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How to Say ‘I'm not quite sure about that.’ in German

Da bin ich nicht ganz sicher.

dah bin ikh nicht gahnts ZIKH-er

[dah bin ikh nicht gahnts ZIKH-er]

🇩🇪 In Germany: This is the polite way to disagree with a colleague's idea. It signals doubt without a flat nein, and people expect you to follow with your reason.

Phrase Breakdown

Da bin ich

dah bin ikh

About that, I am

'Da' means 'about that' here. Because the sentence starts with 'Da', the verb 'bin' comes before 'ich'.

Example

Da bin ich anderer Meinung.

I have a different opinion on that.

Words in this phrase

[dah]

there; in that

Refers to the point just made.

Example

Da bin ich anderer Meinung.

There I disagree.

bin

[bin]

First-person singular form of 'sein' meaning 'to be.'

Example

Beim Kennenlernen sage ich: Ich bin neu hier.

When meeting people I say: I am new here.

ich

[ikh]

The pronoun 'ich' in nominative form.

Example

Ich bin da.

I am here.

nicht ganz sicher.

nicht gahnts ZIKH-er

not quite sure.

A polite way to express doubt. Remember the voiced 's' in 'sicher'.

Example

Er ist nicht ganz sicher.

He's not quite sure.

Words in this phrase

nicht

[nicht]

not

Used to negate a sentence.

Example

Dieses Angebot gibt's nicht mehr.

This offer no longer exists.

ganz

[gahnts]

entirely, completely

Means fully; 'nicht ganz' softens a statement to 'not quite'.

Example

Das ist nicht ganz richtig.

That's not quite right.

sicher

[ZIKH-er]

sure, certain

Being confident about something.

Example

Bist du sicher?

Are you sure?

Guides for German learners

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