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How to Say ‘Good question, ours isn't, unfortunately.’ in German

Gute Frage, unsere leider nicht.

GOO-tuh FRAH-guh OON-zeh-ruh LY-der nicht

[GOO-tuh FRAH-guh OON-zeh-ruh LY-der nicht]

🇩🇪 In Germany: Staff in Germany will usually say plainly when something isn't suitable rather than guess. That honesty is meant helpfully, not curtly.

Phrase Breakdown

Gute Frage,

GOO-tuh FRAH-guh

Good question,

This is a common reaction before answering. Say 'GOO-te FRAH-ge'.

Example

Gute Frage, das weiß ich nicht.

Good question, I don't know.

Words in this phrase

Gute

[GOO-tuh]

good

An inflected form of 'gut' meaning 'good'; the ending changes depending on grammar.

Example

Gute Luft macht den Spaziergang angenehm.

Good air makes the walk pleasant.

Frage

[FRAH-guh]

question

A noun meaning a question; useful when asking about company culture.

Example

Meine Frage betrifft die Werte der Firma.

My question concerns the company's values.

unsere leider nicht.

OON-zeh-ruh LY-der nicht

ours unfortunately isn't.

Stress 'LEI-der' to show regret.

Example

Andere Cafés haben WLAN, unsere leider nicht.

Other cafés have Wi-Fi, ours unfortunately don't.

Words in this phrase

unsere

[OON-zeh-ruh]

our

A possessive determiner meaning something belongs to us.

Example

Unsere Kultur ist offen und kollegial.

Our culture is open and collegial.

leider

[LY-der]

unfortunately

A polite way to introduce bad news or say something does not work.

Example

Leider kann ich den Termin nicht wahrnehmen.

Unfortunately, I can’t make the appointment.

nicht

[nicht]

not

Used to negate a sentence.

Example

Dieses Angebot gibt's nicht mehr.

This offer no longer exists.

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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