Nicht viel
/nɪçt fiːl/word by word
In German, nothing much is Nicht viel.
While nothing much is a common English idiom, Nicht viel is used more as a fragment of a sentence to indicate a small quantity or low activity rather than a standalone idiomatic response to 'What's up?'
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of nicht (not) and viel (much/a lot).
Did you know?
- The word wiht inside the ancient form of nicht is related to the English word 'wight' used in fantasy literature to describe a sentient creature.
- The word nicht is originally a compound of nio meaning 'never' and wiht meaning 'creature' or 'being'.
- While Nicht viel describes a small amount, Germans often use the phrase Nicht viel los to specifically mean that a place is not crowded or that nothing is happening.
Examples in context
- Es ist nicht viel los.Nothing much is happening.Tatoeba #10146502 by wolfgangth, translation #3129491 by CK
- Es passiert noch nicht viel.Nothing much is happening yet.Tatoeba #2496939 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2495651 by CK
- Seither hat sich nicht viel geändert.Nothing much has changed since then.Tatoeba #12742501 by Waldelfe, translation #10903617 by CK
- Nein, es gibt nichts Besonderes zu berichten.No, there's nothing much to report.
- Nichts Besonderes, und bei dir?Nothing much, and you?
- Nicht viel los, einfach ein gewöhnlicher Tag.Nothing much, just an ordinary day.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends meet on the street and greet each other.
- JulianHallo Sarah, was gibt es Neues?Hello Sarah, what's new?
- SarahNicht viel, und bei dir?Nothing much, and with you?
- JulianAuch nicht viel, nur die Arbeit.Nothing much either, just work.
- SarahDas klingt langweilig, Julian.That sounds boring, Julian.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (nicht, viel) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nicht, viel, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
