German Interjections (Interjektionen)

German interjections, known as Interjektionen, are short words or expressions used to show emotions, reactions or sudden feelings. They are often followed by an exclamation mark (!) and can stand alone in a sentence.

What are Interjections?

Interjections express feelings such as joy, surprise, pain, anger or hesitation. They are commonly used in spoken German and informal writing.

Examples of German Interjections

German	English Meaning	Usage Example
Ach!	Oh! / Ah!	Ach! Das ist schade. (Oh! That’s a pity.)
Oh!	Oh!	Oh! Wie schön! (Oh! How nice!)
Na!	Well! / Hey!	Na, wie geht’s? (Hey, how are you?)
Hm...	Hmm...	Hm... Ich weiß nicht. (Hmm... I don’t know.)
Igitt!	Yuck! / Ew!	Igitt! Das riecht schlecht! (Yuck! That smells bad!)
Oh nein!	Oh no!	Oh nein! Ich habe meinen Schlüssel verloren. (Oh no! I lost my key.)
Hurra!	Hooray!	Hurra! Wir haben gewonnen! (Hooray! We won!)
Au!	Ouch!	Au! Das tut weh! (Ouch! That hurts!)
Pfui!	Disgusting! / Shame!	Pfui! Das ist gemein! (Disgusting! That’s mean!)
Tja...	Well... / Hmm...	Tja... so ist das Leben. (Well... that’s life.)

Types of Interjections in German

Emotional Interjections: Express feelings – e.g., Ach!, Oh!, Hurra!
Volitive Interjections: Express wishes or commands – e.g., Pst! (Shh!), Halt!
Cognitive Interjections: Show thinking or hesitation – e.g., Hm..., Tja...

Usage Tips

Interjections are mostly used in spoken language.
They do not change form (no conjugation or declension).
They are often followed by an exclamation mark (!).

Explore More Grammar Topics

Noun Articles Verb Separable Verb Preposition Numbers Adjective Adverb Verb with Fixed Preposition Pronoun German Cases Conjunctions German word order Double Infinitive Verbs Inseparable Verbs Numbers - Cardinal and Ordinal German Modal Verbs German Imperative Modal Verbs

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