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was

pron · /vas/ ·
Etymology

From Middle High German waȥ, from Old High German waȥ, from Proto-West Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷod. Cognate with Dutch wat, Low German wat, English what, Danish hvad, Icelandic hvað.

Translation

  1. what interrogative

    Was machst du heute?

    What are you doing today?

  2. which; referring to the entire preceding clause relative

    Sie tanzte gut, was er bewunderte.

    She was a good dancer, which he admired.

  3. that, which; referring to das, alles, etwas, nichts, and neuter substantival adjectives relative

    Das ist alles, was ich weiß.

    That's all that I know.

    Das ist das Beste, was mir passieren konnte.

    That's the best that could have happened to me.

  4. that, which; referring to neuter singular nouns, instead of standard das colloquial, relative

    Siehst du das weiße Haus, was renoviert wird?

    Do you see that white house, which is being renovated?

  5. something, anything; instead of standard etwas colloquial, indefinite

    Ich hab was gefunden.

    I've found something.

    Er wollte Anna was antun.

    He wanted to do something to Anna.

was

det · /vas/ ·
Etymology

From Middle High German waȥ, from Old High German waȥ, from Proto-West Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷod. Cognate with Dutch wat, Low German wat, English what, Danish hvad, Icelandic hvað.

Translation

  1. what; what kind of archaic

    [...] denen Thieren und Gewächsen aber, von was Arten und Geschlechten selbige auch nur immer seyn mögen, [...]

    Held August, du kühner Krieger! / Du bist der beglückte Sieger, / Vor, und in, und nach dem Fall. / Auf was Arten, auf was Weisen, / Soll man deine Thaten preisen / Hier und da, und überall?

    Wie und auf was Weise jedermann seinen [...] Nebenmenschen Hülfe leisten [...] solle.

was

adv · /vas/ ·
Etymology

From Middle High German waȥ, from Old High German waȥ, from Proto-West Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷod. Cognate with Dutch wat, Low German wat, English what, Danish hvad, Icelandic hvað.

Translation

  1. clipping of etwas abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, colloquial

    Ich komm was später.

    I'll arrive a little later.

  2. why, what for; often expressing a personal concern about the matter colloquial, interrogative, poetic

    Was bist du heute so stumm?

    Why are you so silent today?

    Was kuckt der hier so komisch rüber?

    Why’s that guy looking over here so strangely?

    Was birgst du so bang dein Gesicht?

    Why are you hiding your face so fearfully?