“Unbedingt” – simply explained
Many learners are unsure: “What does ‘unbedingt’ actually mean, and how do you use it?”
The short answer: “unbedingt” means “definitely / really / absolutely”.
But be careful: it is almost always used with two verbs:
- a modal verb – müssen (must / have to) or wollen (want to)
- plus a main verb.
Without these verbs, it’s wrong:
❌ Das ist unbedingt.
❌ Ich unbedingt gehe.
✅ Ich muss unbedingt noch die E-Mail schreiben. → I absolutely have to write the email.
✅ Ich will das unbedingt probieren. Das schmeckt super gut! → I definitely want to try that. It looks delicious!
✅ Ich muss jetzt unbedingt gehen. Es ist schon echt spät. → I really must go now. It’s already really late.
Typical mistakes with “unbedingt”
Many learners make these mistakes:
- They use unbedingt without a verb: “Das ist unbedingt.”
- They put it in the wrong place in the sentence: “Ich unbedingt gehe.”
- They don’t know that it works best with müssen or wollen.
“Unbedingt” in the meaning of “definitely / absolutely”
Unbedingt emphasizes how important something is. It means: definitely / without exception / there is no other option.
It’s very common in everyday life and makes sentences stronger.
6 everyday examples with “unbedingt”
- Ich muss unbedingt heute meine Hausaufgaben machen.
→ I absolutely have to do my homework today. - Du musst das unbedingt probieren. Das schmeckt super gut!
→ You really must try this. It tastes amazing! - Wir müssen unbedingt einkaufen gehen.
→ We definitely have to go shopping. - Ihr müsst unbedingt zum Arzt gehen.
→ You really must go to the doctor. - Ich muss unbedingt noch die E-Mail schreiben.
→ I absolutely have to write the email. - Ich muss unbedingt pünktlich sein.
→ I must absolutely be on time.
Mini exercise: Where is “unbedingt” correct?
- Ich unbedingt gehe zur Schule.
- Das ist unbedingt.
- Ich unbedingt will nach Berlin fahren.
- Wir machen unbedingt morgen ein Picknick.
- Ich unbedingt jetzt gehen. Es ist schon viel zu spät.
Solutions:
- Ich muss unbedingt zur Schule gehen.
→ I absolutely have to go to school. - Du musst das unbedingt machen.
→ You definitely have to do that. - Ich muss unbedingt nach Berlin fahren.
→ I absolutely have to go to Berlin. - Wir müssen unbedingt morgen ein Picknick machen.
→ We really must have a picnic tomorrow. - Ich muss jetzt unbedingt gehen. Es ist schon viel zu spät.
→ I really must go now. It’s already far too late.
Learning “unbedingt” – an important step for your German
If you want to speak German fluently, you must unbedingt learn how to use unbedingt 😉 – and just as important: you must learn the articles 😉.
👉 Read our blog post about the rules of the articles – with the article test!!
👉 Here you learn everything about the Article-Rules – incl. article test!! (Blogpost is in German)
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