German Filler Words That Make You Sound Natural (doch, mal, eben…)

Melanie
Sep 19
4 min read

Ever feel “correct” but not quite natural? These tiny words—mal, doch, eben, halt, eigentlich, schon, denn, ja—shape tone and make your German sound friendlier and more fluent. Think of them as tone controllers, not vocabulary you must translate.

How to use this guide

What it does — the vibe of the word
Say this — safe examples you can copy
Try it — a tiny real-life task
Avoid — common traps
Melanie’s note — my honest coaching tip

1) mal — softens small requests

What it does: Adds “just/quickly” feel; makes asks sound lighter.
Say this:
1. Können Sie mal schauen? (Could you take a quick look?)
2. Wart’ mal kurz. (Hang on a sec.)
Try it: Next time you ask for help at work, add mal + kurz:
Könntest du das mal kurz prüfen? (Could you take a quick look at this?)
Avoid: Formal emails. Use kurz instead: Könnten Sie kurz…

> Melanie’s note: If you’re shy about asking, mal is your friend. It makes the request feel small.

2) doch — friendly insistence / “come on”

What it does: Encourages, soft contradicts, or shows “we both know this.”
Say this:
1. Komm doch mit! (Come on, join us!)
2. Das ist doch klar. (That’s obvious.)
Try it: When inviting a colleague: Komm doch mit uns zum Mittagessen. (Come join us for lunch!)
Avoid: Complaints; it can sound snappy if overused.

> Melanie’s note: Smile when you say doch—your tone matters as much as the word.

3) eben — pragmatic “then we’ll just…”

What it does: Quick fix or resigned acceptance.
Say this:
1. Dann machen wir’s eben morgen. (We’ll just do it tomorrow.)
2. Ich drucke das eben aus. (I’ll quickly print that.)
Try it: Missed a bus? Dann nehme ich eben den nächsten. (Then I’ll just take the next one.)
Avoid: Overuse in serious contexts (it can sound too casual).

> Melanie’s note: eben sounds calm and solution-oriented—great at work.

4) halt — “that’s just how it is”

What it does: Shrug/acceptance, less constructive than eben.
Say this:
1. So ist das halt. (That’s just how it is.)
2. Wir müssen das halt neu machen. (We’ll just have to redo it.)
Try it: When plans change: Dann ist es halt so. (Then that’s just how it is.)
Avoid: Formal writing.

> Melanie’s note: If you want to sound more proactive, choose eben over halt.

5) eigentlich — gentle hedge

What it does: Softens questions/opinions (“actually / by the way”).
Say this:
1. Ich wollte eigentlich fragen…
2. Haben Sie eigentlich Zeit?
Try it: Start one question at work with eigentlich today. Gibt es eigentlich schon Feedback vom Kunden? (Do we have any client feedback yet?)
Avoid: Overusing in answers (can sound unsure).

> Melanie’s note: Great for being polite without sounding weak—use it once, not three times.

6) schon — reassurance or gentle contrast

What it does: “It’ll be fine” / “indeed, but…”
Say this:
1. Das wird schon. (It’ll be fine.)
2. Das ist schon richtig, aber… (True, but…)
Try it: Comfort a friend: Die Prüfung klappt schon. (It’ll work out with the exam.)
Avoid: Saying it when the other person needs facts, not comfort.

> Melanie’s note: Warm, supportive word—nice in teams and family life.

7) denn (in questions) — curious/friendly tone

What it does: Adds genuine interest or “so, then?” flavor.
Say this:
1. Was machen Sie denn hier?
2. Warum denn? (How come?)
Try it: In a follow-up question: Wie lange sind Sie denn schon hier? (So how long have you been here?)
Avoid: Mixing it up with “denn = because” in writing—that’s different.

> Melanie’s note: I use denn to sound less interrogative and more curious.

8) ja — shared knowledge / “as we both know”

What it does: Marks information as obvious or already known.
Say this:
1. Es ist ja schon spät. (It’s already late—as we see.)
2. Das wissen Sie ja. (You know that already.)
Try it: In a reminder: Der Termin ist ja morgen. (The appointment is (as you know) tomorrow.)
Avoid: With strangers about sensitive topics—it can feel patronizing.