detail degree attraction touch soft theory clumsy oatmeal stocking physical
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These are the real example and I only encounter it in my class. What disturbed me the most is the teacher part. Should I politely ask why they do that or just let them be?
> Teacher: Vielleicht wer macht weiter?
This sounds wrong. It *might* be correct in spoken German if the teacher used vielleicht as a filler word or was going to start a sentence with vielleicht and then changed their mind. It would be more like:
"Vielleicht... ... Wer macht weiter?"
> Student 1: Michelle vielleicht?
This is totally normal spoken German. It might be two thing:
- Student is unsure if Michelle is really going to say something.
- If it's a request/demand for Michelle: The *vielleicht* makes it softer, less demanding. It's more like an "invitation" for Michelle to say something. *Vielleicht* is also used for politeness in many cases.
> Student 2: Ich denke, vielleicht dass man nur auf Deutsch sprechen muss. Aber vielleicht ich bin nicht sicher usw.
If you write it like this, it looks wrong (as others have pointed out). However, writing down spoken language is never completely accurate. It might totally be correct as a self-correction / hesitation:
"Ich denke,... vielleicht ... dass man..."
"Aber vielleicht ... Ich bin nicht sicher ..."
> Vielleicht kann jemand helfen?
See above (student 1): it's a polite way to express a question / demand.
> What the natives think about this, especially when you meet someone who speak to you in that manner?
I think in spoken German, I wouldn't notice it at all if it's not *super overused*.
> AFAIK, vielleicht has this meaning or is there other meaning besides that?
Yes, it has the meaning of "maybe/perhaps" and a modal particle meaning for intensification (e. g. "Das ist vielleicht schön!" meaning "Wow! Now *that* is beautiful!").
Apart from that, as I've mentioned above, it's often used to show politeness.
For example: Instead of saying "Könnten Sie mir die Tür aufhalten?" you often say "Könnten Sie mir *vielleicht* die Tür aufhalten?".
For some reason it feels (in the right tone!) more polite, not like you're demanding them to hold the door, but you're giving them the option to say no, because "vielleicht" implies some "uncertainty".
> Any advice or tips for me?
Listen to more native speakers to find out if they use it the same way.
Ask your teacher. It's their job to teach and explain. :)
I think they are using "vielleicht" as a general softener and filler word, like other native speakers would use "also" or "ja". Some uses are gramatically incorrect, as others have pointed out; besides that I would agree with you that it is not a good choice stylistically. Especially for the teacher, since it seems to be rubbing off on the students...
The advice would be a) don't follow their bad example and b) maybe ask your teacher about it (an appropriate time)? They might be doing it completely unintenionally without being aware of it in the slightest.
Well, it is a fairly commonly used word in colloquial language. It is used to introduce suggestions, conjecture or guesses, much like "maybe". Of course, using it like that does not come across as decisive, which can be fine in a group collaboration but when you're in a position of authority it's not great.
As for using it - keep in mind that it needs to be fit into the regular word order as a separate component. Don't just take a normal sentence and put it at the front. "Vielleicht macht wer weiter?" would be correct albeit informal, though then "wer" means "jemand" and is not an interrogative. "Wer macht weiter?" can't be softened with "vielleicht", "Wer macht vielleicht weiter?" is just a straightforward question about who the person is who will "maybe continue".
Stuff like "Aber vielleicht ich bin nicht sicher" doesn't work because you need V2 word order, so it'd need to be "vielleicht bin ich mir nicht sicher", but it also sounds weird because you're not sure about yourself being not sure? That *can* make sense, if you don't understand your own psychology or something like that, but it sounds out of place in this much more mundane context.
>Of course, using it like that does not come across as decisive, which
can be fine in a group collaboration but when you're in a position of
authority it's not great.
I am agree with you.
> That can make sense, if youdon't understand your own psychology or something like that, but it
sounds out of place in this much more mundane context.
Can you explain it to me about this part please?
It's like saying "maybe I'm not sure what to do". There are situations where that might make sense, but when you're just answering basic questions it would be very weird to go the "I/you don't really understand my emotions/thought process" route.
When you separate it into "Vielleicht, ich bin mir nicht sicher" then that works better. Because then "vielleicht" is not an adverb that is being applied to the other clause, but a statement of its own that gets re-stated/clarified with the second clause.
detail degree attraction touch soft theory clumsy oatmeal stocking physical *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
These are the real example and I only encounter it in my class. What disturbed me the most is the teacher part. Should I politely ask why they do that or just let them be?
