Word
Tee oder Kaffee? Das ist mir egal.
Meaning
Tea or coffee? I don't mind.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Tee oder Kaffee? Das ist mir egal.
sein
to be
der Kaffee
the coffee
der Tee
the tea
mir
me / to me (dative)
Questions & Answers about Tee oder Kaffee? Das ist mir egal.
Why is mir used here instead of ich or mich?
The phrase Das ist mir egal literally translates to "That is equal to me." In German, when a state or condition applies to someone, you often use the dative case. mir is the dative form of ich, acting just like "to me" in English.
What does egal actually mean?
On its own, egal means "equal" or "identical". In everyday German, it is mostly used in this exact phrase to mean "all the same" or "doesn't matter".
Is Das ist mir egal polite or rude?
It depends entirely on your tone of voice! In this sentence about tea and coffee, it is a friendly "I don't mind either way." But if you say it sharply in an argument, it translates to a blunt "I don't care!"