How do you say "I don't mind" in German? At the end of the recent lesson about the verb ausmachen, I mentioned that the verb ausmachen, combined with a dative pronoun and the negation nicht, is a way of asking if somebody "minds" something, or of stating that "you don't mind."
Ach, was soll's! Die Alten meckern ja dauernd, aber das macht mir nichts aus.
Oh, never mind! Old folks are always complaining, but I don't mind.
Captions 19-20, Es war einmal... der Weltraum Die Saurier
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The adverb meinetwegen is a curious one. It may be translated, according to the context, as "for all I care," "because of me," "as far as I'm concerned," or even just "whatever." But sometimes it's also "I don't mind":
Meinetwegen. Aber wenn du das Geld von meinem Vater hast, dann sag...
I don't mind. But if you got the money from my father, then say...
Captions 38-39, Die Pfefferkörner: Endspurt
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The phrase von mir aus may also be translated as "for all I care," "fine with me," "fine by me," or "as far as I'm concerned," but also as:
Wir wollen mit! Also gut, Jungs, von mir aus.
We want to come along! All right, boys, I don't mind.
Captions 15-16, Es war einmal... der Weltraum: Planet Omega
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The phrase nichts dagegen haben could be literally translated as "to have nothing against it," but in many contexts that is awkward. This is often a better solution:
Also, wenn du nichts dagegen hast, kann ich dieser Jackie ja mal 'nen Besuch abstatten.
So, if you don't mind, I can pay that girl Jackie a visit.
Captions 103-104, Die Pfefferkörner: Endspurt
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To summarize, the phrases nicht viel ausmachen (with a personal dative pronoun), von mir aus, nichts dagegen haben, and the adverb meinetwegen may all, depending upon the context, be translated as "don't mind."
Further Learning
Read the German Lesson Meinetwegen and von mir aus to go deeper into those terms. Then go to find some more examples on Yabla German to see other German words and phrases translated as "(I, you, we, they) don't mind."
That is actually the title of a classic detective novel by Raymond Chandler, but the long and short of it is that there are a number of ways to say goodbye in German – some of them longer than others! Let's start with what you probably already know:
Ja, damit sind wir fertig. Auf Wiedersehen!
Yes, with that we are finished. Goodbye!
Caption 77, Das 1. Newtonsche Gesetz - erklärt am Beispiel des Dodomobils
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Ich sehe Sie dann morgen. Auf Wiederhören.
I'll see you tomorrow then. Goodbye.
Caption 52, Berufsleben - das Vorstellungsgespräch
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Because of the -sehen in Wiedersehen ("see you again") and -hören in Wiederhören ("hear from you again"), auf Wiederhören is the proper form to use on the telephone.
Wiedersehen, vielen Dank! -Tschüss. -Tschüss.
Goodbye, many thanks! -Bye. -Bye.
Caption 25, Großstadtrevier - Von Monstern und Mördern
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Tschüss is an informal waym of saying goodbye that originally stems from the Spanish word for goodbye, adios.
Bis morgen. Ciao.
See you tomorrow. Ciao.
Caption 40, Bäppi im Fernsehstudio - Bäppis best model by Hilde Klump
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"Ciao" is actually from the Italian and can, depending upon the context, be used for hello or goodbye. It is not even translated as "bye" here as it has been adopted into English by most American and British dictionaries. It's usage in German is very informal.
Sie wissen schon, was wir meinen. Adieu.
You do know what we mean. Adieu.
Captions 64-65, Die Pfefferkörner - Endspurt
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The French word for goodbye, adieu, has also been adopted by English and is thus generally not translated.
Ich hab was vergessen. -Aha. -Wir sehen uns.
I forgot something. -Aha. -See you.
Caption 66, Die Pfefferkörner - Eigentor
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It is also common to say Wir sehen uns morgen ("We'll see each other tomorrow" or "See you tomorrow"), or Wir sehen uns wieder ("We'll see each other again"), and so forth. It sounds a bit impersonal to the ears of an English speaker, but you can also say man sieht sich, which translates as "We'll see each other" or simply "See you."
Mir hat's super gefallen. Bis dann!
I really enjoyed it. Until then!
Caption 93, Frisbee - Karlsruher Weihnachtsturnier
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Hast du die Mathehausaufgaben denn schon fertig? -Ja, bis später.
Have you finished the math homework already? -Yes, see you later.
Caption 2, Knallerfrauen - Mathehausaufgaben
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Mach's gut, Herbert. Bis bald.
