Vocabulary
denn
/dɛn/· adverb
(particle in questions) so, then — shows real interest
Almost every friendly question: „Wie geht's dir denn?“ Without it, questions can sound like an interrogation.
CEFR B2Frequency ●●●●●spoken
Your memory
New
Learning
Familiar
Strong
Mastered
One word, many lives
Tap a meaning. Real German isn't a dictionary translation.
denn
interest, friendliness in questions
Was machst du denn beruflich?
So what do you do for a living?
Word family
denndennochneverthelesses sei dennunlesswieso denn?why on earth?
Common combinations
- Was ist denn los?What's the matter?
- Wie denn?How, then?
- es sei denn, …unless …
Similar & opposite
≈ Synonyms
eigentlich (in questions)
Common learner mistakes
- Denn was machst du?Was machst du denn?In questions denn is a particle: after the verb and the pronoun. At the start it means 'because'.
Real examples
- Woher kennst du denn den Gastgeber?So how do you know the host?
- Was ist denn hier los?What's going on here?
- Seit wann wohnst du denn im Veedel?So how long have you lived in the neighbourhood?
