פֿאַרשטייט זיך
farshteyt zikh
The Yiddish phrase for "of course" is פֿאַרשטייט זיך (farshteyt zikh).
Use פֿאַרשטייט זיך to express enthusiastic agreement or to indicate that something is self-evident and goes without saying.
Meaning: indicates enthusiastic agreement (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally means "it understands itself", implying that a fact is so obvious it requires no further explanation.
How do you pronounce it?
farshteyt zikh
Did you know?
- Because the phrase implies a truth is self-evident, using it to answer a question can sometimes sound slightly dismissive if the listener feels the question was unnecessary.
- While Yiddish is a Germanic language, the way זיך functions as a reflexive pronoun was likely influenced by Slavic languages like Polish or Russian.
- The root פֿאַרשטייט comes from the same source as the English word 'understand'. Both languages use a metaphor of 'standing' to describe mental comprehension.
Examples in context
- פֿאַרשטייט זיך, אַז יאָ!Of course yes!Tatoeba #10305340 by shekitten, translation #4708061 by adamtrousers
- פֿאַרשטייט זיך, אַז ניין!Of course not!Tatoeba #10305334 by shekitten, translation #4708060 by adamtrousers
- דו ביסט גערעכט, פֿאַרשטייט זיך.You're right, of course.Tatoeba #11030914 by shekitten, translation #2545646 by CK
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Miriam asks Yitzhak if he wants to go for a walk.
- מרים Miriamווילסטו גיין אַ שפּאַקירן מיט מיר?Vilstu geyn a shpakirn mit mir?Do you want to go for a walk with me?
- יצחק Yitzchakפֿאַרשטייט זיך, איך בין גרייט!Farshteyt zikh, ikh bin greyt!Of course, I am ready!
- מרים Miriamמיר וועלן גיין אין פּאַרק.Mir veln geyn in park.We will go to the park.
- יצחק Yitzchakגוט, לאָמיר גיין יעצט.Gut, lomir geyn yetst.Good, let's go now.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries זיך, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