Take care, Herbert. See you soon.
Caption 4, Nicos Weg - A1 Folge 3: Tschüss!
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Bis zum nächsten Mal.
Until next time.
Caption 21, Berlin - Domäne Dahlem
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Many of the ways to say goodbye using bis and some point in the future may be translated, depending upon the context, as either "till," "until," or "see you..." So if somebody says bis morgen, you could translate it as "till tomorrow," "until tomorrow," or "see you tomorrow."
Note that macht's gut, which could be literally translated as "fare well" or "farewell," is used as an informal way to say goodbye in some German regional dialects. Another good equivalent translation could be "have a good one."
But how do you say "to say goodbye" as in "to take leave" of somebody? The most common ways are Abschied nehmen and the reflexive verb sich verabschieden:
Aber als Flüchtling muss man eben oft Abschied nehmen.
But as a refugee, you often have to say goodbye.
Caption 35, Filmtrailer - Als Hitler das rosa Kaninchen stahl
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Und hier verabschieden wir uns auch von euch.
And we will say goodbye to you here.
Caption 39, 48 h in Innsbruck - Sehenswürdigkeiten & Tipps
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Further Learning
I hope that learning about goodbye didn't take too long—this is a lesson and not a novel, after all! Look for some of the ways of saying goodbye on Yabla German, and take special note of how some are used in formal contexts and others in more casual situations. So until next time, mach's gut and stay healthy!
The German word meinetwegen is used in several different contexts. Its first meaning can be translated as "on my account" or "for me" in English.
Ich weiß, ihr seid nicht meinetwegen gekommen.
I know you haven't come because of me.
Caption 3, Verstehen Sie Spaß? - Sascha Grammel
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Hat Themba wirklich nur meinetwegen ein Eigentor gemacht?
Did Themba really score a goal against his own team just because of me?
Caption 33, Die Pfefferkörner - Eigentor - Part 6
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It can also mean "for example" or "assuming that":
Und wenn du dich jetzt meinetwegen dort auf die Seite drehst...
And if you now turn onto your side, for example...
Caption 63, Die Schmerzspezialisten - Diese Schlafposition solltest du unbedingt vermeiden!
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Additionally, meinetwegen can also suggest indifference, translated as "for all I care" or even the very rude "whatever" below.
Machen Sie doch meinetwegen, was Sie wollen!
But do what you want, for all I care!
Caption 61, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Der Rattenfänger von Hameln
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„Meinetwegen“, brummte Frederick.
"Whatever," grumbled Frederick.
Caption 42, Piggeldy und Frederick - Unendlichkeit
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Von mir aus is a colloquial expression, and can be translated as "for all I care," "as far as I'm concerned," or even simply "I don't mind."
In welcher Form auch immer... bis morgen früh von mir aus.
In whichever form… till early morning, as far as I'm concerned.
Caption 45, Fastnacht - Karneval - Quartier Latin
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Von mir aus bleibe ich ewig
I don't mind remaining forever
Caption 7, Max Giesinger - Nicht so schnell
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Was meinst du? -Von mir aus.
What do you think? -I don't mind.
-Vielleicht hat hier jemand was gesehen.
-Maybe someone here saw something.
Caption 43, Die Pfefferkörner - Eigentor - Part 2
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Further Learning
Take a look for additional examples on Yabla German and try working on your own sentences with meinetwegen and responses with von mir aus.
This week, let's look at ways that disbelief and frustration are expressed in German. Some of the expressions below are similar to English expressions, while others have a much harsher meaning than their literal translations. Take a look!
Das kann nicht sein (literally "that cannot be") can be used to express disbelief. More accurate translations in this case would be "No way!" or "That's not possible."
Aber das kann nicht sein. Wo ist Yara?
But that's not possible. Where is Yara?
Caption 14, Nicos Weg - Folge 44: Vorm Fahrradladen
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In English, we also express disbelief with "You can't be serious." This has a few different translations in German that we have covered in a previous newsletter.
Das meinst du nicht im Ernst.
You can't be serious.
Caption 17, Mama arbeitet wieder - Kapitel 2: Kompromisse zu finden ist nicht einfach
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The phrase Das gibt's doch gar nicht may literally translate as "that doesn't exist," but it has a similar meaning to Das kann nicht sein. Germans may use this and the expressions above when something both surprises and upsets them.
Was ist das denn? Das gibt's doch gar nicht.
