wie war deine Reise?
In German, "how was your trip?" is wie war deine Reise?
This phrase is used to ask someone about their experience after they have returned from a journey.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase breaks down into wie (how), war (was, the past tense of "to be"), deine (your) and Reise (trip or journey).
Which one should you use?
While Reise refers to the journey or trip itself, you should use wie war dein Urlaub? if you are specifically asking about someone's vacation or holiday time.
How does it change in a sentence?
The informal phrase wie war deine Reise? uses the possessive pronoun deine (your), which is used when speaking to one friend or family member. In formal contexts, the possessive pronoun Ihre is used instead.
When do people say it?
When responding to this question, it is common to use the feminine pronoun Sie (it) because Reise is a feminine noun, as seen in the response Sie war sehr schön (It was very nice).
Did you know?
- In German, the word Reise is used for any trip, but a trip by train or car is often called a Fahrt. Using Reise for a short commute might sound overly epic to a native speaker.
- The English word 'why' and the German word wie share a common ancestor in the Proto-Germanic language, linked through an ancient instrumental case.
- In a business context, the word Reise is frequently combined with Geschäft to form Geschäftsreise, specifically meaning a business trip.
Examples in context
- Guten Tag! Wie war Ihre Reise nach Berlin?Good day! How was your trip to Berlin?
- Danke, meine Reise war sehr angenehm. Ich habe die Stadt genossen.Thank you, my trip was very pleasant. I enjoyed the city.
- Hey, wie war dein Ausflug zum Bodensee?Hey, how was your outing to Lake Constance?
- Es war wunderschön! Das Wetter war fantastisch und das Essen super.It was beautiful! The weather was fantastic and the food was great.
- Erzähl mal, wie war deine Reise?Tell me, how was your trip?
Example conversation
Felix meets Laura at a cafe after her vacation.
- FelixHallo Laura, wie war deine Reise?Hello Laura, how was your trip?
- LauraSie war wunderschön, danke!It was wonderful, thanks!
- FelixHast du viel gesehen?Did you see a lot?
- LauraJa, ich habe sehr viel erlebt.Yes, I experienced a lot.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Reise, war, wie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
