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German · The Basics

Verdammt!

fair-DAMT · /fɛɐ̯ˈdamt/

Damn! / Damn it!

2/5 Bar-safe

coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances

Literally

"Damned / condemned"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

The straight-up "damn" — religious in origin (to be damned to hell), now purely an intensifier. Perfectly bar-safe. Stacks endlessly: "verdammt gut" (damn good), "so eine verdammte Frechheit" (what damned cheek). For the full frustrated aria, see "Verdammt nochmal."

Heard in the wild

Verdammt, das tut weh!

Damn, that hurts!

Where it lands

Germany, Austria, Switzerland — universal

Quick answers

What does "Verdammt!" mean?
In German, "Verdammt!" means "Damn! / Damn it!". Literally it's "Damned / condemned". The straight-up "damn" — religious in origin (to be damned to hell), now purely an intensifier. Perfectly bar-safe. Stacks endlessly: "verdammt gut" (damn good), "so eine verdammte Frechheit" (what damned cheek). For the full frustrated aria, see "Verdammt nochmal."
Is "Verdammt!" offensive?
It's on the mild end — 2/5 (Bar-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances.
How do you pronounce "Verdammt!"?
Say it "fair-DAMT" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: fɛɐ̯ˈdamt.

Related in German

Scheiße! SHY-suh Shit! / Damn! — the all-purpose German expletive Mist! MIST Crap! / Rats! — the family-friendly 'damn' Verdammt nochmal! fair-DAMT NOCH-mahl God damn it! / For crying out loud! Halt die Klappe! HALT dee KLAP-uh Shut your trap! / Shut up! Hau ab! HOW AP Get lost! / Clear off! / Beat it! Verdammte Scheiße! fair-DAM-tuh SHY-suh God-damn shit! / Bloody hell!

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Damn".

how to say "Damn" →

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