Wovon redest du?
The German phrase for "what are you talking about?" is Wovon redest du?
This phrase is used as a question to ask someone to clarify the subject or the specific details of what they are currently saying. Depending on the tone used by the speaker, it can function as a standard request for clarification or it can sound confrontational and incredulous, much like the English equivalent.
What does it mean word for word?
The word Wovon is a contraction of wo (where/what) and von (of/about), which literally translates to "of what".
How does it change in a sentence?
When addressing someone formally or in a professional setting, the pronoun changes from the informal du to the formal Sie, such as in the phrase Wovon reden Sie? or Worüber sprechen Sie?
Did you know?
- In certain German dialects, people use Wovon quatschst du?, using a word for 'nonsense' instead of 'talk' to show they think the other person is joking or lying.
- The word du shares a common ancestor with the archaic English word 'thou', making them linguistic cousins.
- If you want to sound truly incredulous, you can replace Wovon with Was, asking Was redest du da?, which implies the speaker is talking nonsense.
Examples in context
- Worüber redest du? Ich habe noch nichts davon gehört.What are you talking about? I haven't heard anything about it.
Example conversation
Maximilian and Julia are sitting in a cafe.
- MaximilianEs gibt heute ein großes Problem im Büro.There is a big problem at the office today.
- JuliaWovon redest du?What are you talking about?
- MaximilianDie neue Software funktioniert überhaupt nicht.The new software is not working at all.
- JuliaAch, das ist ja schrecklich.Oh, that is terrible.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries du, CC BY-SA 4.0.
