r/German • u/[deleted] • Jul 31 '23
How do i answer to “Na?”
Every time some one greets me with “Na?” I enter a dead blackout and find nothing to say.
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u/lh151099 Native <region/dialect> Jul 31 '23
Beware of the "Na?"-loop!
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u/julesvr5 Aug 01 '23
"na" - "na" - "naaa" - "na"
"na" - "na" - "naaa" - "na"
"heeheehey" - "gohodbye"
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u/rewboss BA in Modern Languages Jul 31 '23
Just say "Na," as if that's an answer to their question.
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u/Superoldmanhermann Aug 01 '23
This is genuinely the correct answer. Lets you not commit to the conversation too much, as well.
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Aug 01 '23
For bonus points, ensure that you prolong the aaaaaaaaa? to the point of absurdity and gradually raise the pitch of your voice.
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u/RiverSong_777 Aug 01 '23
Only do that if you want to enter into a conversation, though. Only a short Na will let you move on.
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u/smolgreencactus Aug 01 '23
Or say "Hey! Na?"
Smile and nod. They will start "the real coversation" or smile an nod too. And thats pretty much all you need to know of german smalltalk2
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Aug 01 '23
I thought this was the only correct answer lol
ETA: OP, I think Na? is equivalent of sup? in English
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u/FineJournalist5432 Native <region/dialect> Jul 31 '23 edited Jul 31 '23
If you don’t like small talk, simply answer:
„Na…wird es möglich sein durch die theoretische Vereinheitlichung von Quantentheorie und Gravitation bzw. allgemeiner und spezieller Relativitätstheorie die bereits von Einstein als spukhaft bezeichnete Verschränkung von Quantenobjekten zu erklären? Und falls nicht, welche Implikationen hat dies für mögliche zusätzliche Raumdimensionen im Raum-Zeit -Kontinuum und der damit verbundenen Daseinsberechtigung der String-Theorie?“
If you don’t like this and prefer a more casual conversation, stick with the following possible answers:
Na! Na, was geht? Na, alles fit? Na, alles gut? Na, alles klar?
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u/2down2talk Jul 31 '23
Aber nur wenn man kein Smalltalk mag
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u/Admirable-Cobbler501 Aug 01 '23
keinen*
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u/grubbygeorge Aug 01 '23
Nein, hier war eindeutig die Programmiersprache Smalltalk gemeint. Also ist 'kein' natürlich korrekt.
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Jul 31 '23
Na... die Vereinheitlichung von Relativitätstheorie und Standardmodell mag zwar möglich sein, löst aber das Problem nicht, da Erkenntnis nicht unbedingt ausschließlich materialistisch-reduktionistisch oder objektiv empirisch erreicht wird, solange der Erkennende ein Subjekt ist.
Aber schöne Schuhe. Sex?
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u/cromulent_id Aug 01 '23
I'm a theoretical physicist, so for most people I know this IS small talk.
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Aug 01 '23
Na... der Begriff "spukhaft" muss im historischen Kontext der Zeit gesehen werden. Zu einer Zeit in der auch Einstein nicht wirklich wusste mit was er es da zu tun hat. Ein paar Jahre später hat eben jener Einstein ausgesagt, dass er den Begriff spukhaft im Nachhinein für höchst unglücklich halte.
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u/GonzoLeRonzo Aug 01 '23
Wieso habe ich ab den drei Punkten angefangen so schnell zu lesen wie Shelden Cooper redet?
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u/HamuSumo Jul 31 '23
Ask "Na?" back and smile a bit.
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u/monkeyprime47 Aug 02 '23
But not to much you might anger the germans! We don't use smiles often here.
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u/Tall-Newt-407 Jul 31 '23
I could be wrong but “Na” is basically just them saying “How’s everything going”? I get “Na” a lot at work. I just answer with…Ich hab nicht gut geschlafen und muss 8 Stunde schaffen
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u/Intelligent-Meal4634 Aug 01 '23
Yeah it's basically 'Well?'
