyaJedenfalls nehme ich einen Milchkaffee.Anyway, I'll take a coffee with milk.
  20. RenateDer steht schon da. Nicht der von Anton.Yours is already there. Not Anton's.
  21. AntonIst deiner auch schon kalt?Is yours already cold too?
  22. PriyaIrgendwie schon.Kind of, yes.

Practice — anyway and so to speak

You'll hear the hedges, fill a gap, build a line, and pick the right English meaning.

The round stays short, and a few earlier lines come back.

0 of 10 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. What do you say?

    You wandered off the point. Come back to what you meant to say.

  3. What does it mean?

    Im Grunde genommen.

  4. What do you say?

    The word you just chose is not exact. Soften it.

  5. Build the line

    Let's put it this way.

    .

    Tap the words in order.

  6. Fill the gap

    Kind of, yes.

    Irgendwie ____.

  7. Pick the reply

    Renate says:

    Wie geht's?

    How are you?

    And you reply with:

  8. Match the pairs

    German

    Im Grunde genommen.Drop the English here
    Sozusagen.Drop the English here
    Sagen wir mal so.Drop the English here
    Irgendwie schon.Drop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its German, or tap one and then the other.

  9. What do you say?

    A friend at the bakery just sat down. Check how they are, the short way.

  10. True or false?

    This means it can change from one day to the next.

Say it — say the hedges

Now you're Priya at the bakery, trying the same hedges as Anton. When it's your turn, tap the microphone and speak.

Tap ▶ first if you want to hear the line. Your recording stays on your device.

  1. AntonIch wollte dir etwas erzählen.I wanted to tell you something.
  2. Priya (you)Be frank as you start. You can leave the rest open.

    Ehrlich gesagt, ___.

    To be honest, ___.

0 of 5 said

Recap — what you can say now

GermanEnglish
Ehrlich gesagt, ___.To be honest, ___.
Jedenfalls, ___.Anyway, ___.
Im Grunde genommen.Basically.
Sozusagen.So to speak.
Sagen wir mal so.Let's put it this way.
Irgendwie schon.Kind of, yes.
Next: lesson 218Steer the conversation

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Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Want to keep these hedges handy? Grab the Yak Cards for this lesson and review them anywhere.

A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps the fillers ready when you stall.

Open Yak Cards