meine Sachen
The English phrase "my stuff" can be translated into German as meine Sachen.
meine Sachen is a common way to refer to personal belongings or possessions that someone owns. While the word Sachen literally translates to "things," it is the standard way to express the casual English concept of "stuff" when talking about personal items.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of the possessive pronoun meine (my) and the plural noun Sachen (things/stuff).
Which one should you use?
While meine Sachen is the standard way to express "my stuff," other colloquial options include mein Zeug and mein Kram.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
meine Sachen is widely used in informal contexts. For a more colloquial or slangy vibe, you can use mein Zeug. If you need to be more formal, use Mein Eigentum (my belongings).
How does it change in a sentence?
Because Sachen is a plural noun, the possessive pronoun must take the plural ending -e (meine) and the noun must be in the plural form.
Did you know?
- The word Zeug in mein Zeug is closely related to the English word 'gear' and originally referred to the equipment and harnesses used for cavalry and war.
- In German, Sachen can refer specifically to clothes, meaning if someone tells you to pack deine Sachen, they are likely talking about your wardrobe rather than all your possessions.
- While Sachen usually means 'stuff' in casual conversation, it is also the standard legal term for 'matters' or 'cases' in the phrase in dieser Sache.
Examples in context
- Fass meine Sachen nicht an!Don't touch my stuff!This sentence is useful for telling someone not to touch meine Sachen.Tatoeba #1453474 by Zaghawa, translation #1446637 by Spamster
- Rühre meine Sachen nicht an!Don't touch my stuff.Tatoeba #3250888 by al_ex_an_der, translation #1860402 by CK
- Gib mir meine Sachen zurück!Give me my stuff back.This sentence is useful for asking someone to return meine Sachen.Tatoeba #10759796 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #12006348 by ddnktr
- Können Sie bitte auf meine Sachen aufpassen?Can you please watch my stuff?
- Bitte berühren Sie nicht mein Eigentum.Please do not touch my belongings.
- Wo hast du meine Sachen hingelegt?Where did you put my stuff?
- Kannst du bitte meinen Kram mitnehmen?Could you please take my stuff with you?
- Wo ist mein Zeug? Ich kann es nicht finden.Where is my stuff? I can't find it.
- 24 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lukas and Sarah are in a shared apartment preparing for a trip.
- SarahLukas, hast du meine Sachen gesehen?Lukas, have you seen my stuff?
- LukasNein, Sarah, ich habe sie nicht gesehen.No, Sarah, I haven't seen them.
- SarahIch muss jetzt meine Sachen finden.I need to find my stuff now.
- LukasSchau doch mal unter dem Tisch nach.Why don't you look under the table?
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
