How to Say ‘What the hell?’ in German
Was zum Teufel?
vahs tsoom TOY-fel
[vahs tsoom TOY-fel]
🇩🇪 In Germany: [Was zum Teufel?] is rude but often less explosive than the English translation looks. It can be said in shock or irritation, not only in outright aggression.
Phrase Breakdown
Was
[vahs]
what
Question word meaning what; in this phrase it begins a shocked or annoyed reaction.
Was zum Teufel ist hier passiert?
What the hell happened here?
zum
[tsoom]
to the
A contraction of zu dem; here it forms part of the fixed phrase Was zum Teufel?.
Was zum Teufel ist hier passiert?
What the hell happened here?
Teufel
[TOY-fel]
devil / hell
Literally devil; in this phrase it corresponds to English hell in What the hell?.
Was zum Teufel ist hier passiert?
What the hell happened here?
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