/mɪt deːn ɡəˈdaŋkn̩ ˈvoːʔandɐs zaɪ̯n/ lit. ‘to be somewhere else with your thoughts’
German idiom, everyday. To be lost in thought and not paying attention.
Draft Not yet checked by a native German speaker.
How do people use Mit den Gedanken woanders sein
?
Neutral and everyday, used about pupils, drivers or anyone who missed the question: “Entschuldigung, ich war mit den Gedanken woanders.” “Ganz” (completely) is often added, and the possessive can change: “mit meinen Gedanken”.
Also said mit seinen Gedanken woanders sein, mit den Gedanken ganz woanders sein
Mit den Gedanken woanders sein
in real sentences
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Er ist mit seinen Gedanken woanders.
His mind is on other things.
Tatoeba, sentence by Tamy, translation by sundown, CC BY 2.0 FR
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Sie ist mit den Gedanken ganz woanders.
Her mind is elsewhere.
Tatoeba, sentence by mayok, translation by sundown, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Mit den Gedanken woanders sein
come from?
It says what it means: the body is here, the mind has wandered off. It isn’t a fixed idiom with a recorded history, and German Wiktionary has no entry for it.
Mistakes learners make with Mit den Gedanken woanders sein
Using “Gedanke” in the singular: it’s always plural, “mit den Gedanken”.
Other German idioms like Mit den Gedanken woanders sein
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