wohl
German edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Middle High German wol, wole, from Old High German wola (“well”), from Proto-Germanic *wela, from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁-. Compare Dutch wel, English well, Danish vel, Swedish väl.
Pronunciation edit
Adverb edit
wohl
- possibly, probably; as I was told (modal particle expressing an assumption, often like English must + infinitive, or (US) guess + clause)
- Er ist wohl schon gegangen. ― He must have left already. / I guess he has left already.
- Seine Frau ist wohl irgendeine bekannte Ärztin. ― [I heard that] his wife is some well-known doctor.
- Was das wohl zu bedeuten hat?
- What does that mean, though?
- of course, indeed (modal particle adding stress to the statement to contradict a preceding one, often like English do + infinitive)
- Du warst ja noch nie in Frankreich. − Ich war wohl schon in Frankreich! ― "Since you've never been to France..." − "Of course I've been to France!"
- Ich kann's dir nicht sagen, weil ich's nicht weiß. − Du weißt es ja wohl! ― "I can't tell you because I don't know." − "But you do know!"
- (regional, north-western Germany) actually, somehow, quite (modal particle making the statement weaker or expressing a concession)
- Was habt ihr denn alle mit der Suppe? Ich find die wohl nicht schlecht. ― "Why are you all complaining about the soup? I don't find it all that bad, actually."
- (mostly elevated) well, very well
- Ihr habt wohl gesprochen, mein Herr! ― "Ye have spoken well, my lord!"
- (regional in Austria, South Tyrol, in response to a negative question or statement) yes; surely; really; on the contrary
- Das stimmt nicht. — Wohl! ― That's not correct. — Yes, it is!
- Kommst du heute Abend nicht? — Wohl! ― Aren't you coming tonight?? — Yes, I am!
Usage notes edit
- The distinction between the strengthening particle (“of course”) and the weakening particle (“actually”) is through intonation. With the former wohl is strongly stressed, with the latter it is unstressed.
- The weakening particle is regional (as indicated above); more general words for this sense are schon or eigentlich.
Synonyms edit
- (possibly) vermutlich, scheint’s
- (well) gut
- (yes) doch, oja