Egal

Egal is a German word that functions as an adjective and adverb. In contemporary usage its primary meaning is “not important” or “indifferent,” conveying that something does not matter to the speaker. It is often translated as “I don’t care” or “whatever.” Examples: Es ist mir egal. Mir ist egal, welche Farbe du wählst. As a standalone reply, Egal can express nonchalance.

Egal also appears in the conjunctional phrase egal ob, meaning “whether or not” or “regardless of.” Example: Egal ob Regen oder Schnee, wir gehen. In this sense it introduces a conditional or concessive idea and is common in spoken German.

Usage and nuance: Egal is widespread in informal speech across German-speaking regions and is understood in formal contexts, though it is more typical in everyday conversation. It is roughly synonymous with gleichgültig or belanglos in the sense of indifference; however, egal is more casual and emphatic. It is important to note that for mathematical equality German uses gleich, not egal.

Etymology and related terms: The term is native to the German language and has a long presence in its folklore and everyday speech. Related concepts include Gleichgültigkeit (indifference) and Belanglosigkeit (insignificance), which express related but more formal nuances of not mattering or being irrelevant.