wörtlich
literally
The German word 'wörtlich' is used in the same way as 'literally' in English. It is an adverb that emphasizes the exact meaning of a word or phrase, often used to clarify that a statement is not figurative or metaphorical. For example, 'I have literally a thousand emails to answer' means that there are exactly a thousand emails, not just a lot of them.
Example sentences using: wörtlich
Er hat es wörtlich genommen.
He took it literally.
This phrase points out the meaning when someone understands a word or phrase exactly as it is said, not considering any other possible or intended meanings.
Ich meine das nicht wörtlich.
I don't mean that literally.
The speaker uses this sentence to indicate that the previous statement should not be interpreted in its exact wording, but rather metaphorically or symbolically.
Was ist die wörtliche Übersetzung davon?
What is the literal translation of that?
This question is often asked when you want to understand the exact word-for-word translation of a phrase or sentence from one language to another.