10

Is there any other phrase to express "Das ist mir egal" (I don't care) in German?

Improve this question
6
  • 1
    I've seen sometimes "Das ist mir gleich".
    – persson
    Commented Jun 5, 2014 at 17:28
  • 4
    Imho another prominent (informal) example: Das ist mir schnuppe!
    – user6191
    Commented Jun 5, 2014 at 19:45
  • 4
    Das ist mir [insert any word you like].
    – Em1
    Commented Jun 5, 2014 at 21:04
  • 1
    @Em1: "Das ist mir Rotationsellipsoid" -- I really like that word, but that's not as snappy as you'd like. :/
    – Raphael
    Commented Jun 6, 2014 at 17:52
  • This question is also discussed here
    – Pollitzer
    Commented Feb 10, 2017 at 9:02

8 Answers 8

Reset to default
25

Plenty, with slight differences in connotation and usage possibilities. For example:

  • (Das ist mir) Egal. $
  • Das ist mir einerlei. $
  • Mir doch egal.
  • (Das) Ist mir gleich. $
  • (Das) Ist mir Wurscht/Latte/Schnuppe/Wumpe/Hupe... #
  • Wie/Was/Wo... auch immer.
  • Meinetwegen. $
  • Das kümmert mich nicht. $
  • Das juckt mich nicht.
  • Das schert mich nicht.
  • Das kratzt mich nicht.
  • Das geht mir am Arsch vorbei. #
  • Der kann mir (damit) gestohlen bleiben. #

Many such phrases are probably regional, and certainly colloquial.

If you are in a formal or any situation that mandates a certain politeness, I recommend you stick to one of the phrases I marked with $. Be careful with the ones marked #.

Improve this answer
5
  • 3
    Mir egal, Das ist mir Bums, Scheiß/kackegal, ....
    – christian.s
    Commented Jun 5, 2014 at 17:48
  • 1
    I might add, that some of the proposed solutions are - while technically correct - on a different (=lower) level of politeness and not as neutral as "I don't care".
    – Stefan Schroeder
    Commented Jun 6, 2014 at 0:02
  • 1
    @StefanSchroeder: Definitely. I though about classifying/ordering them w.r.t. connotation but decided that tone and emphasis had too much an impact for such a classification to be useful. I marked some that I think can safely be used in a polite way (and afaik all over Germany). YMMV.
    – Raphael
    Commented Jun 6, 2014 at 6:40
  • @Raphael Maybe I am an impolite person but even in formal situations I feel free to say "das schert mich nicht". It has a tiny hint of aggression in it but aggression (to a degree) and politeness are not mutually exclusive.
    – Einer
    Commented Jun 6, 2014 at 10:06
  • @Einer As I said, any such attempt at classification is going to be incomplete and inaccurate in some circumstances. (Not being marked with $ does not mean the phrase is rude, btw; it just means you should stick to those with $ if you want to be safe -- imho.)
    – Raphael
    Commented Jun 6, 2014 at 10:46
6

Besonders in Österreich sehr beliebt ist:

Das ist mir wurst.

Dabei wird das Wort "wurst" häufig wie "wurscht" ausgesprochen, was aber auch auf die Wurst zutrifft, die man essen kann.

Die Gewinnerin des letzten Eurovision Songcontests, Conchita Wurst, hat (unter anderem) daraus den Nachnamen ihres Künstlernamens abgeleitet. (Weil es wurst ist, ob man Mann oder Frau ist) (Der zweite Grund für den Namen "Wurst" ist die Ähnlichkeit einer Wurst mit männlichen Genitalien, als Kontrast zu "Conchita", womit vor allem in Lateinamerika weibliche Genitalien bezeichnet werden.)

Improve this answer
0
6

I'm personally fond of

Das interessiert mich nicht die Bohne.

or

sich nicht die Bohne für etw. interessieren.

I guess it's kind of obvious that it's very colloquial.

Improve this answer
4

Zu Raphaels erstaunlich langer Liste möchte ich eine Variante ergänzen, in der nicht der Unterton des Genervtseins mitschwingt und deswegen auch für Schriftform taugt:

Das macht mir nichts aus.

Improve this answer
1

There are a multitude of possibilities, those depending on formality, dialect, and so on.

Here for example, is a pretty good list of different options. My personal favorite would be "Ist mir Wurst", preferably pronounced "Isch mir Wurscht" :)

Improve this answer
1

"Ist mir egal"

can also have the meaning of

"as you like"

it can mean that you are "indifferent" to some choices but your tone of voice is important (angry or relaxed...)

Improve this answer
1
  • Surely the same is true for "I don't care"? It, too, can express simple indifference as well.
    – Ingmar
    Commented Jun 6, 2014 at 7:10
1
  • Meh! / Hmh!
  • Ph! / Pff!
  • Mach ma’!
  • Wie du willst/meinst!
  • Mach wie du willst/meinst/denkst!
  • Ich bin da flexibel/nicht festgelegt/völlig frei/offen für alles.
  • 🤷‍♂️/🤷‍♀️/*schulterzuck*
  • 😕
  • Wayne/Wen [interessiert’s]?
Improve this answer
0

In my region (Bavaria, university age) we sometimes even use

"Das ist mir relativ same"

("It's all the same to me" more or less), which of course originates from the language used on the internet. It's pretty informal, though.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.