du meine Güte
The German phrase for "oh my goodness" is du meine Güte.
You will often hear it used with the interjection Ach at the beginning, forming Ach du meine Güte, which functions much like adding "Oh" to the start of the phrase in English.
Did you know?
- Although du is the informal 'you', the phrase du meine Güte is used universally across all social levels, including in formal environments where the informal 'du' would otherwise be forbidden.
- The du in this expression is a direct linguistic relative of the archaic English word 'thou'.
- The word Güte is used today to describe the 'grade' or 'quality' of materials, such as the quality of a diamond or a piece of wood.
Examples in context
- Ach du meine Güte!Oh my goodness!This sentence is useful for seeing how to use du meine Güte with the interjection Ach.Tatoeba #1984834 by Alois, translation #2145219 by freddy1
- Oh Mann, das ist ja der Wahnsinn!Oh man, that's insane!
- Du meine Güte, das ist ja toll!Oh my goodness, that is great!
Example conversation
Laura and Maximilian see a very large cake in a shop window.
- LauraDu meine Güte, schau dir diesen Kuchen an!Oh my goodness, look at this cake!
- MaximilianJa, der ist wirklich riesig.Yes, it is truly huge.
- LauraMaximilian, wollen wir den kaufen?Maximilian, do we want to buy that?
- MaximilianGerne, das wäre fantastisch.Gladly, that would be fantastic.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Güte, du, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
