German words expats should know: Na

“Na” is a short word with a long, varied list of meanings in German. Alone, it’s an exclamation of endearment, and combined with many other words, it gives you an expectant or impatient phrase for every situation.

Here's a quick overview of what "na" means, and the numerous ways you can use it in German.

“Na” and its meaning in English

When you first attended German courses your teacher will have taken you through “Wie geht es Ihnen?”, “Wie geht es dir?” or “Wie geht’s?” as ways to ask your formal contacts, friends or acquaintances how they are doing.

While “Wie geht’s?” is a common inquiry among friends, exclaiming “Na?” has a more informal tone and serves exactly the same purpose. Upon meeting your friend, you might say, “Na?!” as in “Hey, how are you?!”

If you bump into the friend by coincidence, you haven’t seen them for a while or are feeling particularly full of love for them, this “Na?!” might be elongated to a “Naaaaa?!” or even combined in a double whammy as “Naaa?! Wie geht’s dir?”

All the German Nas: Na ja, Na, und and Na klar!

Alone, “Na?” is a word usually coming out of the mouth of someone who is happy or at at worst feels neutral about your interaction, but in tandem with multiple other short words, it is often used to express irritation. In these scenarios, “Na” is similar to the English word “Well” and is always exclaimed briefly, rather than elongated.

For example, your flatmate ate all your bread and said they would get more because it is Sunday tomorrow and the supermarket is closed. Morning comes, and you ask them, “Where did you put the bread?” They say they forgot to buy it, and you might sarcastically reply, “Na, toll” as in “Well, great, now I have to go without bread.”

If you had no sympathy for their explanation, you might say “Na, und?” (“Yes, and?” or “So, what?”) as in, “I don’t care that you forgot it, go and get some now”. If you were passive-aggressive, you might say “Na, schön” (“Very well then”), if their forgetfulness came as no surprise, you might sarcastically say, “Na klar!” (“Well of course!”).

If this scenario were so commonplace that you had been ground down to reluctant acceptance, you might say “Na ja” as in “Oh well, I guess that’s just the way it is." 

Na slang used to express impatience

When used in tandem with some other words, “Na” often comes at the beginning of a sentence expressing impatience and anger.

For example, “Na, was soll das denn?” (What the hell does that mean?/What the hell is this?”) or “Na, los!/ Na, komm! (“Go on then/Come on then!”). Depending on the tone, the latter two could be communicated in an impatient way or an encouraging way.

If you were being impatient and finally got what you wanted, you might say, “Na, endlich!” (“Finally!”)