Was war das?
The English phrase "what was that?" is translated into German as Was war das?
Was war das? is a question used to ask for the identity of something that was just seen or heard.
Which one should you use?
The form Was war das denn? is used informally to express surprise or curiosity about what just happened or was said.
What mistakes should you avoid?
If you want to ask someone to repeat or clarify what they said, use Wie bitte?, which means "How, please?" or "How, pardon?"
Did you know?
- If you use Was war das? to ask someone to repeat themselves, you might sound quite blunt or even aggressive.
- The word das is a doublet of dass. In modern German, these two words sound identical and are only distinguished by their spelling.
Examples in context
- Was war das? – Ein lauter KnallWhat was that? – A loud bang
Example conversation
A loud crash is heard in the kitchen during the night.
- HannahWas war das?What was that?
- LukasIch glaube, es war der Wind.I think it was the wind.
- HannahDas klang aber sehr laut.But that sounded very loud.
- LukasLass uns mal nachsehen, Hannah.Let's go take a look, Hannah.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries das, war, was, CC BY-SA 4.0.
