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wie war das

sorry, what was that; what did you say

adverb VEE vahr DAS Rare
Communication Questions

Also means

how did that go again

Usage Note

Wie war das is an informal request to repeat or clarify something just said — 'What was that again?' or 'Sorry, what did you say?'. It is less formal than Wie bitte? and carries a slightly surprised or puzzled tone. Common in casual spoken German when something is unexpected or unclear.

Examples

"„Er kommt morgen nicht.” – „Wie war das? Das hat er doch nie erwähnt.”"

Natural Translation

'He's not coming tomorrow.' – 'What was that? He never mentioned that.'

Literal Translation

'He comes tomorrow not.' – 'How was that? That has he yet never mentioned.'

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