was er

what he

→ was
phrase Very common #517
what he Used to introduce a clause about what a male person does, thinks, says, or has done.
GE: Ich weiß nicht, was er will.
EN: I don't know what he wants.

Ich sagte ihm, was er zu tun hatte.

I told him what he had to do.

Ich frage mich, wo Tom jetzt ist und was er wohl tut.

I wonder where Tom is now and what he might be doing.

Aus diesem Grund ist aus ihm auch das geworden, was er heute ist.

That is why he has become what he is today.

— Red Cliff (2008)

Dein Mörder wird dafür büßen, was er dir angetan hat.

Your murderer will pay for what he did to you.

— I Saw the Devil (2010)

Tom war sich unsicher, was er sagen sollte.

Tom was unsure what to say.

Und alles Übrige, was er für angebracht hält.

And anything else he considers appropriate.

Ich möchte, dass Sie mit ihm genau dasselbe machen, was er mit Ihnen vorhatte.

I want you to do exactly the same thing to him that he intended to do to you.

— Inception (2010)

Ich wusste bereits, was er sagen würde.

I already knew what he was going to say.

Was er mit uns gemacht hat.

What he did to us.

— Kevin - Allein zu Haus (1990)

Aber die Großmutter merkte was er im Sinn hatte.

But the grandmother realized what he was up to.

Tom hat zurückgezahlt, was er uns schuldet.

Tom has paid back what he owes us.

Frag ihn, was er trinken will.

Ask him what he wants to drink.

Sie fragte sich, wo Sam steckte und was er wohl gerade tat.

She wondered where Sam was and what he was doing.

Tom erzählte Maria, was er getan hatte.

Tom told Maria what he had done.

Er hat alles verloren, was er besaß.

He lost everything he owned.

Er erklärte detailliert, was er gesehen hatte.

He explained in detail what he had seen.

Tom möchte nicht, dass ich sehe, was er gerade macht.

Tom doesn't want me to see what he's doing right now.

Und dass Daddy tun muss, was er zu tun hat, für die Menschen, die er liebt.

And that Daddy has to do what he has to do for the people he loves.

— Mystic River (2003)

Aber es gibt eines, was er nicht ändern kann.

But there is one thing he cannot change.

— In ihren Augen (2009)

Glaubt er tatsächlich, was er da sagt?

Does he really believe what he’s saying?

Finde raus, was er mit Mister Oh zu tun hat.

Find out what he has to do with Mr. Oh.

— The Man from Nowhere (2010)

Was er wohl hat?

I wonder what’s wrong with him?

Was er auch denken mag, ich habe nichts falsch gemacht.

Whatever he may think, I did nothing wrong.

Was er da sagt, hat keinen Sinn.

What he's saying makes no sense.

Er wußte, was er ihr sagen würde.

He knew what he would say to her.

Ich gab Tom, was er verlangte.

I gave Tom what he asked for.

Er hat endlich das erreicht, was er erreichen wollte.

He has finally achieved what he wanted to achieve.

Ich ging in Toms Zimmer, um herauszufinden, was er gerade tat.

I went into Tom's room to find out what he was doing.

Sag mir sofort, wer das war und was er hier gesucht hat!

Tell me immediately who that was and what he was doing here!

Wir können Tom nicht zu etwas zwingen, was er nicht will.

We can't force Tom to do something he doesn't want to do.

Tom verriet niemandem, was er kurz davor war zu tun.

Tom didn't tell anyone what he had been about to do.

Fragt Tom, was er gemacht hat.

Ask Tom what he did.

Tom braucht nichts zu tun, was er nicht tun möchte.

Tom doesn't have to do anything he doesn't want to do.

Er ist ein ganz bescheidener Mensch, trotz allem was er geschaffen hat.

He is a very humble person, despite everything he has accomplished.

Tom erklärte im Detail, was er gesehen hatte.

Tom explained in detail what he had seen.

Er hat ausprobiert, was er bei anderen gelernt hat.

He tried out what he had learned from others.

— Y Tu Mama Tambien - Lust for Life (2001)

Was er seinem Willen nicht unterwerfen kann, ist die Sprache.

What he cannot subject to his will is language.

Mario ist alt genug, um zu entscheiden, was er tun muss.

Mario is old enough to decide what he needs to do.

— Lohn der Angst (1953)

Er tat, was er verkündet hatte.

He did what he had announced.

Ist es wahr, was er uns erzählt?

Is what he’s telling us true?

Tom hat gesagt, er wird mal etwas ausprobieren, was er noch nie zuvor getan hat.

Tom said he was going to try something he had never done before.

Tom wird klar, was er zu tun hat.

Tom realizes what he has to do.

Was er auch tut, das tut er gut.

Whatever he does, he does well.

Was er geopfert hat, ist immens.

What he has sacrificed is immense.

— Interstellar (2014)

Er versuchte, nicht darüber nachzudenken, was er gerade getan hatte.

He tried not to think about what he had just done.

Er sucht bei anderen, was er bei sich selbst nicht finden kann.

He looks for in others what he cannot find in himself.

Er hatte es nicht öffentlich gemacht, was er dort entdeckt hat.

He hadn't made public what he had discovered there.

