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German word of the day: Augenblick

Sarah Magill
Sarah Magill - [email protected]
German word of the day: Augenblick

It’ll only take a second to learn this German word.

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Why do I need to know Augenblick?

Because it’s commonly used in spoken German to signify a very short space of time.

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What does it mean?

Der Augenblick is a compound noun made up of the word for “eye” (das Auge) and “view” (der Blick) to mean “moment”.

Its use can be traced all the way back to the 13th century when the Middle High German word ougenblick was used to mean "very short period of time".

To help you remember Augenblick, you can think of the phrase “the blink of an eye”, which sounds similar, and is also used to express a brief timeframe.

You’ll most commonly hear Augenblick in the context of waiting in modern German. For example, if you’re waiting to speak to a customer service worker in a shop or on the phone, they might say: Einen Augenblick, bitte – “One moment, please!”.

While more generally used to talk about short bursts of time, Augenblick can also be used to refer to the present moment, in the same way people use "at the moment"  or "currently" in English. For example, you might hear people say things like: 

Im Augenblick bin ich wirklich glücklich

I'm really happy at the moment

Other examples of how to use Augenblick:

Kreditkarten werden im Augenblick nicht akzeptiert

Credit cards are not accepted at the moment

Im Augenblick ist er nicht mein Hauptproblem

He's not my main concern at the moment

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