kümmere dich nicht
The English phrase 'never mind' can be expressed in German as kümmere dich nicht. Wiktionary also lists kümmer dich nicht and sorge dich nicht.
Meaning: do not be concerned (about someone or something, or about doing something) (verb)
Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| kümmere dich nicht | |
| kümmer dich nicht | |
| sorge dich nicht | /ˈzɔr.ɡə dɪç nɪçt/ (word by word) |
| sorg dich nicht |
These phrases are used to tell someone not to be concerned about something, someone or the act of doing something.
How does it change in a sentence?
In spoken German, the final '-e' of the imperative kümmere is frequently dropped to form kümmer in the informal singular.
Did you know?
- The word nicht is actually a contraction of two older words meaning 'never' and 'creature'. Historically it literally translated to 'not a single creature'.
- To say 'never mind' in the sense of 'forget it' or 'it is not important', Germans often use the phrase schon gut. Literally it means 'already good'.
- While English uses 'never mind' to dismiss a topic, using sorg dich nicht in German can sound much more heavy, as if you are telling someone not to worry about a life-altering catastrophe.
Examples in context
- Kümmere dich nicht darum!Never mind that.This sentence is useful for saying 'Never mind that!' using the form kümmere dich nicht.Tatoeba #442468 by Espi, translation #2249593 by CK
- Kann ich deinen Kugelschreiber ausleihen? – Vergiss esCan I borrow your pen? – never mind
- Lass uns heute ins Kino gehen. – Vergiss esLet's go to the movies today. – never mind
- Kümmere dich nicht um die kleinen Fehler.Do not concern yourself with the small mistakes.
- Kümmere dich nicht um seine Meinung.Do not concern yourself with his opinion.
Example conversation
Sarah sees Maximilian worrying about a small spill on the table.
- SarahOh nein, hast du etwas verschüttet?Oh no, did you spill something?
- MaximilianJa, es tut mir sehr leid!Yes, I am very sorry!
- SarahKümmere dich nicht darum, ich wische es weg.Never mind that, I'll wipe it away.
- MaximilianVielen Dank, Sarah.Thank you very much, Sarah.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “never mind” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (Sorge, dich, nicht) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dich, nicht, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
