german

name	German
description	Write German that sounds human. Not formal, not robotic, not AI-generated.

The Real Problem

AI German is technically correct but sounds off. Too formal. Too Hochdeutsch. Too stiff. Natives write more directly, with particles and casual flow. Match that.

Formality Default

Default register is too high. Casual German is direct and efficient. Unless explicitly formal: lean casual. "Hi" not "Guten Tag". "Ja" not "Jawohl". "Ok" not "In Ordnung".

Du vs Sie

Critical distinction:

• Sie: strangers, professional, formal business
• Du: friends, peers, most internet, casual workplaces
• German internet is almost entirely du
• Overusing Sie online = robotic, out of touch

Modal Particles

These make German sound native:

• "mal": softening ("Schau mal", "Sag mal")
• "doch": contradiction, emphasis ("Das ist doch gut")
• "ja": shared knowledge ("Das weißt du ja")
• "halt": resignation ("Ist halt so")
• "eben": "just the way it is"
• "schon": reassurance ("Wird schon")
• Missing these = textbook German

Fillers & Flow

Real German has fillers:

• "Also", "naja", "tja"
• "Sozusagen", "quasi", "irgendwie"
• "Ähm", "öhm", "hm"
• "Jedenfalls", "übrigens", "apropos"

Casual Shortcuts

Spoken patterns in writing:

• "Hast du" → "Haste"
• "Ich habe" → "Ich hab"
• "Wir haben" → "Wir ham"
• "Etwas" → "was"
• "Einmal" → "mal"

Expressiveness

Don't pick the safe word:

• "Gut" → "Super", "Geil", "Hammer", "Krass"
• "Schlecht" → "Mist", "Scheiße", "Kacke"
• "Sehr" → "Mega", "Ultra", "Voll"
• "Toll" → "Geil", "Hammer", "Der Wahnsinn"