Short responses

In every language there are little words that are added to sentences for emphasis or to give a particular quality to a phrase. There is only a slight difference of emphasis between the following two sentences, and it is the addition of one small adverb that causes this difference, and also adds a bit of indignation:

I don’t know.

I certainly don’t know.

German has numerous such small words, and here we will explain some of the important ones.

There are also in every language short, pat phrases used as a quick response to someone else’s statement. They usually stand alone, because they derive their meaning from the statement to which they are responding. In English, the words so what and how come have little meaning when they stand alone, but as a response to something else, they can make quite a statement:

—You didn’t make your bed again. —So what!

—You’re grounded for a week! —How come?

The same thing occurs in German. And these short, pat responses are effective in sentence writing, because they make the language flow naturally and can make content more interesting. However, such phrases are often quite casual and should sometimes be avoided in formal writing.

Words for emphasis

German often adds special words to a sentence in order to emphasize a speaker’s or a writer’s attitude or frame of mind: impatience, enthusiasm, indignation, and so on.

Also

The word also (so, well) is usually added to a phrase to emphasize the urgency of the action of a verb or as a way of linking a phrase to a previous statement.

Also schön!                                        All right then!

Na also!                                              You see! (I told you so!)

Also, kommt er jetzt oder nicht?  Well, is he coming or not?

Doch

Doch can be used alone as a response that says that what someone else has suggested is not true:

Du hast den Aufsatz noch nicht geschrieben! You haven’t written the essay yet!
Doch!                                                                        Yes, I have!

 It is also added to a phrase to emphasize its meaning:

Los doch!                                Go ahead! Go on already!
Das ist doch herrlich!           That’s really great!
Das ist doch eine Lüge!        That’s such a lie!

Gar
Gar usually means at all but can also be added to a phrase for emphasis:
Magst du Tee trinken?                                 Do you like drinking tea?
Gar nicht.                                                        Not at all.
Hast du genug Euro?                                   Do you have enough euros?
Nein, ich habe gar keine.                             No, I have none at all.

Tina ist wirklich hübsch.                             Tina is really pretty.
Ja, ich hätte gar zu gern mit ihr getanzt.  Yes, I really would have liked to dance with her.

Kaum

The word kaum is an adverb and means hardly or scarcely. But it is added to other phrases to emphasize the moment when something occurs:

Sie hatte kaum Platz genommen,    She had hardly taken her seat when
da sie fing an zu weinen.                      she began to cry.
It is often used to modify a comparative:
Der Professor ist kaum älter             The professor is hardly older
als die Studenten.                                than the students.
Das ist kaum besser!                           That’s hardly better!
It is also frequently combined with an infinitive clause introduced by zu:
Kaum zu glauben.                                             It’s hard to believe.
Seine Handschrift ist kaum zu entziffern.   His handwriting can hardly be made out.
Mal

The word mal is a shortened version of the word einmal (once). It is often added to a phrase— particularly an imperative—for emphasis:

Komm mal her!              Come here.
Hört mal zu!                   Listen up!
Hör mal damit auf!       Stop it!

Wie

The interrogative wie (how) is often combined with other words to form a variety of pat phrases.
Many are questions that begin with how:

Wie oft geht ihr ins Kino?       How often do you go to the movies?
Wie viel kostet so ein Auto?   How much does a car like that cost?
Wie spät ist es?                         What time is it?
Wie is also used in other expressions:

Wie bitte?         What? / I beg your pardon.

Wieso denn? Why?

Und wie!         And how!

Wie war das? What did you say?

Wie das?         How did that happen?

Zwar

The adverb zwar means indeed or admittedly and is used to stress a point in a statement or to admit to involvement in a circumstance:

Ich weiß es zwar nicht genau, aber                           I admit I’m not really sure, but I accept it 

ich nehme es als die Wahrheit an.                            as the truth.
Onkel Karl kommt morgen, und zwar                     Uncle Karl is coming tomorrow,

vor Mittag.                                                                     and indeed before noon.
Sie ist Richterin und zwar eine gute.                       She’s a judge, and a good one at that.
Pat phrases

There are numerous short phrases that are pat responses to someone else’s remarks. The following list contains some of the most frequently used ones:

Ausgezeichnet!                     Excellent!
Das ist nicht zu glauben.    That’s unbelievable.
Das kommt darauf an.        That depends.
Donnerwetter!                      For Heaven’s sake!
Du spinnst!                            You’re crazy! You’re nuts!
Erstaunlich!                          Astounding!
Großartig!                              Great!
Keine Ahnung.                      I have no idea.
Keine Ursache.                     Don’t mention it.
Leider nicht.                         Unfortunately, not.
Natürlich.                              Naturally.
Offenbar.                               Obviously. Clearly.Offensichtlich.
Scheinbar.                             Obviously.Apparently. So it seems.
Selbstverständlich.              Of course.
Super!                                     Super!
Tatsächlich?                          Really?
Toll!                                         Terrific!
Überhaupt nicht.                  Not at all.
Unglaublich.                          Incredible.
Unmöglich.                            Impossible.
Wunderbar!                           Wonderful!