🔄🤷

How to Say ‘This feels like a detour to me.’ in German

Das kommt mir wie ein Umweg vor.

dahs komt meer vee ine UHM-veyg for

[dahs komt meer vee ine UHM-veyg for]

💬 Usage Tip: vorkommen "to seem" splits: kommt sits early and vor goes to the end. Swap in other things: Das kommt mir teuer vor "That seems expensive to me".

Phrase Breakdown

Das kommt mir

dahs komt meer

That seems to me

First half of the separable verb 'vorkommen' (to seem). 'mir' is dative ('to me').

Example

Das kommt mir bekannt vor.

That seems familiar to me.

Words in this phrase

Das

[dahs]

that / it

Can refer to a thing, item, or dish in front of you.

Example

Was ist das? Das Wort das can mean that or it.

What is that? The word das can mean that or it.

kommt

[komt]

seems (with 'vor')

Part of 'vorkommen': to seem or appear to someone.

Example

Das kommt mir komisch vor.

That seems strange to me.

mir

[meer]

to me

Dative pronoun used to show that something matters or happens to the speaker.

Example

Mir ist eine offene Kommunikation besonders wichtig.

Open communication is especially important to me.

wie ein Umweg vor.

vee ine UHM-veyg for

like a detour

'vor' closes the separable verb. Stress 'UM' in 'Umweg'. The final 'g' sounds like 'k'.

Example

Das ist ein großer Umweg.

That's a big detour.

Words in this phrase

wie

[vee]

Used for comparisons between people, things, or situations.

Example

Wie eine Familie klingt die Beschreibung sehr warm.

Like a family, the description sounds very warm.

ein

[ine]

a; an

Indefinite article used before 'Hallo'.

Example

Reicht das für ein Hallo, oder braucht es ein besseres Timing?

Is that enough for a hello, or does it need better timing?

Umweg

[UHM-veyg]

detour

A longer route that takes people around an obstruction.

Example

Wir haben einen Umweg gemacht.

We made a detour.

vor

[for]

(separable prefix of 'vorkommen')

Completes the verb 'vorkommen' (to seem).

Example

Es kommt mir lang vor.

It seems long to me.

Guides for German learners

Duolingo vs Pimsleur: Tapping on a Screen or Talking Out Loud?Duolingo vs Pimsleur: five minutes of tapping versus thirty minutes of speaking. What each is good at, what each costs, and which to pick for your goal.

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