irgendetwas
/ˌɪʁɡn̩tˈʔɛtvas/
In German, 'anything' is expressed as irgendetwas. Wiktionary also lists irgendwas.
Meaning: any thing of any kind (pron)
Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| irgendetwas | /ˌɪʁɡn̩tˈʔɛtvas/ /ˈɪʁɡn̩tˌʔɛtvas/ |
| irgendwas | /ˈɪʁɡn̩tˈvas/ |
The word refers to any thing of any kind.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of irgend- (some/any) and etwas (something).
How does it change in a sentence?
In many contexts, the prefix irgend- can be dropped, leaving just etwas to mean 'something' or 'anything' depending on the sentence type.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌɪʁɡn̩tˈʔɛtvas/
Did you know?
- If you want to say 'anything' in the sense of 'everything' (as in 'anything is possible'), Germans often use alles instead of irgendetwas.
- Using irgendetwas instead of just etwas can sometimes make a speaker sound more annoyed or exasperated, as if they are emphasizing the pointlessness of the object.
- The word irgend- can be attached to almost any question word, such as irgendwer (anyone) or irgendwo (anywhere), to create an entire family of 'any-' words.
Examples in context
- Ist irgendwas zu tun?Is there anything that needs to be done?This sentence is useful for asking if there is anything that needs to be done using irgendwas.Tatoeba #2747843 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2640897 by CK
- Hat Tom irgendwas getan?Did Tom do anything?This sentence is useful for asking if Tom did anything using irgendwas.Tatoeba #5912490 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #3364597 by CK
- Kann ich irgendetwas tun?Can I do anything?This sentence is useful for asking if you can do anything using irgendetwas.Tatoeba #1208255 by waeltken, translation #250046 by CK
- Wie geht es Ihnen?How are you (formal)?
- Wie spät ist es?What time is it?
- Entschuldigung, ich habe mich verlaufen.Excuse me, I'm lost.
- Viel ErfolgGood luck
- 234 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lukas and Laura are chatting in the kitchen.
- LukasHast du heute irgendetwas Interessantes gelesen?Did you read anything interesting today?
- LauraNein, leider nicht.No, unfortunately not.
- LukasIch glaube, es gibt irgendetwas im Fernsehen.I think there is something on TV.
- LauraDas klingt gut, schauen wir es uns an.That sounds good, let's watch it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “anything” translations and entries irgendetwas, irgendwas, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
