{"id":135,"date":"2019-04-21T13:27:47","date_gmt":"2019-04-21T11:27:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yabla.com\/german-blog\/?p=135"},"modified":"2019-12-04T22:35:20","modified_gmt":"2019-12-04T21:35:20","slug":"accident-in-german","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yabla.com\/german-blog\/2019\/04\/21\/accident-in-german\/","title":{"rendered":"By accident or on Purpose? Expressing Intent in German"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

German can be a tricky language. But even if you’re not always able to express yourself perfectly at the beginning, it’s good to be able to clarify your intentions. So for those awkward moments in German \u2013 and in life! \u2013 here are a few different words and phrases to have handy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talking about a coincidence or accident in German<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"accident<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Where English speakers would use the words “accident” or “accidentally,” Germans have many different words:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first term used to describe an accident in German is der Unfall.<\/em> This word refers to physical accidents, like falling off of a bike. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next word for accident in German is der Zufall<\/em>, which implies a sense of coincidence. The adverb zuf\u00e4llig<\/em> is sometimes translated as “accidentally,” but more specifically it means “at random” or “by chance.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s also a phrase used to describe something that has happened unintentionally or by mistake: aus Versehen<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s an example:
Jetzt bin ich aus Versehen<\/strong> zu weit gelaufen und muss den Bus nach Hause nehmen. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Now I’ve accidentally<\/strong> walked too far and have to take the bus home.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to express doing something intentionally<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now how would you tell someone you did something intentionally?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A phrase that has the same meaning as aus Versehen<\/em> is ohne Absicht.<\/em> (Die) Absicht <\/em>means “intention,” “aim,” or “purpose.” Here’s what you’d say if you wanted to express that you did something intentionally<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Das war Absicht<\/strong>.<\/em>
(That was on purpose<\/strong>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also use mit Absicht<\/em> or absichtlich<\/em>. Here’s how that would look:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ich konnte ja nicht wissen, dass du Max mit Absicht<\/strong> belogen hast.<\/em>
(I couldn’t have known that you lied to Max on purpose<\/strong>.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jemand hat Janek Sternberg absichtlich<\/strong> vom Ger\u00fcst geschubst.<\/em>
(Someone intentionally<\/strong> shoved Janek Sternberg off the scaffolding.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For further practice, try creating sentences using this list of nouns and verbs. Form sentences for hypothetical scenarios where your intention (or lack thereof!) might need clarification:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

die Mail<\/em> \/ weiterleiten<\/em>
dich<\/em> \/ anrufen<\/em>
seinen Kaffee<\/em> \/ trinken<\/em>
die Tasche<\/em> \/ zu Hause lassen<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Embark on your own personal language learning journey with the Yabla German platform<\/a>. Yabla offers a wide variety of videos \u2013 including narrative and documentary film clips, music videos, original content, and more \u2013 featuring native speakers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Games, vocabulary lists, interactive subtitles, comprehension questions, and dictation exercises help you master spelling, grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and listening skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Yabla<\/a>, you can learn at your own pace using videos pertaining to your specific interests. Expand your horizons by learning German, the most spoken language in the EU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

German can be a tricky language. But even if you’re not always able to express yourself perfectly at the beginning, it’s good to be able to clarify your intentions. So for those awkward moments in German \u2013 and in life! \u2013 here are a few different words and phrases to …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1,10,12,21],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nBy accident or on Purpose? Expressing Intent in German - Yabla German Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are different conotations to the varios translations of accident in German. 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