German word

sowas

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈzoːvas/

Meaning

  • pronounsomething like that

Example

Ich habe sowas noch nie gesehen.

I've never seen anything like that before.

Illustration for sowas (something like that)

More examples

Ich würde jemandem sowas niemals sagen.

I would never say something like that to anyone.

Core concept

A speaker gestures toward an unspecified thing, leaving its exact identity deliberately blurred.

Common phrases

  • jemandem sowas sagen

    tell someone something like that

  • auf sowas reagieren

    react to something like that

Similar words

so etwas: A thing or event referred to as belonging to a certain kind.
so was: A relaxed spoken reference to an unspecified thing or event.
etwas: Something unspecified in identity, nature, or amount.

Definition in German

Kurzform von 'so etwas' im gesprochenen Deutsch, die für vage oder nicht näher benannte Dinge steht.

Word origin

Sowas is the colloquial reduced form of so etwas, combining so with etwas meaning 'something'.

Usage tips

  • Sowas is common in speech and casual writing, while so etwas is the safer form in formal writing.

Other meanings

  • such a thingpronoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word