weißt du
The German phrase for "you know" is weißt du.
As an interjection, weißt du acts as a filler or a hesitation marker, similar to how "you know" is used in English to signify a pause in speech. In this context, it is almost exclusively used in informal, spoken German.
Meaning: expression signifying a pause or hesitation (intj)
How does it change in a sentence?
weißt du is the informal singular version of "you know" and is used when addressing one person whom you know well.
Did you know?
- The word du is a direct linguistic relative of the archaic English 'thou'. Both evolved from the same Proto-Germanic root used to address a single person familiarly.
- German has a specific term, Füllwort, which literally means 'filling word', to describe terms like weißt du that occupy space without adding meaning.
- While weißt du is a filler, using the formal wissen Sie as a filler can sound overly stiff or sarcastic to native speakers, as formal language rarely uses hesitation markers.
Examples in context
- Den Rest weißt du.You know the rest.This sentence shows how to use weißt du to refer to the remainder of something.Tatoeba #1301322 by al_ex_an_der, translation #8838682 by sundown
- Wie viel weißt du?How much do you know?This sentence uses weißt du to ask about the amount of information someone possesses.Tatoeba #10146499 by wolfgangth, translation #2912587 by CK
- Weißt du es nicht?Don't you know?This sentence uses weißt du to form a negative question.Tatoeba #12251616 by mhr, translation #3738848 by CK
- Meinen Sie, dass wir diese Strategie anwenden sollten? Sie wissen, dass sie risikoreich ist.Do you think we should adopt this strategy? You know it's risky.
- Könnten Sie uns bei der Lösung dieses Problems helfen? Sie kennen sich mit Computern aus.Could you assist us in solving this problem? You are knowledgeable about computers.
- Kannst du mir bitte das Salz geben? Du weißt, ich liebe es, meine Suppe gut zu würzen.Can you pass me the salt, please? You know I love to season my soup well.
- Wenn es um Wein geht, da kennst du dich aus!When it comes to wine, you know your stuff!
- 909 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sarah and Felix are talking about a difficult decision.
- SarahEs ist einfach schwer, weißt du?It is just difficult, you know?
- FelixJa, ich verstehe das, Sarah.Yes, I understand that, Sarah.
- SarahIch bin mir unsicher, weißt du?I am unsure, you know?
- FelixLass uns einfach darüber nachdenken.Let's just think about it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “you know” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries du, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
