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LEARNING GERMAN

German phrase of the day: Na klar

This is one of the most most common colloquial phrases you'll hear in German - but just what does it mean?

German phrase of the day: Na klar
Photo: Depositphotos

What does it mean?

The colloquial German phrase na klar is a combination of two common terms.

Na is often used to mean “well?” – for example, if one person is waiting for the other to respond.

It's also a typical greeting. “Na du” (Hey you), one good friend might say to the other when they meet up. 

Klar simply means clear, transparent, or obvious. By itself, klar can mean “sure”, or it can be utilized in the sense of “Der Himmel ist klar” (The sky is clear).

But when combined with na, it carried extra emphasis, and means “for sure” or “of course”. 

The phrase is technically considered slang, but it is used by all age groups and classes, not only teenagers.

How is it used?

This phrase is as an agreement to a question. For example, “Kommst du zu meinem Brunch am Samstag? Na klar!” (“Are you coming to my brunch on Saturday? Of course!”)

Often, the popular particles ja or doch will be added to the phrase to add emphasis to an agreement, or to point out that it's obvious that you will do the thing that was asked of you. 

READ ALSO: Das ist ja mal wichtig: The complete guide to German particles

Example uses:

Holst du mich von der Schule ab, Mama? Na klar doch.

(Are you picking me up from school, mom? Of course.)

Here, the mom adds doch, because she picks her child up from school everyday.

Magst du Kaffee? Ja, na klar! Wer denn nicht?

(Do you like coffee? Yeah, of course! Who doesn't?)

Here you would add ja to underline that you obviously like coffee.

Member comments

  1. ‘Na klar’ is the name of a sometime record company which produced records by Schlagerstar Wolfgang Petry. Anyone who’s heard Wolfgang Petry songs, and their texts, will find ‘Na Klar’ fits perfectly with many such cliches in his music. Other examples, being ‘Egal’, ‘Wahnsinn’, ‘Ganz oder Gar nicht’, ‘Einfach geil’ and ‘Scheissegal’.
    I would say Petry made an enormous contribution to me learning the language, as it wasn’t the German you learned in classes, but what you heard in bars, cafes and on the street.

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GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Verschlafen

Ever end up staying just a little too long in bed? Then this German word will be used in a lot of your apologies.

German word of the day: Verschlafen

Why do I need to know verschlafen?

Because it’s is a great verb that can be incredibly handy if you turn up late to work or school – and it also teaches you something interesting about the German language.

What does it mean?

As you may have noticed, verschlafen (pronounced like this) is a combination of the verb schlafen and the prefix ver. Anyone who’s been studying German for more than five minutes understands that schlafen means ‘to sleep’, but what does adding that little prefix do to it?

Most times you see the prefix ver, it’s a sign that something has gone a little bit wrong while doing the action you’re talking about. Hast du die Eier verkocht? If the answer’s yes, then those eggs are unfortunately overcooked and not likely to be enjoyable. Meanwhile, bist du verlaufen? means “Did you get lost?”. In other words: did something go wrong in the process of walking?

READ ALSO: The complete A-Z guide to German prefixes and what they mean

With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that verschlafen is that most common of sleeping mistakes: oversleeping. 

You can also use it to describe going to bed and missing something, such as the ringing in of the New Year. In fact, this is quite a common form of verschlafen in Germany: a poll back in 2023 found that 51 percent of Germans went to bed early and missed celebrations on the 31st. 

Use it like this:

Es tut mir leid, dass ich so spät ankomme: heute habe ich verschlafen.

I’m sorry I’m so late: I overslept today.

Hast du jemals verschlafen, und bist spät zur Arbeit gekommen?

Have you ever overslept and been late to work?

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