Exclamatory Sentences

Interjections are short words or sounds that immediately signal an emotion like surprise, pain, or joy. They often appear at the very beginning of an utterance and can stand alone or be followed by a sentence. Common interjections include ach, oh, aua, hui and wow.

Exclamatory sentences often invert the normal word order to place emphasis on the feeling rather than on the subject. Inversions typically put the verb first, followed by the adverb or adjective, and sometimes the subject comes last. This word order gives the sentence a punchier, more dramatic tone.

The construction Wie + adjective or adverb is a very natural way to make an exclamation about quality, amount, or intensity. It draws attention to the property being described and is commonly used in spoken German. You can follow the adjective with a noun phrase or let it stand alone.

Use Was für ein(e) + noun to highlight a striking example or type of thing. This formula is great for showing admiration, disbelief, or even scorn depending on tone and context. Remember to match the gender and number when choosing ein, eine, or other determiners.

In exclamatory sentences that end with a noun phrase, paying attention to adjective endings helps keep the sentence natural and grammatically correct. The adjective must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun, and whether there is an article affects the ending. This detail supports clear and polished expressions.

Intensifiers like so, doch, ja, voll, and wirklich boost the strength of an adjective or adverb and make an exclamation feel more vivid and personal. They often appear before the descriptive word and can change the nuance from neutral to emphatic, ironic, or delighted. Using intensifiers lets you tune the emotion finely.

Exclamatory sentences in German rely on interjections, word order changes, and set constructions like Wie + adjective and Was für ein(e) + noun to convey strong feeling. Paying attention to adjective endings and using intensifiers can make your exclamations sound natural and vivid. Practice these patterns in context to capture the right tone for surprise, admiration, anger, or delight.