etwa

Goethe B1 Adverb
  1. round about, approximately
  2. for instance, for example
  3. expression of surprise
1.

round about, approximately

(less common than "ungefähr" and "circa")
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Examples
  • Ich bin morgen für etwa 3 Stunden telefonisch nicht erreichbar.
  • I won't be available by phone for about 3 hours tomorrow."
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2.

for instance, for example

(Not used much in spoken but fairly common in written German. Will definitely impress your teacher, if you use it correctly. Tends to come AFTER the thing it connects. Pretty much NEVER at the beginning of a phrase.)
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Examples
  • Viele im Team haben ein Koffeinproblem. Thomas etwa trinkt 10 Tassen Kaffee... vor der Mittagspause.
  • Many team members have a caffeine problem. Thomas for instance drinks 10 cups of coffee... before lunch break.
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3.

expression of surprise

(in yes or no questions)
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Examples
  • "Thomas und Maria waren gestern Kindersachen shoppen.""Was?!?! Is' die etwa schwanger??"
  • "Thomas and Maria were shopping for kids clothes yesterday.""What?!?! She isn't pregnant is she?"/"Don't tell me she is pregnant."
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Sources for Etymology:

My Articles

The Meanings of “etwa”

Most of you know that 'etwas' means 'something'. But German also has 'etwa' ohne 's' and it's actually kind of common. Today, we'll learn what it means.

Vocab: etwa, in etwa, etwaig

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Questions and Comments

Do you have questions about the usage or meaning of “etwa”? Just ask here and I’ll try to clear it up.

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4 Comments
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xv
xv

Do you think “kind of ” or the more colloquial “kinda” work as translations ?

I’ve seen a few uses i wasn’t sure about recently. This was the latest at 7:45 I don’t think this works as kinda, but I’m also unsure how to translate it here:

https://youtu.be/2UjHCLvMkMg?feature=shared&t=456

Last edited 1 year ago by xv
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Emanuel
Emanuel
Reply to  xv

Hmm, no, “kinda” is waaaay too casual and doesn’t really match the vibe. The “etwa” here introduces the clearly “most out there” option. “even” does not really match either because “even” feels a bit more like on a progression (much, more, even more), while here, we’re going sideways toward “surprise territory”. But “even” definitely captures more than “kinda”.

Let me know if that helps.

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xv
xv
Reply to  Emanuel

Thanks, yeah, I was a bit confused about whether it was the 3rd one but I guess “bin ich marlon Brando?” is a “yes / no” question ultimately

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Emanuel
Emanuel
Reply to  xv

Oh yeah, absolutely.

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How many meanings does the German word 'etwa' have?

etwa has 3 distinct meanings: 1. round about, approximately, 2. for instance, for example, 3. expression of surprise.

What is 'etwa' related to?

This is a standalone entry with no parent word listed.

Where can I learn more about 'etwa'?

Here are some articles where you can learn more about 'etwa':

The Meanings of “etwa”
Most of you know that 'etwas' means 'something'. But German also has 'etwa' ohne 's' and it's actually kind of common. Today, we'll learn what it means.
Vocab: etwa, in etwa, etwaig
Read article