# tja

tja is a German interjection meaning “well”.

## Meanings

1. well, hmm
   - Was schlägst du vor? — Tja, ich schlage vor, dass wir ins Kino gehen. — What do you suggest? — Well, I suggest that we go to the movies.
2. Used to express acceptance of one's misfortune; oh well, welp
   - Tja! Das war wohl nichts... — Oh well! That didn’t work out as planned...
3. Used as an unsympathetic response to someone else's misfortune, implying it was predictable or is otherwise simply to be accepted; tough luck
   - Tja, wenn er will, dass ich mich darum kümmere, dann hätte er sich rechtzeitig bei mir melden müssen. — Tough luck, if he wants me to take care of it, he should have reached out to me in good time.

## Examples

- Tja, so ist das leider. — Well, that's unfortunately how it is.
- Tja, du hast die nun mal gewählt. — Well, you voted for 'em.
- Tja, wer hätte das gedacht! — Well, now, who would have thought it?
- Tja, sie ist meine Frau. — Well, she's my wife.
- Tja... Er ist jetzt an einen besseren Ort gegangen. — Well... he's gone to a better place now.

---
Sources: Meanings and forms from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR).
URL: https://wordwide.space/de-en/wort/tja