LESSON NOTES

All About #15

Top Five Favorite Phrases from the
GermanPod Hosts

CONTENTS
2 Grammar

# 15
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GRAMMAR

Th e Fo cu s o f Th i s Le sso n i s th e To p Fi ve Ph ra se s fro m th e G e rm a n Po d H o sts

We are presenting some additional phrases here because of their practical use (phrases 2, 4,
and 5), their frequently requested meaning or translation (phrase 1), and their frequent use in
Germany (phrases 3 and 4).

Ph ra se On e : G e su n d h e i t! ("Bl e ss yo u ")

This phrase is a classical request from learners of German. They want to know how to say,
"Bless you" when a person sneezes.

Literally, Gesundheit means "health," but in this context, we use it as "Bless you."

Use Gesundheit to address an unknown person or someone in a formal situation as well as

to address a friend or someone in an informal context.

In a very formal context (for example a college examination, or at the immigration

authorities), you might want to apologize for sneezing.

One more note for our English speakers out there: Don't make any reference to religion in
Germany when someone sneezes, save that for when you're swearing (but that's another
subject that would require a whole lesson)!

Ph ra se Tw o : Wo w i r g e ra d e d a vo n spre ch e n ("N o w th a t yo u m e n ti o n i t...")

This phrase means "Speaking of which" or "Now that you mention it" and you can use it when
you are reminded of something and want to talk about it. For example, let’s say your friend is
talking about party "A" that took place last week, which reminds you of party "B" coming up
next week. You can change the subject to party "B" by saying Wo wir gerade von Parties
sprechen... ("Speaking of parties...") and starting to talk about it. Using Wo wir gerade davon
sprechen is a natural way to segue into something related to the conversation at hand.

A more casual way to express "Speaking of which," or "Now that you mention it," is the
German phrase Wo du es sagst. This phrase literally means, "As you say it," but we also use
it as "Now that you mention it."

Ph ra se Th re e : Ist g u t./Ist i n Ord n u n g . ("It's o ka y/g o o d .")

The Germans use these two short sentences all the time and in every possible context.
Grammatically speaking, gut ("good") is an adjective describing someone or something,

GERMANPOD101.COM ALL ABOUT #15 - TOP FIVE FAVORITE PHRASES FROM THE GERMANPOD HOSTS 2
while in Ordnung is a combination of the preposition in ("in") and the noun Ordnung ("order"),
meaning "It’s all right."

Both phrases, Ist gut ("it's okay/good.") and Ist in Ordnung ("It’s all right."), can refer to tasting
or smelling a delicious meal or drink. We can also use Ist gut and Ist in Ordnung to tell
someone that his/her work was good. In this case, we will most likely add the demonstrative
pronoun das to clarify our intention. We will say Das ist gut ("This is okay/good.") or Das ist in
Ordnung ("This is all right.").

Ist gut and In Ordnung are phrases that also show that you have understood information or
instructions given to you or that you will comply with what someone has told you. As an
exclamation, Ist gut! and In Ordnung! are very close in meaning to "Roger!" or "Copy that!" in
English, but in German, you can use these phrases lightly among friends.

There are contexts where we’ll just make use of Ist gut ("It’s okay/good.").

We use Ist gut ("It's all right.") when referring to how well things are done. For example, you
will say Ist gut when implying Ist gut gemacht ("It is well done."). Anytime you can say Ist gut
gemalt/geschrieben/gedacht! etc. ("It's well painted/written/thought," etc.), then use Ist gut.

Finally, you can use Ist gut (!) when you are tired of someone picking at you or making fun of
you, and you want him/her to stop. Your intonation will then sound more annoyed and the
conveyed meaning is "Leave it be." or "It's enough."

Ph ra se Fo u r: In d e r Ta t ("In d e e d ")

We can translate the phrase In der Tat as "Indeed" or "That’s for sure." We say this phrase in
response to someone who is speaking. When you use In der Tat after something that
someone has said, it means that you agree with the speaker on that point, even if you don’t
agree with him or her on other things. In this way, it’s very similar to the phrases "That’s true,"
"Indeed," or "That’s for sure!" in English.

Ph ra se Fi ve : Fü r’ s e rste … ("Fo r n o w "/"In th e m e a n ti m e ")

Für’s erste is a handy phrase that means "In the meantime" or "For now." Literally translated,
this phrase means, "For the first," but we commonly use it as, "For now."

We can use Für’s erste to talk about some kind of action you take or decision you make "in
the meantime," when you feel like it’s better than doing nothing. For example, if you don’t
know what to order at a restaurant but at least know what you want to drink, you can order
your drinks using Für’s erste nehm ich ein Bier, which means "I’ll have a beer for now (while
we’re trying to decide)."

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