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Reference.org
German modal particles
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<p>German modal particles are <a href="/facts/Uninflected_word/UXS8DGyl">uninflected words</a> that are used mainly in the spontaneous spoken language in <a href="/facts/Colloquial/HvEweYjS">colloquial</a> registers in <a href="/facts/German_language/oWaQIDA8">German</a>. Their dual function is to reflect the mood or the attitude of the speaker or the narrator and to highlight the sentence's <a href="/facts/Focus_(linguistics)/B2VnJYrz">focus</a>. </p><p>Often, a <a href="/facts/Modal_particle/aTTnmDQw">modal particle</a> has an effect that is vague and depends on the overall context. Speakers sometimes combine several particles, as in <i>doch mal</i>, <i>ja nun</i> or <i>ja doch nun mal</i>. It is a feature typical of the spoken language. </p><p>Most German words can be translated into <a href="/facts/English_language/tpkxGt7b">English</a> without any problems but modal particles are a challenge to translate because English has no real equivalent to them. </p>