"As if!" in German

Question

An English informal idiom "As if." means "I very much doubt it."

For example,
"You know how lottery winners always say it won't change their lives? Yeah, as if!"

Is there a German alternative to it?

I thought about "als ob", but it would take many hours to check if it's true with my level of German.

Answer 1

"Als ob!" is the correct translation and - at least among my acquaintances - in use.

There are alternatives which can be used in the same or similar context with differences in whether the event is real but unbelievable or giving cause for strong astonishment, could be real but unbelievable or highly surprising, or is wished to be real: like "Schön wär's!", "von wegen!" or the idiom "Wer's glaubt, wird selig!".

Yet... every online dictionary unanimously gives "als ob" as translation:

• https://www.dict.cc/?s=as+if
• https://dict.leo.org/englisch-deutsch/als%20ob
• https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-german/as-if-as-though?q=as+if

Answer 2

Just a supplement to planetmaker's answer:

Some other phrases that can be used in this context are

• ach komm
• ach was
• Das glaubst Du doch selbst nicht

In Bavaria some people say

• ach geh (of course pronounced in dialect)

and in Hesse

• geh fort (also in dialect).