Begreifst du, was er da vorgelesen hat?

Do you understand what he read aloud?

— Die Frau die singt - Incendies (2010)

Tom macht, was er gerne tut.

Tom does what he loves to do.

Tom weiß jetzt, was er zu tun hat.

Tom now knows what he has to do.

Tom will erst mit allem fertig werden, was er gerade tut.

Tom wants to finish everything he’s doing right now first.

Ich möchte, dass Tom mir sagt, was er damit gemeint hat.

I want Tom to tell me what he meant by that.

Machen Sie, was er Ihnen sagt.

Do what he tells you.

Schenke dem keine Beachtung, was er dir sagt!

Pay no attention to what he tells you!

Mach, was er dir sagt.

Do what he tells you.

Was er wirklich wollte, war Zeit für sich.

What he really wanted was time for himself.

Was er alles konnte, war erstaunlich.

What he could do was astonishing.

Fragen wir den Alten, was er mit Jimmy vorhat.

Let's ask the old man what he plans to do with Jimmy.

— 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026)

Der Arme weiß gar nicht, was er hier soll.

The poor man doesn't even know what he's doing here.

— The Long Walk - Todesmarsch (2025)

Hoffen wir, dass Fischer gefällt, was er darin findet.

Let's hope Fischer likes what he finds in it.

— Inception (2010)

Ich ging in Toms Zimmer, um herauszufinden, was er gerade machte.

I went into Tom's room to find out what he was doing.

Zeitungen, Magazine und was er in die Finger bekommt.

Newspapers, magazines, and anything else he can get his hands on.

— Your Name. - Gestern, heute und für immer (2016)

Ich muss mit Tom über das sprechen, was er, wie er sagte, vorhabe.

I need to talk to Tom about what he said he was planning to do.

Ich hoffe, dass Tom nichts macht, was er nicht soll.

I hope Tom doesn’t do anything he’s not supposed to.

Jeder muss einen Bericht darüber schreiben, was er gesehen hat.

Everyone has to write a report about what they saw.

Tom fragt sich, was er als nächstes tun soll.

Tom wonders what to do next.

Er nahm zurück, was er über sie gesagt hatte.

He took back what he had said about her.

Aber jetzt erst wird mir wahrlich klar, was er damit gemeint hat.

But only now do I truly understand what he meant.

— Ratatouille (2007)

Ich fragte Tom, was er gerade las.

I asked Tom what he was reading.

Was er zu sagen versucht ist einfach zu verstehen.

What he is trying to say is easy to understand.

Tom wird klar, was er verloren hat.

Tom realizes what he has lost.

Später fragte sie, was er wolle.

Later she asked what he wanted.

— Volver - Zurückkehren (2006)

Was er auch sagte, er lügt.

Whatever he said, he is lying.

— Suzume (2022)

Ich möchte, dass du mir erzählst, was er zu dir sagte.

I want you to tell me what he said to you.

— Der Postmann (1994)

Erstens habe ich nichts gesagt, was er nicht schon wusste.

First of all, I didn’t say anything he didn’t already know.

— The Teachers' Lounge (2023)

Tom fragte Mary, was er als Nächstes tun sollte.

Tom asked Mary what he should do next.

Was er da vorhin mit dem Fisch gesagt hat, wo war das wohl?

Where did he say something about the fish earlier?

— The Return - Die Rückkehr (2003)

Er könnte uns verraten, was er wirklich filmen wollte.

He could tell us what he really wanted to film.

— Blow Out - Der Tod löscht alle Spuren (1981)

Ich komme nicht dahinter, was er wirklich will.

I can't figure out what he really wants.

Dann begriff er, was er gesagt hatte.

Then he realized what he had said.

Er hat sich alles geliehen, was er kriegen konnte.

He borrowed everything he could get his hands on.

Tom war außerstande, sich zu erinnern, was er zum Frühstück gegessen hatte.

Tom was unable to remember what he had eaten for breakfast.

Dann musst du das machen, was er gemacht hätte!

Then you have to do what he would have done!

— Manons Rache (1986)

Finde heraus, was er für ein Mensch ist!

Find out what kind of person he is!

Also tat ich, was er gesagt hatte.

So I did what he had said.

Du hast gesehen, was er beim Casting gemacht hat.

You saw what he did at the audition.

— Und dann der Regen (2011)

„ Der Typ nimmt, was er kriegen kann “, sagte Maria.

“The guy takes what he can get,” said Maria.

Frag Tom, was er von Boston hält.

Ask Tom what he thinks of Boston.

Tom meinte, dass er nicht so recht wisse, was er kaufen solle.

Tom said that he wasn't really sure what he should buy.

Der Schulleiter hatte aufgeschrieben, was er sagen wollte.

The principal had written down what he wanted to say.

Wieso war er so sicher, dass dir gelingt, was er nicht geschafft hatte?

Why was he so sure that you would succeed where he had failed?

— Hero (2002)

Ihm war völlig bewusst, was er da tat.

He was fully aware of what he was doing.

— Star Trek II - Der Zorn des Khan (1982)

Tom wusste nicht mehr, was er eigentlich sagen wollte.

Tom no longer knew what he actually wanted to say.