was
whatever
The German word 'was' is a pronoun that is used to refer to things, actions, or situations in a general or indefinite way. It can be translated as 'whatever', 'anything', 'something', or 'that which' in English, depending on the context. For example, 'Was ist das?' means 'What is that?' or 'What is it?' and 'Ich weiß nicht, was ich tun soll.' means 'I don't know what to do.' or 'I don't know what I should do.'.
Example sentences using: was
Was ist das?
What is that?
This is a simple question in German commonly used to identify or obtain information about something. Its structure is subject-verb-object, similar to English.
Ich weiß nicht, was du meinst.
I do not know what you mean.
This phrase is a common response in conversational German used to signify a lack of understanding towards someone's statement or idea. 'Weiß' is the first person singular of the verb 'wissen', which means 'to know'.
Was machst du hier?
What are you doing here?
This phrase is normally used in daily spoken German to ask about someone's ongoing activity or their purpose for being in a particular place. 'Machst' is the second person singular of the verb 'machen', which means 'to do'.