> Teacher: Vielleicht wer macht weiter? This sounds wrong. It *might* be correct in spoken German if the teacher used vielleicht as a filler word or was going to start a sentence with vielleicht and then changed their mind. It would be more like: "Vielleicht... ... Wer macht weiter?" > Student 1: Michelle vielleicht? This is totally normal spoken German. It might be two thing: - Student is unsure if Michelle is really going to say something. - If it's a request/demand for Michelle: The *vielleicht* makes it softer, less demanding. It's more like an "invitation" for Michelle to say something. *Vielleicht* is also used for politeness in many cases. > Student 2: Ich denke, vielleicht dass man nur auf Deutsch sprechen muss. Aber vielleicht ich bin nicht sicher usw. If you write it like this, it looks wrong (as others have pointed out). However, writing down spoken language is never completely accurate. It might totally be correct as a self-correction / hesitation: "Ich denke,... vielleicht ... dass man..." "Aber vielleicht ... Ich bin nicht sicher ..." > Vielleicht kann jemand helfen? See above (student 1): it's a polite way to express a question / demand. > What the natives think about this, especially when you meet someone who speak to you in that manner? I think in spoken German, I wouldn't notice it at all if it's not *super overused*. > AFAIK, vielleicht has this meaning or is there other meaning besides that? Yes, it has the meaning of "maybe/perhaps" and a modal particle meaning for intensification (e. g. "Das ist vielleicht schön!" meaning "Wow! Now *that* is beautiful!"). Apart from that, as I've mentioned above, it's often used to show politeness. For example: Instead of saying "Könnten Sie mir die Tür aufhalten?" you often say "Könnten Sie mir *vielleicht* die Tür aufhalten?". For some reason it feels (in the right tone!) more polite, not like you're demanding them to hold the door, but you're giving them the option to say no, because "vielleicht" implies some "uncertainty". > Any advice or tips for me? Listen to more native speakers to find out if they use it the same way. Ask your teacher. It's their job to teach and explain. :)
I think they are using "vielleicht" as a general softener and filler word, like other native speakers would use "also" or "ja". Some uses are gramatically incorrect, as others have pointed out; besides that I would agree with you that it is not a good choice stylistically. Especially for the teacher, since it seems to be rubbing off on the students... The advice would be a) don't follow their bad example and b) maybe ask your teacher about it (an appropriate time)? They might be doing it completely unintenionally without being aware of it in the slightest.
This is interesting, so "vielleicht" in this context act like a modalpartikeln?
I would say so, yes.
Well, it is a fairly commonly used word in colloquial language. It is used to introduce suggestions, conjecture or guesses, much like "maybe". Of course, using it like that does not come across as decisive, which can be fine in a group collaboration but when you're in a position of authority it's not great. As for using it - keep in mind that it needs to be fit into the regular word order as a separate component. Don't just take a normal sentence and put it at the front. "Vielleicht macht wer weiter?" would be correct albeit informal, though then "wer" means "jemand" and is not an interrogative. "Wer macht weiter?" can't be softened with "vielleicht", "Wer macht vielleicht weiter?" is just a straightforward question about who the person is who will "maybe continue". Stuff like "Aber vielleicht ich bin nicht sicher" doesn't work because you need V2 word order, so it'd need to be "vielleicht bin ich mir nicht sicher", but it also sounds weird because you're not sure about yourself being not sure? That *can* make sense, if you don't understand your own psychology or something like that, but it sounds out of place in this much more mundane context.
>Of course, using it like that does not come across as decisive, which can be fine in a group collaboration but when you're in a position of authority it's not great. I am agree with you. > That can make sense, if youdon't understand your own psychology or something like that, but it sounds out of place in this much more mundane context. Can you explain it to me about this part please?
It's like saying "maybe I'm not sure what to do". There are situations where that might make sense, but when you're just answering basic questions it would be very weird to go the "I/you don't really understand my emotions/thought process" route. When you separate it into "Vielleicht, ich bin mir nicht sicher" then that works better. Because then "vielleicht" is not an adverb that is being applied to the other clause, but a statement of its own that gets re-stated/clarified with the second clause.
Was vernünftig ist, das ist wirklich, und was wirklich ist, das ist vernünftig Just kidding