wie sagt man
The German phrase for "how to say" is wie sagt man.
wie sagt man is the standard and neutral way to ask how to say something in German. When specifying the target language, use the preposition auf (e.g., auf Deutsch, auf Englisch).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of wie (how), sagt (says/says) and man (one/people).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Austria, you may hear the phrase Wie sagt man auf Österreichisch which means how do you say in Austrian. In Switzerland, you can ask Wie sagt man auf Schweizerdeutsch? which means how do you say in Swiss German?
How does it change in a sentence?
The word man is an impersonal pronoun meaning "one" or "people in general", which is why the phrase translates to "how does one say" rather than "how do you say".
Did you know?
- German has a specific word for the concept of 'untranslatability', called Unübersetzbarkeit. This is often the answer when someone asks wie sagt man for a concept that only exists in one culture.
- In German, when you ask how to say something, you use the preposition auf which literally means 'on' or 'upon'.
- The word wie is a distant linguistic relative of the English word 'why'. Both words descend from ancient Proto-Germanic roots that dealt with interrogative functions.
Examples in context
- Wie sagt man „Apfel“ in deiner Sprache?How to say "apple" in your language?This sentence is useful for asking how to say a specific word in someone's language using wie sagt man.Tatoeba #1515107 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1513856 by gleki
- Wie sagt man XXX auf Niederländisch?How to say XXX in Dutch?This sentence is useful for asking how to say a word in Dutch using wie sagt man.Tatoeba #438833 by xtofu80, translation #388261 by sysko
- Wie sagt man diesen Satz in Ihrer Sprache?How to say this sentence in your language?Tatoeba #1931256 by Alois, translation #1774800 by Amastan
- Wie sagt man 'hello' auf Deutsch?How do you say 'hello' in German?
- Wie kann man 'thank you' sagen?How can one say 'thank you'?
- Wie sagt man das auf Deutsch?How do you say that in German?
- Wie sagt man das umgangssprachlich?How do you say that in colloquial language?
- Ich wünsche Ihnen viel Erfolg und Freude beim Deutschlernen!I wish you success and joy in learning German!
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sarah is studying German with Felix.
- SarahWie sagt man „Danke“ auf Deutsch?How do you say "thank you" in German?
- FelixMan sagt „Danke“.You say "Danke".
- SarahUnd wie sagt man „Bitte“?And how do you say "please"?
- FelixDas ist „Bitte“.That is "Bitte".
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries man, wie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
