Breakdown of Das Lächeln war mir irgendwie vertraut.
sein
to be
mir
me / to me (dative)
irgendwie
somehow
das Lächeln
the smile
vertraut
familiar
Questions & Answers about Das Lächeln war mir irgendwie vertraut.
Why is the dative pronoun mir used here instead of the accusative mich?
The adjective vertraut (familiar) is one of a special group of German adjectives that require a dative object. Just like in English where something is familiar to someone, in German, that relationship is expressed using the dative case. Therefore, "familiar to me" translates to mir vertraut.
Is the noun Lächeln related to the verb lächeln (to smile)?
Yes! Das Lächeln (the smile) is a noun formed directly from the infinitive of the verb lächeln. In German, you can turn any infinitive verb into a noun. When you do this, it is always capitalized and always takes the neuter article das.
How do you break down the word irgendwie?
irgendwie translates to "somehow." The prefix irgend- is incredibly useful in German: you can attach it to question words to add the meaning of "some-" or "any-". Here it combines with wie (how) to make "somehow." You will also see it in words like irgendwann (sometime) and irgendwo (somewhere).
Could I change the word order and say "Das Lächeln war vertraut mir irgendwie"?
No, that would sound wrong in German. Pronouns like mir usually like to sit as close to the conjugated verb (war) as possible. Meanwhile, the adjective that describes the subject (vertraut) acts a bit like a verb prefix or a past participle here—it gets pushed all the way to the end of the clause.
Learn Das Lächeln war mir irgendwie vertraut and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free