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German Phrase

Ich hab' Mitleid mit denen.

/ɪç haːp ˈmɪtlaɪt mɪt ˈdeːnən/
Meaning"I feel sorry for them."
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Meaning

The speaker expresses empathy or pity toward a group of people that have suffered or are in an unfortunate situation. It conveys a feeling of compassion, not necessarily a desire to help.

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When to use

Use this phrase in informal conversation when you want to show that you feel sorry for someone’s misfortune – for example after hearing that a friend’s family lost their home, or that a colleague’s project failed.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Ichhab'Mitleidmitdenen

1

Ich

Personal pronoun, first‑person singular, nominative case – the subject of the sentence.

2

hab'

Colloquial contraction of the verb haben (ich habe). In spoken German the final –e is often dropped and replaced by an apostrophe.

3

Mitleid

Neuter noun meaning ‘pity’ or ‘sympathy’. When used with a person it normally takes the dative after the preposition mit.

4

mit

Preposition that always governs the dative case; here it links the feeling to the people you feel sorry for.

5

denen

Dative plural of the demonstrative pronoun die. It refers back to a previously mentioned group of people.

🗨In Conversation

A

Meine Nachbarn haben ihr Haus durch das Hochwasser verloren.

My neighbours lost their house in the flood.

Oh nein, das tut mir leid. Ich hab' Mitleid mit denen.

Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that. I feel sorry for them.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Ich habe Mitleid für sie.

    Mitleid is paired with the preposition mit, not für. ‘Ich habe Mitleid für sie’ is incorrect.

  • Ich hab' Mitleid mit sie.

    When referring back to a previously mentioned group, German prefers the dative pronoun denen instead of sie in this construction.

  • Ich hab Mitleid mit denen.

    In informal speech the apostrophe is used to mark the dropped -e (‘hab’). In formal writing you should write habe.

↔Alternatives

  • Ich fühle Mitleid mit ihnen.

    I feel pity for them.

  • Ich habe Mitgefühl für sie.

    I have compassion for them.

  • Ich empfinde Mitleid für sie.

    I experience pity for them.

de

Cultural Tip

In German, Mitleid can sound a bit condescending if used in a formal context; native speakers often prefer Mitgefühl or Sympathie to convey a more respectful empathy. The contraction hab' is typical of casual spoken German and should be avoided in written or formal speech.