I was wondering if there is a culturally appropriate way to say "my bad" in German as in:
My bad! I should've ...
Google translates it as "meine schlechte", but I don't know how trustworthy that is.
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7@RHa I find "How about a dictionary?" a bit too passive-aggressive. Also, I don't think we should be referring people to dictionaries for idiomatic expressions such as this. The appropriate translation can vary a lot, depending on how literal you want to be.– David VogtOct 31, 2021 at 18:20
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1@David Vogt Well, I think I could have provided three dictionariy links all of which give a translation of "my bad" but I think that would have come across a bit snarky either.– RHaOct 31, 2021 at 20:26
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1@RHa - One such link is Wiktionary which does provide the translation mein Fehler. I think the main problem is the expectation that slang, idioms, and other figures of speech can be directly translated from one language to another; that's rarely the case. I brought this up in my answer to a similar question a few days ago.– RDBuryOct 31, 2021 at 21:28
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3Not a German speaker but "My bad," is a tremendously American phrase. For example, it is not used by English people, so using it in Britain makes Americans stand out like sore thumbs. I expect that using it in Germany would have a similar effect. Language is culture and culture is language; literal translations rarely work as intended.– James GeddesNov 1, 2021 at 10:01
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1@RHa You don't realise how damaging comments like this can be. For example, when I was first learning computer programming as a child, I asked a simple question on a forum and someone responded "Why don't you just learn Java?" I have not touched Java for years. Please think before you mount your keyboard warrior steed. Help kindly, or go away.– James GeddesNov 1, 2021 at 10:09
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2 Answers
The appropriate translation depends on the context. A literal translation would be:
Mein Fehler.
Meine Schuld.
Mea culpa.
If the phrase is used to acknowledge responsibility:
Das geht auf meine Kappe.
If the phrase is used as an apology:
Entschuldigung.
Tut mir leid.
Sorry.
answered Oct 31, 2021 at 18:42
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1Das geht auf meine Kappe is colloquial and should not be used in a formal setting. Nov 6, 2021 at 11:51
Given the different kinds of sorry, I've learned "es tut mir leid" as a sympathetic sort of sorry to mean essentially "my condolences" or expressing genuine regret or sorrow - most direct translation I've heard that helped me understand this is "it does me pain / it does me sorrow", whereas a quick "entschuldigung" is warranted when trying to get someone's attention in a casual setting or what you say when you've accidentally bumped into someone.