What is that then? That just can't be.
Caption 27, Fußball - Prominente beim Benefizspiel
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The phrase Was soll das? is an expression that has a meaning similar to "What's the meaning of this?"
Was soll das? Du störst uns, Pettersson.
What's the meaning of this? You are bothering us, Pettersson.
Caption 15, Pettersson und Findus - Eine Geburtstagstorte für die Katze - Part 1
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Now on to expressions of annoyance. Jemanden ärgern can be translated as "to annoy someone," as can jemanden nerven. In the sentence below with the adjectives ärgerlich and bescheuert, the words ja and doch are used for emphasis.
Allerdings nervt es mich auch, dass ich die Einzige bin, die für das Essen bezahlt.
However, it also annoys me that I'm the only one who pays for the food.
Caption 34, Die Wohngemeinschaft - Probleme
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Das ist ja wirklich ärgerlich!
This is really aggravating!
Caption 6, Pettersson und Findus - Eine Geburtstagstorte für die Katze - Part 3
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Ach, ist doch bescheuert.
Oh, that's stupid.
Caption 63, Die Pfefferkörner - Eigentor
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Further Learning
Search for more examples of these phrases on Yabla German so that you can hear the right intonation.
Zu Beginn der Mahlzeit sagen wir „guten Appetit“.
At the beginning of the meal we say "Enjoy your meal."
Caption 19, Tisch decken - mit Eva
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Die Mahlzeit is the German word for "meal." This week, we'll look at the details of the verbs and nouns used to indicate different meals, and a few relevant phrases.
You likely already know the nouns das Frühstück, das Mittagessen, and das Abendessen. Remember that frühstucken as a verb is not separable, whereas the verbs mittagessen and abendessen are.
Jetzt frühstücken wir erst mal.
Now, we'll eat breakfast first.
Und dann essen wir zusammen Mittag.
And then we'll eat lunch together.
Caption 21, Deutschkurs in Blaubeuren - Relativsätze mit Präpositionen
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Another important word to know is das Abendbrot, which is used quite often instead of das Abendessen, particularly when describing a light or cold supper:
Nach einer entspannten Fahrt steht das Abendessen an.
After a relaxing ride, dinner is next on the agenda.
Caption 26, Vollmondfahrt - Rhätische Bahn
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Er machte ein heißes Feuer im Ofen für den guten Fisch zum Abendbrot.
He made a hot fire in the oven for the good fish for dinner.
Caption 36, Janoschs Traumstunde - Post für den Tiger
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The phrase essen gehen is similar to ins Restaurant gehen.
Wird dann auch gemeinsam gekocht oder gehen Sie essen?
Do you then also cook together or go out to eat?
Caption 39, Weihnachtsinterviews - Diane in Karlsruhe
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If you are lucky enough to hear the phrase Ich lade dich ein, be happy. It is not just an invitation to go out to eat together, it means that someone wants to pay for your meal!
Ich hab' ihr ja schon hundertmal gesagt,
I told her already a hundred times
sie soll ihn endlich mal zum Eisessen einladen.
she should just invite him to eat an ice cream.
Caption 53, Die Pfefferkörner - Eigentor
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Further Learning
Scroll down on these webpages to take a look at these thorough lists of the conjugations of the verbs frühstücken, mittagessen, and abendessen from Duden.
In the latest installment of the Pfefferkörner television series, Themba is angry because he feels that the soccer match has been fixed, and he says:
Ich lass' mich jedenfalls für so was nicht benutzen.
In any case, I won't let myself be used for something like that.
Caption 22, Die Pfefferkörner - Eigentor
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The English verb "to use" can be defined as "exploiting someone to one's own advantage," and the German verb benutzen can be utilized in a similar context. The more direct German verb for "exploit" is ausbeuten, in its adjectival form ausgebeutet:
Mittelfristig will ich, dass wir eine vernünftige Infrastruktur kriegen,
Mid-term, I want us to get a sensible infrastructure
in der wir weniger ausgebeutet werden.
in which we'll be exploited less.
Captions 28-29, Rhein-Main-TV aktuell - Occupy Frankfurt
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So let's hope that instead of being used (benutzt) or exploited (ausgebeutet) that we all are properly appreciated (geschätzt) for what we are:
Das wird vor allem von den jüngeren Gästen geschätzt.
This is especially appreciated by the younger guests.
Caption 41, Reiseland Deutschland - Vielfalt im Herzen Europas
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