Vocabulary
mal
/maːl/· adverb
(particle) just — makes a request small and casual
In nearly every friendly request: „Kannst du mal kurz helfen?“ — „Guck mal!“
CEFR B2Frequency ●●●●●spoken
Your memory
New
Learning
Familiar
Strong
Mastered
Forms
- Langform
- einmal
One word, many lives
Tap a meaning. Real German isn't a dictionary translation.
mal
softener in requests and imperatives
Gib mir mal das Salz.
Pass me the salt, would you.
Word family
maleinmaloncemanchmalsometimesdas Malthe time, occasion (das erste Mal)diesmalthis time
Common combinations
- Moment mal!Hang on a second!
- Hör mal, …Listen, …
- mal sehenwe'll see
- erst malfirst of all, for now
Similar & opposite
≈ Synonyms
kurz (in requests)einmal
Common learner mistakes
- Kannst du helfen mir mal?Kannst du mir mal helfen?Pronouns come first in the middle field, then the particle; the infinitive stays at the end.
Real examples
- Kannst du mir mal kurz helfen?Could you give me a hand for a sec?
- Komm doch mal bei uns vorbei!Do drop by at our place sometime!
- Mal sehen, ob es morgen regnet.We'll see if it rains tomorrow.
