Sehr gerne
/zeːr ˈɡɛrnə/word by word
The English phrase "I would love to" is translated into German as Sehr gerne.
Sehr gerne is a polite way to enthusiastically accept an invitation or agree to a request. It can be used as a standalone response to an invitation, whereas in English one often needs to include a verb, such as "I would love to go".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "very gladly". The word gerne is an adverb used to express that one likes doing something or is happy to do it.
Which one should you use?
While Gerne means "gladly", adding Sehr (very) increases the enthusiasm to match the English "I would love to".
How do you pronounce it?
/zeːr ˈɡɛrnə/
Did you know?
- The word sehr shares a common ancestor with the English word 'sore'. While it now means 'very', its ancient roots describe something that is 'sore' or 'injured'.
- If you want to decline an invitation politely, Germans often use the phrase Sehr gerne, aber… to signal that they actually want to attend but have a conflicting appointment.
- While Sehr gerne expresses enthusiasm, Germans often use a simple Gerne as a polite way to say 'You are welcome' after someone says thank you.
Examples in context
- Ich würde sehr gerne einkaufen gehen.I would love to go shopping.This sentence shows how to use Sehr gerne to express a desire to go shopping.Tatoeba #3498759 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #3496373 by Hybrid
- Ich würde sehr gerne hingehen.I would love to go.This sentence uses Sehr gerne to express a desire to go somewhere.Tatoeba #5145135 by raggione, translation #1343733 by CM
- Ich würde sehr gerne mit dir zu dem Tanz gehen.I would love to go to the dance with you.This sentence uses Sehr gerne to express a desire to go to a dance with someone.Tatoeba #5145150 by raggione, translation #2220251 by Hybrid
- Ein Konzert im Park? Ich hätte total Lust darauf!A concert in the park? I would be really up for it!
- Möchtest du mit ins Kino kommen? Ich würde total gerne!Would you like to come to the movies with me? I would love to!
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia invites Lukas to a coffee shop.
- JuliaHast du Lust auf einen Kaffee, Lukas?Do you feel like having a coffee, Lukas?
- LukasSehr gerne!I would love to!
- JuliaSuper, gehen wir jetzt los?Great, shall we go now?
- LukasJa, ich bin bereit.Yes, I am ready.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (sehr, gerne) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sehr, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
