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For example, in English:

P1: Can you keep this suitcase for me for an hour?
P2: Okay.

Or in the case of confirmation of information processed by the receiving person of the dialogue:

P1: I need the book now.
P2: Okay.

Do Germans use Okay or OK or what is the equivalent in those scenarios?

And considering the K in German sounds different, if OK is used, then how is it pronounced? Oh-kah? Also, if it is used at all, then where is the appropriate setting to use it (colloquially, professionally, etc.)?

Jan
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Kim Ngo
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6 Answers6

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Yes, German uses Ok, too, and the usage is very similar to its English counterpart — to the point where I wouldn’t be able to tell you any diverging usage off the top of my head. It is usually spelt out okay.

The pronunciation is not, however, /o:ka:/ as might have been expected from the pronunciation of the letters O and K. Two pronunciations exist and I would be hesitant to say either is superiour over the other:

  • /o:kɛɪ/ — basically pronouncing the K in an English way

  • /o:ke:/ — which might lead to an alternate spelling oke(e).

I wouldn’t use okay in very formal settings, in which I would consider it nigh unacceptable. However, in practically all other contexts — colloquial, casual professional, etc — I would consider it fine.

Jan
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    The formal settings must indeed be very formal for okay not being acceptable. Like an appointment with The Queen or The Pope or similar unique persons and/or circumstances. And Darth Vader wouldn't accept it either. :-) – PerlDuck Oct 26 '16 at 19:54
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    Also encountered, semi-ironic /o:kaɪ̯/ and shortened /kɛɪ/ or /ke:/ ⟨k⟩, even sometimes reduplicated as /ke'ke:/. Almost equivalent gestures are and , whereas is not understood. It can be inflected as an adjective informally, okaye/-r/-s/-n/-m. – Crissov Oct 26 '16 at 22:38
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    Like in English, it all depends on how it is said. Like in English, it doesn't necessarily mean yes, depending on how it was said. – gnasher729 Oct 27 '16 at 08:32
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    Do you have sources for "It is usually spelt out okay"? In my personal experience it is almost exclusively spelt "OK" - for which I, sadly, do not have a source... – I'm with Monica Oct 27 '16 at 10:23
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    Just a short note, sometimes the o is dropped and simply "k" ("kay") is said. This is especially popular with youths. In written texts (SMS, WhatApp), sometimes "kk" is used instead of "ok" or "k". – Polygnome Oct 27 '16 at 10:36
  • @AlexanderKosubek No sources; it’s just my personal experience. – Jan Oct 27 '16 at 11:31
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    Same people say oki or okidoki – Iris Oct 27 '16 at 11:31
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    Never saw the alternate spelling oke(e) -- appears to be "original research". Also: disagree about the setting, just like PerlDuck. – hiergiltdiestfu Oct 27 '16 at 12:12
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    @Crissov: I'd be careful with the second gesture (index finger and thumb together to form an O); here in Germany, that can also mean "a..hole". – O. R. Mapper Oct 27 '16 at 13:05
  • It should be noted that there are a few strange people in German speaking countries who consider the word "OK" rude and respectless. Anyway, it's usually safe to use. – Erich Kitzmüller Oct 27 '16 at 14:00
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    Und mein Physiklehrer sagte "Ohkai", weil er das in Südengland so gehört hatte. – user unknown Oct 28 '16 at 06:21
  • The issue with OK in formal settings is simply that it's very imprecise. It can mean anything between "that's the best thing ever" and "whatever you say...". Also, it's a filler word. – MauganRa Oct 28 '16 at 12:08
8

We (Germans) use and pronounce it the same way as English speakers do it. But just like in English we also have different terms to express agreement:

  • sicher — sure
  • natürlich/klar — of course

A simple Ja — Yes is also common.

