warte mal
The German phrase for 'hold on' is warte mal.
warte mal is used to ask someone to wait a moment. You can also say Warte mal kurz! to emphasize that the interruption will only be for a very brief period. Another common informal way to say this is Moment mal!, which focuses on the noun 'moment' rather than the verb 'to wait'.
Meaning: wait a minute (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
The form you use depends on who you are addressing. Use warte mal when speaking to one person informally. If you are addressing a group of people, you must use the plural imperative form wartet mal. For formal situations, use warten Sie mal.
Did you know?
- If you say Warte! without the mal, you are issuing a direct, blunt command that can sound quite rude or aggressive to native speakers.
- The word mal in this phrase is actually a shortened version of the word einmal, which literally means 'once'.
- While warte mal asks for a pause, German speakers often use Moment mal! to signal that they have just spotted a logical flaw or contradiction in a conversation.
Examples in context
- Warte mal! Ich glaube, ich kenne die.Hold on. I think I know those guys.This sentence shows how to use warte mal when you think you recognize someone.Tatoeba #11974128 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #9989896 by Amastan
- Ach, warte mal! Es gibt eine einfache Lösung!Oh, hold on a moment, there's a simple solution!This sentence demonstrates how to use warte mal when a solution is found.Tatoeba #12901549 by Waldelfe, translation #12901547 by rul
- Warte mal kurz!Hold on a second.This sentence shows how adding kurz to warte mal emphasizes a very brief duration.Tatoeba #1851532 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1120399 by CK
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hannah and Julian are about to leave the house.
- HannahWarte mal, Julian!Hold on, Julian!
- JulianWas ist denn los?What's wrong?
- HannahDu hast deine Brieftasche vergessen.You forgot your wallet.
- JulianOh, danke, Hannah!Oh, thanks, Hannah!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mal, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
