- Forum >
- Topic: German >
- "for example"
"for example"
Translation:zum Beispiel
5 Comments
1760
I looked it up in "dict.leo.org" online dictionary. "etwa" is not completely wrong. Etwa usually means "approximately", but when you are giving an example you might use it like "such as". It is very unusual, normally I'd use "zum Beispiel"
Ich habe Angst vor großen Raubtieren, wie etwa Bären oder Wölfen. I am afraid of big predators, such as bears or wolves.
Ich habe Angst vor großen Raubtieren, wie zum Beispiel vor Bären odr Wölfen
It is good to use in the beginning of sentences in connection with question words or "wenn/falls". For example:
"Wenn etwa ein Blitz einen Strommast fällt, dann sind sie zur Stelle." = "If for example a thunderstrike fells a utility pole, then they will be on the spot."
"Wer etwa seine Pizza gern vor dem Fernseher isst, kann sie sich bei uns bestellen." = "For example, whoever likes to eat their pizza in front of the tv(/If someone for example likes to eat their pizza in front of the tv), they can order it from us."
"Wie etwa ... schon sagte, [quote]." = "As (for example) ... said, [quote]."
It fits better into the flow of the sentence than the long "zum Beispiel". And it feels more like a particle, as you can omit it without destroying the sentence. It just adds this "just an example" feeling. You could compare it to the colloquial usage of "like". But "etwa" is very formal in this sense so they don't translate very good.
I hope I could be of help.