Beyond the book

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Two simple words that will help you to sound more German

You have probably come across some words in German sentences that were not translated into English. They are called 'Abtönungspartikel' and they can change the meaning of the sentence slightly, or they can express emotions like being angry about something, or being surprised. There are quite a few of these in German, for example denn, aber, doch, eigentlich, auch. However we will start off with two, that are used quite often and which you have probably noticed in the dialogues as well.

denn

Used in 'yes' or 'no' questions (questions that are answered with ja, nein or doch) to express your astonishment or surprise about something.

Kannst du Auto fahren? This is a general question. However, if you are surprised because you didn´t expect the person to be able to drive, you would say: Kannst du denn Auto fahren?

A few more examples:

Isst du Fleisch? – Isst du denn Fleisch? (You thought she didn´t eat meat)
Ist der Kuchen schon fertig? – Ist der Kuchen denn schon fertig? (You didn´t expect it to be)
Kannst du schon schreiben? – Kannst du denn schon schreiben? (You didn´t expect her to be able to)

aber

Used in exclamations to express astonishment.

Das ist teuer. – Das ist aber teuer! (You think it is too expensive)
Der Tee ist heiß. – Der Tee ist aber heiß! (You didn´t expect it to be so hot)
Der Junge spielt gut – Der Junge spielt aber gut! (You are surprised how well he plays)