Doch, Halt, Mal, Eben & Ja - German modal particles explained! | Easy German 231
Why German Language Stack Exchange recommends it
German Stack Exchange users link it when learners ask what a small word like "halt" or "erst" is doing in a sentence, since modal particles are hard to translate and the video gives an overview.
Recommended by 3 people across 3 different months, 2019 to 2021.
What it is
An Easy German episode in which host Carina Schmid explains German modal particles. It starts with seven general rules, then covers halt, eben, doch, mal and ja, with chapter markers for each. The video mixes explanation with examples and has English subtitles.
What people said
Recommends davidpolygoth · 2019-09 · German Language Stack Exchange · on “The use of "gleich" in this sentence”
I am currently reading a book by Uwe Timm in German called "Die Zugmaus" (by the way awesome book, you should read it, definitely worth it) and I came across this sentence, which has gleich in it. "Ich habe nie in meinem Leben so viele Katzen gesehen wie in Paris, und zwar die größten, schnellsten und wildesten Exemplare, die man sich überhaupt vorstellen kann. Erst in Paris verstand ich die wahre Bedeutung der Mause-Weisheit: "Eine Katze im Haus bringt Kummer und Graus." Hier lebten in jedem Haus gleich mehrere Katzen, denn die Franzosen haben eine grosse Vorliebe für Katzen." When I looked up in my laptop's built-in dictionary, I found out that GLEICH has many meanings and I thought that i
Recommends HalvarF · 2020-10 · German Language Stack Exchange · on “What is the use of “halt” here?”
Have you tried a dictionary ("halt" als Modalpartikel)? Easy German has a good video aboout this topic: [this video]
Recommends Micha · 2021-12 · German Language Stack Exchange · on “Help understanding some sentences”
As someone has written in the comments, he uses matches instead of lighters. The "even" (erst) there implies that his despising mouthpieces and not using lighters are likewise evidence of his dislike of nonsmokers, right? No, wrong. The "erst" doesn't have anything to do with the sentence before, it is a modal particle. It emphasize the statement that he didn't associate with people who felt bothered by the smoke. As a native speaker, I get the feeling that he doesn't only avoid those people, but also look down on them. The next sentence then proofs explicitly that this feeling in indeed what is intended by the author. In english, there are no modal particles, you can replace this by intonat