wenn du meinst
The English phrase 'if you say so' is expressed in German as wenn du meinst.
This phrase is used to signal that you find the other person's statement questionable or unlikely to be true, but you do not wish to argue about it.
Meaning: conveying the speaker does not agree (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase wenn du meinst literally means 'if you mean' or 'if you think so'.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are addressing a group of people informally, use wenn ihr meint. When speaking formally to a stranger or a superior, use the formal 'Sie' form wenn Sie meinen.
Did you know?
- The word du is a direct linguistic relative of the archaic English word 'thou', as both descend from the same Proto-Indo-European root.
- If you want to sound even more skeptical or sarcastic, you could replace meinst with glaubst, resulting in wenn du das glaubst, which translates to 'if that is what you believe'.
- In high-stress or highly formal German debates, using the formal wenn Sie meinen can actually function as a 'polite' way to end a conversation when you have reached a total impasse.
Example conversation
Julian and Sarah are discussing a movie recommendation.
- SarahDieser Film ist wirklich ein Meisterwerk.This movie is truly a masterpiece.
- JulianEr war doch ziemlich langweilig.It was actually quite boring.
- SarahWenn du meinst, aber ich fand ihn toll.If you say so, but I thought it was great.
- JulianGeschmäcker sind eben verschieden.Tastes are different, after all.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries du, wenn, CC BY-SA 4.0.
