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etwas

something

adverb ET-vahs Common
Grammar & Structure Determiners

Also means

somewhat

Usage Note

etwas doubles as a pronoun ('something') and an adverb of degree ('a little, somewhat'), as in etwas müde ('a bit tired'). In casual speech it shortens to was, e.g. Hast du was gesagt? ('Did you say something?').

Examples

"Ich möchte etwas trinken."

Natural Translation

I would like to drink something.

Literal Translation

I would-like something drink.

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