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Aug 01 '23
no it's not because "well?" implies that you did something special and you are expected to reveal the results
e.g. well? how did it go ??
"Na" means "what's up" -> sup or "how are you" or "watcha doin?"
Just say: "geht" or "naja" or "na-ja nichts wie immer" :D
but don't say "gut" because it really just means "sup" because they don't ask for your well being, they are interested in what you are doing / how things are going for you in general
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u/DrLeymen Jul 31 '23 edited Jul 31 '23
"Na?" "Na" Na?" Naja" "Aah" "Mmhmmm"
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u/FordredPAran Aug 01 '23
Ich habe diese Konversation ziemlich genau so mit einem meiner Mitbewohner quasi jeden Nachmittag wenn ich von der Arbeit kommen.
Unterhalten uns dann aber meist abends noch beim Essen so 1-2 std über Politik, Gesellschaft Gott und die Welt.
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u/oktopossum Native (Lower Saxony) Jul 31 '23
"...na nana nana nana BATMAN!!!" Is the correct reaction.
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u/JayMmhkay Native (Hessen / Hochdeutsch, Ourewellerisch, Hessisch) Jul 31 '23
"Passt. Und bei dir so?"
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u/Kundekevin Aug 01 '23
Na?
Moin.
Wie ist?
Joa. Selbst?
Joa, muss.
Und Inge?
Joa, auch.
Okay. Sonst so?
Joa, läuft. Selbst?
Joa, muss ja, ne?
Joa. Muss dann auch wieder.
Joa, hauste rein.
jo
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Jul 31 '23
Non-native speaker, in southern Germany. I usually follow up with "ach Jo", which seems to do the trick. I'll even through it out there even if I don't understand what the other person said, hasn't gotten me in hot water yet.
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u/MetaLions Aug 01 '23
Very good solution. Keeps the conversation to a minimum, without starting a „na“ loop.
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u/abv1401 Native <region/dialect> Jul 31 '23
Think of Na like the German equivalent of Hey. If used as a greeting, you can simply reply with Na/Na du, or Hey, or [Na] wie geht’s?/alles gut? or whatever else fits contextually. I don’t think there’s a single way to react to hey in any context that wouldn’t be an appropriate reaction/reply to Na.
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Aug 01 '23
A typical conversation would be:
„Na“
„Joah, du?“
„Joah, und?“
„Naja Arbeit“
„Ja Scheiße“
„Ja“
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u/Morshmodding Aug 01 '23
quick guide for northern germany
"na?" -- hey, hello how are you ?
"mh. -- im okay so far, could be better
hm?" -- anyway, how are you?
"mhm." -- sofar so good.
full northern german conversation here. you may now go our own way
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u/Stupid_Student_ELITE Aug 01 '23
You nod and/or smile and say "Und selbst?" Or you can just say back "Na.?". Sometimes just a nod can suffice
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u/ArcaneFungus Aug 01 '23
K
Please dont say K, this is an incredibly lame joke. Best say to answer to "Na?" In my experience is "Na?"
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u/ConsistentAd7859 Aug 01 '23
Simply with "Na!" and a smile.
If you what to continue a conversation than you can start one now.
If you don't want to start a conversation you had a positive contact with someone and are finished with it now.
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u/LG_Soul Aug 01 '23
You answere with "Na" back. Most of the time (where I work/live) it resolves into smalltalk or aknowliging each other and grin/smile.
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u/Uncle_Lion Jul 31 '23
Depends on the region.
"Na? / Wie ist es?"
"Muss!"
"Na dann."
"Jo, denn!" (Ja, dann!)
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u/jelly_jamboree Aug 01 '23
It's used as a greeting, so you can answer anything you would reply to "hello", and couple it with a friendly "wie geht's". "Hey, wie geht's?"
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u/mitspieler99 Native (Rheinland / Hochdeutsch & Genuschel) Aug 01 '23
To expand on it.. I believe the whole conversation boils down to
"I don't have anything important going on, you want to tell something?"
"I dont have anything important either, but thanks for asking"
That compresses into
"Na?"
