10

Watching Futurama, one of the characters said:

"das schaff' ich schon!"

What exactly does this mean, and how does "schon" change the meaning?

(I don't remember, but I think it was Fry, which makes me think it's something that kids say to their parents when they don't want help!)

Improve this question
2
  • 2
    Good question! I have no idea how to describe this. There also is no direct translation. Interested to see what people come up with
    – Pekka
    Dec 8 '11 at 12:25
  • Schon typically translates to already, and though I think this particular idiomatic use that has existed in German for ages didn't used to exist in English, I am actually seeing it quite often recently. Example: "You can do that already." Here, schon/already expresses confidence in the face of reason for pessimism.
    – user2183
    Oct 20 '15 at 23:38
9

You've already described the meaning quite accurately - think of a situation where someone's facing a difficult situation or task, and other people doubt whether he or she will handle it. To express his/her (self-)confidence that the result will be positive, one could say

„Das schaffe ich schon!“ / „Das schaffst Du schon!“ / „Das schaffen wir schon!“

"Schon" may convey different meanings. The german "Duden" enumerates the most important ones. In your example, it would be #4 - expressing confidence, often in reply to doubts expressed by someone else.

As translation I would propose:

"I can handle it" / "I can manage it"

I think using "can" is stronger than "will" - as an attempt to catch the meaning of the "schon".

Improve this answer
1
  • I'm not a native speaker, so I think of it rather literally, like a white lie: I say "I'm already handling it!" so that you don't doubt me, even though I'm not actually handling it yet. Is that sort of how native speakers think of it?
    – Andy
    Oct 12 '15 at 5:31
7

The 'schon' in this position is a modal particle, expressing the speakers need to soothe themselves or the person adressed.

Das schaffe ich. = I'll make it. (stating a fact) Das schaffe ich schon. = I'll make it, don't worry. (reassuring)

Lookup wikipedia for mor info on modal particles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_modal_particle

Improve this answer
3

I can do this for sure!

The "schon" emphasizes the anger of anyone doubting that. It's very colloquial.

Synonyms are

Das packe ich schon!

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

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