mach weiter
To say 'keep going' in German, you use mach weiter.
The phrase is used to tell someone to make progress, whether that progress is physical movement or figurative advancement. For example, if you want to encourage someone to continue a specific action, you use mach weiter. If the context is specifically about the physical act of running, you would use lauf weiter instead.
Meaning: To make progress, physically or figuratively. (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the imperative mach (do/make) and the adverb weiter (further/onward).
Which one should you use?
While mach weiter is a general way to tell someone to continue an action, lauf weiter is used specifically if the context is physically running.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the verb changes depending on who you are addressing. Use mach weiter for one person informally, macht weiter when addressing a group of people and machen Sie weiter for formal situations. To encourage persistence informally, you can also use Weitermachen! or Dranbleiben!
Did you know?
- If a German speaker says Mach mal weiter, the word mal has no meaning here but softens the command to make it sound more like a friendly suggestion.
- The alternative Dranbleiben! literally means 'stay stuck to it' or 'keep clinging to it', imagining the task as something you physically hold onto.
- German uses the prefix weiter- to create 'separable verbs' where the word for 'continue' is often split, sending the weiter to the very end of a long sentence.
Examples in context
- Mach weiter, gib nicht auf, du kannst es schaffen!Keep going. Don't give up. You can do it.This example shows how to use mach weiter to encourage someone not to give up.Tatoeba #6168143 by Espi, translation #11074104 by sundown
- Mach weiter.Keep going.This is a simple example of the phrase mach weiter.Tatoeba #6625701 by Felixjp, translation #2111646 by CK
- Susanne, mach weiter so! Du bist auf dem richtigen Weg.Susanne, keep going! You are on the right track.
- Herr Müller, machen Sie weiter! Sie machen einen großartigen Job.Mr. Müller, keep going! You are doing a great job.
Example conversation
Julian is encouraging Laura while she is jogging.
- JulianDu bist fast am Ziel, mach weiter!You are almost at the goal, keep going!
- LauraIch bin so müde.I am so tired.
- JulianNur noch ein kleines Stück!Just a little bit further!
- LauraOkay, ich versuche es.Okay, I will try.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
