Gott sei Dank
The English phrase 'thank God' can be translated into German as Gott sei Dank. Wiktionary also lists gottseidank.
Meaning: exclamation of gratitude or relief (intj)
Ways to say it
| German |
|---|
| Gott sei Dank |
| gottseidank |
The phrase is used as an interjection to express relief when a bad situation has been avoided or a good one has occurred.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a literal construction meaning 'God be thanks', using the subjunctive form of sein (to be).
Which one should you use?
While Gott sei Dank is the standard phrase, the single-word version gottseidank is also commonly used and accepted in modern German.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word sei is the third-person singular subjunctive I form of sein, which expresses a wish or a prayer.
Did you know?
- In very formal or liturgical contexts, the phrase can be inverted to Dank sei Gott, which places the emphasis on the gratitude rather than the deity.
- While the phrase is religious in origin, it is frequently used by secular Germans as a purely idiomatic expression of relief without any actual religious intent.
- The single-word form gottseidank is an example of a 'frozen phrase' where a whole sentence has collapsed into a single noun or adverb over time.
Examples in context
- Gott sei Dank warst du da.Thank God you were here.This sentence shows how to express relief regarding someone's presence using Gott sei Dank.Tatoeba #13398715 by Waldelfe, translation #9704680 by CK
- Gott sei Dank ist es Freitag.Thank God it's Friday!This sentence shows how to express relief that it is Friday using Gott sei Dank.Tatoeba #2153077 by Vortarulo, translation #30234 by MSWindowsinside
- Gott sei Dank ist das vorbei!Thank God it's over.This sentence shows how to express relief that a situation is over using Gott sei Dank.Tatoeba #12545644 by Waldelfe, translation #1894184 by Spamster
- Ich habe den Zug noch erwischt, Gott sei Dank!I managed to catch the train, thank God!
- Gott sei Dank habe ich meine Schlüssel wiedergefunden!Thank God, I found my keys!
- 26 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felix and Laura are relieved to have found their lost keys.
- FelixGott sei Dank sind die Schlüssel hier!Thank God the keys are here!
- LauraJa, Gott sei Dank.Yes, thank God.
- FelixIch hatte solche Angst, Laura.I was so afraid, Laura.
- LauraJetzt ist alles wieder gut.Now everything is fine again.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thank God” translations and entries Gott sei Dank, gottseidank, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
