irgendwo
somewhere
At an unspecified or not precisely known place.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe meine Brille irgendwo hingelegt und finde sie nicht mehr.
I put my glasses somewhere and can't find them anymore.
irgendwo
somewhere
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Meanings
irgendwo
somewhere around
Colloquial for 'approximately' or 'about' when referring to numbers or quantities.
EXAMPLE
Das wird dich irgendwo um die 100 Euro kosten.
That will cost you somewhere around 100 euros.
Usage tips
Word structure
The word consists of the prefix 'irgend-' and the adverb 'wo'. The prefix 'irgend-' adds a sense of indefiniteness to question words, so 'wo?' (where?) becomes 'irgendwo' (somewhere).
EXAMPLE
Weißt du, wo mein Schlüssel ist? Er muss irgendwo hier sein.
Do you know where my key is? It must be somewhere here.
Place or direction?
'Irgendwo' (somewhere) describes an unspecified place (position). To express movement to an unspecified place (direction), the ending '-hin' is added: 'irgendwohin' (to somewhere).
EXAMPLE
Meine Schlüssel liegen irgendwo auf dem Tisch.
My keys are lying somewhere on the table.
Register and context
The use of 'irgendwo' (somewhere around) in the sense of 'ungefähr' (approximately) is colloquial. It only works in connection with numbers, quantities, prices, or ages.
EXAMPLE
Das neue Smartphone kostet irgendwo zwischen 500 und 600 Euro.
The new smartphone costs somewhere between 500 and 600 euros.
Compare with
irgendwo vs etwa
about / approximately
Before an approximate number, etwa and irgendwo can both express an estimate. Etwa is the neutral standard choice, while irgendwo is more colloquial and usually sounds even vaguer. Use etwa for a clear, ordinary statement and irgendwo when you want to leave the approximate range deliberately loose.
irgendwo
Die Reparatur kostet irgendwo bei zweihundert Euro.
The repair will cost somewhere around two hundred euros.
etwa
Die Reparatur kostet etwa zweihundert Euro.
The repair will cost about two hundred euros.
In real life
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