was für

Based on: was
Phrase
  1. what kind of
  2. what a
1.

what kind of

(in a general sense of selection. For a specific concrete choice, "welche-" is better. "was für" is often split with "was" in the beginning and "für" right before the choice.)
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Examples
  • "Hi, weißt du schon?""Ja, Ich nehm' einen Tee.""Ok. Was für Tee?""Oh... äh.. was haben sie denn?"
  • "Hi, are you ready to order?""Yeah, I'll have a tea.""Okay. What kind.""Oh... uhm... what do you have."
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2.

what a

(used in expressions of astonishment or anger)
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Examples
  • Mein Gott, was für ein Scheißwetter.
  • My god, what a shitty weather.
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Word Family

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Sources for Etymology:

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The meaning and use of “was für”

"was... für" is a colloquial German version for "what kind" and it's incredibly common. Time to learn how to use it.

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Questions and Comments

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2 Comments
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Jeff
Jeff

Hi
in “Was fur eine Verschwendung”, why is the eine needed, if the expression already means “what a”?

(sorry. Just the first of many mindless questions)

And thank you for Providing such a wonderful resource.

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Emanuel
Author
Emanuel
Reply to  Jeff

Nah, it’s a good question!

So technically, I guess I should say the phrasing is “was für ein/eine” or “was für” is just “what” because the article is usually there, except for plural.

– Was für schöne Blumen.

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How many meanings does the German word 'was für' have?

was für has 2 distinct meanings: 1. what kind of , 2. what a .

What is 'was für' related to?

The word 'was für' is related to was.

Where can I learn more about 'was für'?

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

The meaning and use of “was für”
"was... für" is a colloquial German version for "what kind" and it's incredibly common. Time to learn how to use it.
Read article