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How to Say ‘That was really close.’ in German

Das war wirklich knapp.

dahs vahr VEERK-likh knahp

[dahs vahr VEERK-likh knahp]

💬 Usage Tip: A very common post-play reaction. Easy, natural, and useful beyond football too.

🇩🇪 In Germany: Sounds exactly like live fan talk after a near goal in a huge tournament match.

Phrase Breakdown

Das

[dahs]

that

Points to the action or moment that just happened.

Example

Das war wirklich knapp.

That was really close.

war

[vahr]

was

Past tense verb used to describe the previous play.

Example

Das war wirklich knapp.

That was really close.

wirklich

[VEERK-likh]

really

Emphasizes how close the moment was.

Example

Das war wirklich knapp.

That was really close.

knapp

[knahp]

close / narrow

Shows there was only a very small margin.

Example

Das war wirklich knapp.

That was really close.

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