Emphasizing with so ein-
When visiting a pretentious coffee shop, you might find yourself needing to complain about the absurd concepts and outrageous prices. In spoken German, the colloquial phrase so ein- (such a) is the perfect way to express strong emphasis or exasperation.
The word so never changes. The word ein- declines exactly like a regular indefinite article for gender and case. Any adjectives that follow it take standard mixed adjective endings (for example, -er for a masculine nominative noun, or -es for a neuter accusative noun).
| He is such an outrageous barista! | Er ist so ein unverschämter Barista! |
| The café has such an absurd concept. | Das Café hat so ein absurdes Konzept. |
Exclamations of Disbelief
You do not always need an adjective to express strong feelings. You can pair so ein- directly with a noun as an exclamation to emphasize your frustration or shock.
| Such madness, the oat milk costs five euros! | So ein Wahnsinn, die Hafermilch kostet fünf Euro! |
| Ten euros for a tea? Such madness! | Zehn Euro für einen Tee? So ein Wahnsinn! |
Accusative and Feminine Forms
Because ein- acts just like a normal indefinite article, remember to use so einen for masculine nouns in the accusative case (like the object of a sentence or after the preposition für).
| I would not pay for such a tiny sip. | Ich würde für so einen winzigen Schluck nicht bezahlen. |
Likewise, for feminine nouns in the nominative or accusative cases, use so eine. The following adjective takes the standard -e ending.
| The café has such a cold atmosphere. | Das Café hat so eine kalte Atmosphäre. |
| They have such an absurd menu here! | Sie haben hier so eine absurde Speisekarte! |
