German Phrase
Ziemlich gut, ich war wandern.
Meaning
The speaker says they’re doing ‘quite well’ and adds that they went hiking. It’s a friendly, informal way to answer a question about how you’re feeling or what you’ve been up to.
When to use
Use this sentence after someone asks ‘Wie geht’s?’ or ‘Was hast du heute gemacht?’ when you want to give a brief status update and mention a recent outdoor activity.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Ziemlichgut,ichwarwandern.
Ziemlich (adverb)
Used to mean ‘quite’ or ‘rather’, it modifies adjectives like ‘gut’ to soften or moderate the statement.
gut (adjective)
A basic adjective meaning ‘good’; in this context it describes the speaker’s current state.
war + infinitive (past activity)
‘war wandern’ uses the preterite of ‘sein’ + infinitive to describe a past activity, a colloquial way to say ‘went hiking’.
Comma usage
A comma separates the short answer from the explanatory clause, which is common in spoken German.
🗨In Conversation
Wie geht's?
How are you?
Ziemlich gut, ich war wandern.
Pretty good, I went hiking.
✕Common Mistakes
Ziemlich gut, ich war gewandert.
‘Wandern’ is not used with the perfect auxiliary ‘haben’; the correct perfect form is ‘ich bin gewandert’. Using ‘gewandert’ with ‘war’ is ungrammatical.
Ziemlich sehr gut, ich war wandern.
‘Ziemlich’ already moderates the adjective; pairing it with ‘sehr’ is redundant and sounds unnatural.
Ziemlich gut, ich bin wandern.
When using the verb ‘wandern’ as a main verb in the past, you need the preterite of ‘sein’ (war) or the perfect ‘bin gewandert’, not ‘bin wandern’.
↔Alternatives
Ganz gut, ich habe gewandert.
Quite well, I hiked.
Mir geht es gut, ich war heute wandern.
I’m doing well, I went hiking today.
Sehr gut, ich war am Wandern.
Very well, I was hiking.
Cultural Tip
Hiking (Wandern) is a beloved pastime in German‑speaking countries, especially in the Alps, the Black Forest and the Harz. When you talk about a short stroll you’d say ‘spazieren gehen’, but for longer, trail‑based hikes you use ‘wandern’. Mentioning a hike in conversation often signals that you enjoy nature and can be a good ice‑breaker with locals.