Words that add attitude
Komm her and Komm doch mal her both mean come here. The second sounds friendly, the first like an order. The difference is not information but attitude, and it sits in two small words. These are the Modalpartikeln (modal particles). English does the same job with intonation and words like just, do and you know.
The same request, three temperatures
Setz dich.
Sit down.
An instruction.
Setz dich doch.
Do sit down. / Have a seat.
An invitation.
Setz dich doch mal hin.
Come on, sit down for a minute.
Warm and casual.
Most of these words also exist as ordinary words: Ja, das finde ich auch (yes, stressed, at the start) against Das ist ja interessant (particle, unstressed, in the middle). Stress and position tell them apart.
The six at a glance
What each particle signals
| Particle | What it signals | English reaches for |
|---|---|---|
| doch | You know this already, or: softens a request | do, come on, after all |
| mal | Makes it small and casual | just, for a second |
| ja | We both know this | you know, as we know |
| eben, halt | That is simply how it is | just, that's the way it is |
| wohl | I assume, but I haven't checked | probably, I suppose |
The English column is a hint about the situation, not a translation.
doch, mal and ja
doch: you know this, or: please do
In a statement, doch leans on something the listener already knows. In an imperative it turns an order into an offer.
Das habe ich dir doch gestern schon gesagt.
But I told you that yesterday.
Nimm doch noch ein Stück Kuchen.
Do have another piece of cake.
mal: small and casual
mal (short for einmal) makes a request or a plan small and non-binding. It is the most frequent particle in spoken German. doch mal together is the typical friendly request.
Kannst du mal kurz helfen?
Could you give me a hand for a second?
Wir sollten uns mal wieder treffen.
We should get together again sometime.
Ruf doch mal an, wenn du Zeit hast.
Do give me a call sometime when you've got time.
ja: as we both know
Unstressed ja in a statement presents something as shared knowledge. It often introduces a reason. A stressed ja in an imperative is a warning.
Ich muss ja morgen früh raus.
I've got an early start tomorrow, as you know.
Du weißt ja, wie er ist.
You know what he's like.
Vergiss den Schlüssel ja nicht!
Whatever you do, don't forget the key!
Here ja is stressed.
eben, halt and wohl
eben and halt mean that is simply how it is, no point discussing it. They are interchangeable. eben is more common in the north and halt in the south, but you hear both everywhere.
Dann muss ich eben zu Fuß gehen.
Then I'll just have to walk.
Das ist halt so bei uns.
That's just how we do things here.
Ich hab's halt vergessen, tut mir leid.
I just forgot, sorry.
wohl marks an assumption: you believe it, but you haven't checked. In a question it means you are wondering aloud.
Er hat es wohl vergessen.
He has probably forgotten it.
Das wird wohl noch dauern.
That will probably take a while yet.
Wo ist sie jetzt wohl?
I wonder where she is now.
Where they stand
A particle stands in the Mittelfeld, after the pronouns and before the other information: Ich habe es dir doch gestern erklärt. In an imperative it stands right after the verb: Komm doch mal bei uns vorbei. Use one or two per sentence.
