Newbie german speaker here (A2 level). To keep this brief, I find it hard to pinpoint what function does exactly the word "doch" have in a sentence. Does "doch" have any meaning by itself? In what cases is it appropriate to use it?
Help much appreciated!
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Anonymous2012-05-18 13:34
It is mainly used to negate negations.
this may sound odd but it's hard to phrase it.
we'll have to work with examples here, as there's no english equivalent.
e.g.
"this can't be!"
"yes it can.!"
would translate to:
"Das kann nicht sein!"
"doch, kann es."
See, if you contradict someone in this fashion you employ 'doch'.
Yet, that is not all there is to it.
In statements where you've been very certain of your opinion but are suddenly brought to doubt it:
"Das kann doch nicht sein!"
(this could sound like a last scream from an evil overlord as he perishes)
sometimes 'doch' comes along with 'aber'
"Aber das kann doch nicht sein!"
or in questions:
"Das ist doch so, oder nicht?"
TL->"that's how it is, isn't it?"
you expect yes as response.
or in propositions and suggestions:
"Das kann doch auch so sein."
->"It could also be like this."
it's used if you want to suggest something that has not yet been thought of.
As for translation and understanding:
-'doch' can be used to contradict a negative statement
-The other meanings just change the notion of the phrase, not the meaning. Also it is always deeply rooted in the context, so figuring out what it means will be guessing work but shouldn't be a problem.