How to Use German Particle or Filler Words

German, like any other language, has particular words and expressions that can be used in more than one way. These include the short but tricky  Wà ¶rter  known as â€Å"particles† or â€Å"fillers.† I call them â€Å"small words that can cause big problems.† Simple-Looking German Particles That Are Actually Tricky German words such as  aber,  auch,  denn,  doch,  halt,  mal,  nur,  schon  and even  ja  look deceptively simple, but are often a source of errors and misunderstanding for even intermediate learners of German. The main source of problems is the fact that each one of these words can have multiple meanings and functions in different contexts or situations. Take the word  aber. Most often it is encountered as a  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹coordinating conjunction, as in:  Wir wollten heute fahren,  aber  unser Auto ist kaputt.  (â€Å"We wanted to go/drive today, but our car is broken down.†) In that context,  aber  functions like any of the coordinating conjunctions (aber,  denn,oder,  und). But  aber  can also be used as a particle:  Das ist aber nicht mein Auto.  (â€Å"That is, however, not my car.†) Or:  Das war aber sehr hektisch.  (â€Å"That was really very hectic.†) Another characteristic that such particle-word examples make clear is that it is often difficult to translate the German word into an English word. German  aber,  contrary to what your first-year German teacher told you, does  not  always equal â€Å"but†! In fact, the Collins/PONS German-English dictionary uses one-third of a column for all of the uses of  aber.  Depending on how it is being used, the word  aber  can mean: but, and, at all, however, really, just, isnt it?, havent you?, come on now or why. The word can even be a noun:  Die Sache hat ein Aber.  (â€Å"Theres just one snag.† -  das Aber) or  Kein Aber!  (â€Å"No ifs, ands or buts!†) In fact, a German dictionary rarely offers much help in dealing with particles. They are so idiomatic that it is often impossible to translate them, even if you understand German pretty well. But throwing them into your German (as long as you know what youre doing!) can make you sound more natural and native-like. To illustrate, lets use another example, the often over-used  mal. How would you translate  Sag mal, wann fliegst du?  or  Mal sehen.? In neither case would a good English translation actually bother to translate  mal  (or some of the other words) at all. With such idiomatic usage, the first translation would be â€Å"Say (Tell me), when does your flight leave?† The second phrase would be â€Å"Well see† in English. The word  mal  is actually two words. As an adverb, it has a mathematical function:  fà ¼nf mal fà ¼nf(5Ãâ€"5). But it is as a particle and a shortened form of  einmal  (once), that  mal  is most often used in day-to-day conversation, as in  Hà ¶r mal zu!  (Listen!) or  Kommt mal her!  (Come over here!). If you listen carefully to German-speakers, youll discover that they can hardly say anything without throwing in a  mal  here and there. (But its not nearly as irritating as the use of â€Å"Ya know† in English!) So if you do the same (at the right time and in the right place!), youll sound just like a German! Uses of the German Word Doch! The German word  doch  is so versatile that it can also be dangerous. But knowing how to use this word properly can make you sound like a true German (or Austrian or German Swiss)! Lets start with the basics:  ja,  nein  Ã¢â‚¬ ¦and  doch! Of course, two of the first words you ever learned in German were  ja  and  nein. You probably knew those two words  before  you began studying German! But they arent enough. You also need to know  doch. The use of  doch  to answer a question is not actually a particle function, but it is important. (Well get back to  doch  as a particle in a moment.) English may have the largest vocabulary of any world language, but it doesnt have a single word for  doch  as an answer. When you answer a question negatively or positively, you use  nein/no or  ja/yes, whether inDeutsch  or English. But German adds a third one-word option,  doch  (â€Å"on the contrary†), that English does not have. For instance, someone asks you in English, â€Å"Dont you have any money?† You actually do, so you answer, â€Å"Yes, I do.† While you might also add, â€Å"On the contrary...â€Å" only two responses are possible in English: â€Å"No, I dont.† (agreeing with the negative question) or â€Å"Yes, I do.† (disagreeing with the negative question). German, however, offers a third alternative, which in some cases is required instead of  ja  or  nein. The same money question in German would be:  Hast du kein Geld?  If you answer with  ja, the questioner may think you are agreeing to the negative, that yes, you do  not  have any money. But by answering with  doch,  you are making it clear: â€Å"On the contrary, yes, I do have money.† This also applies to statements that you want to contradict. If someone says, â€Å"Thats not right,† but it is, the German statement  Das stimmt nicht  would be contradicted with:  Doch! Das stimmt.  (â€Å"On the contrary, it is right.†) In this case, a response with  ja  (es stimmt) would sound wrong to German ears. A  doch  response clearly means you disagree with the statement. Doch  has many other uses as well. As an adverb, it can mean â€Å"after all† or â€Å"all the same.†Ã‚  Ich habe sie doch erkannt!  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I recognized her after all!† or â€Å"I  did  recognize her!† It is often used this way as an intensifier:  Das hat sie doch gesagt.   â€Å"She  did  say that (after all).† In commands,  doch  is more than a mere particle. It is used to soften an order, to turn it into more of a suggestion:  Gehen Sie doch vorbei!, â€Å"Why dont you go by?â€Å" rather than the harsher â€Å"(You will) go by!† As a particle,  doch  can intensify (as above), express surprise (Das war doch Maria!   That was actually Maria!), show doubt (Du hast doch meine Email bekommen?   You did get my email, didnt you?), question (Wie war doch sein Name?   Just what was his name?) or be used in many idiomatic ways:  Sollen Sie doch!   Then just go ahead (and do it)! With a little attention and effort, youll begin to notice the many ways that  doch  is used in German. Understanding the uses of  doch  and the other particles in German will give you a much better command of the language.