mein Gott
/maɪ̯n ɡɔt/word by word
The German phrase for "my God" is mein Gott.
How do you pronounce it?
/maɪ̯n ɡɔt/
Did you know?
- While mein Gott is common, many Germans prefer to use Ach du meine Güte when expressing surprise to avoid using a religious name in vain.
- In some regions, mein Gott is used not as an exclamation of surprise, but as a way to express mild frustration or impatience with someone's slow progress.
- In very traditional circles, using mein Gott in a non-religious context was historically considered a 'mild oath' and could be seen as improper.
Examples in context
- Mein Gott! Was ist das?My God! What is that?This sentence shows how to use mein Gott to express surprise at seeing something.Tatoeba #5213103 by Manfredo, translation #5576374 by Rawrren
- Mein Gott, was hast du getan?My God, what have you done?This sentence demonstrates using mein Gott to react to someone's actions.Tatoeba #8662410 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #5991117 by Hybrid
- O mein Gott! Was sind die süß!Oh my God, they're so cute!This sentence shows using mein Gott to express an emotional reaction to something cute.Tatoeba #2756742 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2756697 by Hybrid
- Meine Güte, das ist sehr beeindruckend!My goodness, that is very impressive!
- Mein Gott, ich habe total vergessen, meinen Freund anzurufen.My God, I completely forgot to call my friend.
- 29 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lukas is staring at a massive, confusing IKEA manual.
- HannahMein Gott, das sieht kompliziert aus!My God, that looks complicated!
- LukasKeine Sorge, Hannah, ich schaffe das.Don't worry, Hannah, I can do this.
- HannahBist du sicher?Are you sure?
- LukasJa, wir brauchen nur etwas Zeit.Yes, we just need some time.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (mein, Gott) and can differ in connected speech.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