PerlDuck
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    Jawohl/Jawoll is also used sometimes, though clicking your heels while saying it is mostly frowned upon nowadays ;-) – microtherion Oct 26 '16 at 21:25
  • Makes me wonder, is the na in na sicher, na klar and na ja related to natürlich? – Crissov Oct 26 '16 at 22:27
  • When would you use genau? Similar as "OK"? – BruceWayne Oct 27 '16 at 02:21
  • Where does "stimmt" fit into the picture? – Roamer-1888 Oct 27 '16 at 05:13
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    @Crissov, na is not related to natürlich, cf. na denn? but natürlich denn? is complete gibberish; It is a flavoring particle. The comparison is very vague, but consider it roughly similar to how English speakers use well (which can also be a particle): Well, yes! / Well, sure. / Well, what [do you mean]? – errantlinguist Oct 27 '16 at 08:03
  • @microtherion, I've never heard a German native speaker use jawohl in a way which is not sarcastic/ironic, so I'd be careful about using that word... but then, I only very rarely interact with Germanophones over the age of 40, so my view may be skewed. – errantlinguist Oct 27 '16 at 08:12
  • I've heard at least one waiter use jawohl (in BW). Pretty sure it wasn't sarcastic ... but I too would avoid using it myself (in case people thought I was taking the piss). – Martin Bonner supports Monica Oct 27 '16 at 09:10
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    My teachers would often say "Alles klar?" with the expected response being either "Alles klar." or "OK" or "klar" if things were going well. Is that a habit that a german trying to teach english pupils has developed or is it a common phrase in some regions of Germany too? I think once of the assistants did use to use "OK?" for a similar purpose too and it almost fits your answer. – TafT Oct 27 '16 at 13:34
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    @BruceWayne "genau" in German is "exactly" in English. It can also be an affirmative answer like in "You don't eat fish?" — "Exactly." ("Du isst keinen Fisch?" — "Genau."). We wouldn't say "OK" here but merely "Ja/Genau/Richtig/Stimmt" ("Yes/Exactly/Right/True"). It's just like in English. – PerlDuck Oct 27 '16 at 18:41
  • @Roamer-1888 "stimmt" is like "true" or "right" and can be used as in my preceeding comment. Actually it boils down to "You can use OK in German whenever you can use it in English". – PerlDuck Oct 27 '16 at 20:17
  • @PerlDuck, it's interesting that you don't include "OK" in the list "Ja/Genau/Richtig/Stimmt". English speakers certainly would include it, ie "Yes/Exactly/Right/True/OK". – Roamer-1888 Oct 27 '16 at 22:51
  • @Crissov as errantlinguist said, it is a particle, an interjection. Funnily enough you could hear greetings being done exclusively with that particle: "1: na? 2: na" (where normally the "a" in "na" is elongated so that it is like "naah"). This exchange would mean "1: hi, how are you? 2: hi, fine thanks" Note that I've heard this in Berlin, so it might be dialectal/local usage. – dave_alcarin Oct 28 '16 at 08:50
  • @errantlinguist: "Jawohl" (instead of just "ja") can make it clearer you have heard, and understood. ("Ja" is "quieter", and more easily overheard.) Especially in noisy environments, or over distances. That is the reason why the German army insists on "jawohl" instead of "ja" to confirm an order. While certainly... strange... in a casual conversation at the dinner table, "jawohl" is not that uncommon where you have to shout your answer. The colloquial "jau" serves a similar purpose in northern Germany, as does lengthening the "ja" ("ja-ha!"). (Consider "nine" / "niner".) – DevSolar Oct 28 '16 at 09:24
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    @Roamer-1888, as an American English native, OK is not an intelligible response to Do you not eat fish?... – errantlinguist Oct 28 '16 at 09:28
  • @DevSolar, on second thought, I have heard people in service situations say something like "Jawohl!" and, while not exactly sarcastic, it came off to me (albeit as a non-native speaker) as someone trying to consciously act "extra" chipper in a humorous fashion (i.e. "Yes, I'm an absolute schnitzel-and-beer-serving machine!"). Still, it is definitely more audible. – errantlinguist Oct 28 '16 at 09:33
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    @errantlinguist, my point wasn't well considered. I totally agree that "OK" makes little sense, maybe none, as a response to "you don't eat fish?", and not a commonly appropriate response to questions in general. I think I was seduced by "you don't eat fish?" being a statement used as an interrogative, a form that I seldom if ever use. On reflection, what I should have said is that "OK" can be added to the list "Yes/Exactly/Right/True" as a candidate affirmative or ambiguous response to a statement. – Roamer-1888 Oct 28 '16 at 12:24
2

It doesn't really matter what you say, it's almost the same. Okay can sometimes be taken sarcastic but not for foreigner. So don't worry.
The pronunciation for OK is "Oh keh", so just the letters; and for okay it is the English okay.

Em1
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Oktoberfest
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You can use: ok; klar; Alles klar; kein Problem; kein Thema (like "kein Problem, but more colloquial) ^^

Dru
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I have been in Germany for 5 months now(Frankfurt and Berlin). I have noticed that though they understand Okay, the usage is very minimal. Most often I use Okay as a normal English speaker, but it sounds a bit out of place in Germany when I speak in German.

For the first scenario, the most probable response would be

P1: Can you keep this suitcase for me for an hour?

P2: Ja, gerne.

And for the second scenario, it would be "Okay" and then something like "I will give it" etc.

Iris
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The usage of your examples would be considered as a bit "cold" way to answer. You would usually answer in a more ensuring way like "yes, of course".

So if you ask a German "how do you like it?" and he or she replies "it's ok" its not good but also not too bad.

A more common way to to use it in German is in questions, i.e.: "Is it ok if I put my suitcase over here?" – "Yeah, sure!"

The correct form to use it in German is "ok" or "OK". The expression is actually German. It's an acronym for "ohne Korrektur" (no corrections). It was an office terminology for business people to sign the letters their secretaries wrote. So if the letter was fine, you would say: It is "ok" (without corrections) and therefore can be sent out.

That's why its considered as a more technically term.

Maximilian Becker
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    The certain etymology of OK is unknown. "ohne Korrektur" is one of many proposed theories: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_proposed_etymologies_of_OK – Iris Oct 28 '16 at 09:13
  • I don’t trust that etymology. If it is true, why is okay considered as coming from English? Why does it end up getting pronounced okee rather than okah? – Jan Oct 28 '16 at 11:05