What does ja do/mean here exactly?
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It’s what they call a modal particle: 9 Mighty Modal Particles to Give Your German Conversations Some Kick | FluentU German
There’s a bunch of them in German. “Ja” is a very common one, it’s used to strengthen a statement. The exact translation will vary depending on how it’s used, but it’s typically going to mean something like “very” or “certainly” or “definitely”:
Du hast keine Ahnung = you have no idea
Du hast ja keine Ahnung = you have absolutely no idea!
Du siehst glĂĽcklich aus = you look happy
Du siehst ja glĂĽcklich aus = you certainly look happy!
Das ist ein schickes Auto = that’s a cool car
Das ist ja ein schickes Auto = that’s a really cool car!
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