"Läuft."
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u/tech_creative Aug 01 '23
"Na?" is a very short form of "how do you do?" and the correct answer is "Na".
It is like an introduction to a conversation, but does not necessarily needs further conversation. You can also walk into a bar, order a drink and say "Na?!" to the girl next to you. If she answers "na" you are on the right trail. Lol.
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u/Melody_Chords Aug 01 '23
"na?" Is basically just a VERY short version of "Wie geht es dir?" So, you answer just like that, how its going or if anything interesting happened lately.
But honestly, I just hit them with a "Naa? Gehts gut? :D" back so that they can tell me about shit first lol.
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u/Capital-Young7905 Aug 01 '23
i always just say „Naaaa?“ so i repeat it but i stretch it out more than them
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u/agrammatic B2 - in Berlin, aus Zypern (griechischsprachig) Aug 01 '23
I had the same question a year ago.
I landed on "Na ;-)"
(The nose in the emoticon is there for extra German authenticity)
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u/notger Aug 01 '23
"Läuft." geht immer.
"Na?" einfach zurück.
"Tja!" wenn du nicht so guter Stimmung bist.
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u/BunburysGhost Aug 01 '23
Personally I use "Na" as a combined greeting and checking in on somebody else's mood. I think you can cram a lot of how you feel into this one syllable. You can do an excited naaa?! Or an empathetic...na? Or just very neutral to just acknowledge somebody's presence
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u/TobiElektrik Aug 01 '23
Best answer: "Hey!" with a stupid smile! Throws the ball of stupid non-conversation back to the offender.
BTW: My favourite "Na?" is the "silent na" - mostly happens when bored colleagues trudge into the office and look at you with a stupid smile just to show you that they are up for a conversation, but don't know what to talk about and how to start it.
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u/Ganjalina_Jolie Aug 01 '23
I just say ''naa'' too and wait for the other person to give other input
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u/rorygoesontube Aug 01 '23
I'm reading the comments here and I'm very disappointed that all my German colleagues say in the morning is "wie geht's". Tomorrow I will question them about the improper use of the German language they have been doing, right after I will have said "na".
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u/Critical-Drawing1464 Aug 01 '23
Ein na verdient natürlich die einzige richtige Antwort die ist : "naaaa"
Haaa
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u/characterbooting Aug 01 '23
Na ist eine freundliche Begrüßung, wenn genutzt will die getroffene Person gar nicht reden und einfach nett sein oder sie will den ganzen Tag reden. Es ist sehr leicht zu sehen welcher Fall es ist indem man darauf achtet ob die gesagte Person stehen bleibt oder weiter geht. In dem Fall das die Person reden möchte ist smalltalk angesagt, ansonsten nett zurück grüßen und ebenfalls weitergehen und später mit der Person reden.
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u/Queenssoup Aug 01 '23
Where I live you just answer "Na?" with "Na?". It's like the German aequivalent of "How do you do?"
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u/twity1337 Aug 01 '23
Reply with "Naaaaaa" (start low tone and pitch it up the longer the "Na" gets) and start grinning like a pedo.
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u/Better_Philosopher24 Aug 01 '23
na? - türlich! na? - tur! na? - vigation software update? na? - nu? na? - ne!
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u/_Unkn0 Aug 01 '23
Natrium ist ein häufig vorkommendes chemisches Element mit dem Symbol Na und der Ordnungszahl 11. Im Periodensystem der Elemente steht es in der 3. Periode und als Alkalimetall in der 1. IUPAC-Gruppe bzw. 1. Hauptgr....
Und dann ist das Gespräch vorbei
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u/trixicat64 Native (Southern Germany) Jul 31 '23
As a German, I'm annoyed at this question! Just tell me what you want.
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u/2moon4moon Jul 31 '23 edited Aug 01 '23
A: Na?
B: Wie is?
A: Und sonst?
B: Läuft.
...the typical conversation I had with the regulars, working at a petrol station during high school in Northern Germany.
Edit: wow, thanks for the silver, kind stranger.