I’ve gotten several questions on formspring about the word “Ferien” (vacation; holiday). People were wondering what the singular of “die Ferien” is, since they could only find the plural version.

That’s because “die Ferien” is always plural.

If you want to use it in the singular you will have to add another noun like “der Tag” -> der Ferientag. Only then it’s clear you mean one day of vacation. Other possibilities would be “die Ferienwoche” (vacation week) or “der Feiertag” for “public holiday”.

“eben” can also be used in the sense of exactly or precisely.

Example:

Eben daran hatte ich nie gedacht! -> That’s the only thing I hadn’t thought of!

As an adverb of time, eben means “just now”. In this case, “gerade” is an alternative.

Example:

Ich bin gerade / eben angekommen. -> I’ve arrived just now.

As an adjective, “eben” translates to “even” / “level” / “flat”.

“eben” usually expresses confirmation that something else is the case or that there’s no alternative.

Examples:

Ich kann nichts machen. Ich bin eben so! -> I can’t help it. That’s (just) how I am!

(Dann) geh eben früh schlafen! -> Well, just go to sleep early!

You will hear sentences like the following often in colloquial German - especially among young people: 

“Ich hab gestern voll Scheiße gebaut.” 

“Als ich jung war, habe ich viel Scheiße gebaut.”

 ”Scheiße bauen” (lit: to build shit) is a regular verb.

It means “to make mistakes”. Very often it refers to stuff done in the past like “I took drugs / got drunk a lot etc.”, “I was involved in criminal activities”, “I didn’t pay attention at school and received bad grades” etc.

But you can also use it for recent events. “Ich habe Scheiße gebaut. Ich habe deine CD kaputt gemacht. Es tut mir leid.” (I fucked up. I broke your CD. I’m sorry.)

The English equivalent is: “to fuck up” “to mess up” etc.

You can also add “doch” to emphasize the urgency of a wish!

Example: Wenn ich doch Millionär wäre! -> If only I was a millionaire!

…. As you can see, doch has many faces! It’s a frequent word and it’s probably one of the most difficult ones, too. You may find it hard to use it right at first but with a growing understanding and feeling for German, you’ll get better at it - I promise!

Last but not least, “doch” is used a lot to contradict a negative reply. You don’t have to add anything else, just a short “doch” is enough ;)

Schmeckt es dir nicht? - Doch! -> Don’t you like the food? - Yes, I do.

Hast du das nicht verstanden? - Doch! -> Didn’t you understand it? -> Yes, I did.

“doch” is also used a lot in commands. Sometimes it adds a note of impatience/urgency (by adding “immer” or “endlich” you can make it more clear), sometimes it makes the command sound more like an encouragement (by adding “mal” or “ruhig” you can make it more clear)!

Examples:

Reg dich doch nicht (immer) so auf! -> For heaven’s sake, don’t get so upset!

Freu dich doch (endlich)! -> Do cheer up!

Komm doch (ruhig) morgen vorbei! -> Why not drop by tomorrow?

Lass mich doch (mal) schauen! -> Why don’t you let me take a look?

Sometimes, “doch” can turn a statement into a question. A positive answer is expected then. In those cases, “doch” is the equivalent of a following “oder?” or “nicht wahr?”.

Examples:

Du kommst doch morgen (, oder/nicht wahr)? = You’re coming over tomorrow (, aren’t you)?

Ich kann dich doch anrufen (, oder/nicht wahr)? = I can give you a call (, can’t I)?

In w-questions (e.g. Warum? Wo? Wann?…), adding a “doch” means that you want repetition of an information.

Examples:

Wie heißt dein Freund doch gleich? -> What did you say your boyfriend’s name is again?

Was war das doch? -> What was that again?

I bet you’ve already stumbled upon the little German word “doch” and didn’t know how to translate it. Am I right? Well… the English language doesn’t really have an equivalent for it. That’s why it gives people a hard time. And that’s why I’d like to try and tell you more about its usage. I’m splitting the posts into different parts, because there’s a lot to say - so keep an eye out for more!

doch: In general, it expresses contradiction or disagreement (usually). Persuasion can be more stressed if you add a doch. Also, it can appeal for agreement or confirmation.

Examples:

Ich habe doch recht gehabt. -> (Nevertheless) I was right!

Wieso gehst du nicht schlafen? Du musst morgen doch früh aufstehen! -> Why don’t you go to bed? You have to get up early tomorrow?