German Phrase
Mir geht's ein bisschen mies.
Meaning
Literally, "It goes to me a little crappy," this colloquial phrase means "I'm feeling a bit down/under the weather." It conveys a mild, informal sense of not feeling great, without sounding overly dramatic.
When to use
Use this phrase in casual conversation with friends, family, or peers when you want to express that you’re not feeling your best. It’s too informal for business meetings, formal emails, or when speaking to strangers you’d address with "Sie".
✦Grammar Breakdown
Mirgeht'seinbisschenmies
Dative pronoun "Mir"
"Mir" is the dative form of "ich" used with impersonal verbs like "gehen" to express how something feels to the speaker.
Impersonal construction "geht's"
"geht's" is a contraction of "geht es"; the verb "gehen" is used impersonally to describe a state ("es geht" = "it goes").
"ein bisschen" as a mild intensifier
Literally "a little", it softens the adjective that follows, making the statement less strong.
Adjective "mies"
"mies" means "bad, lousy, crappy" and is commonly used colloquially to describe feeling unwell or down.
🗨In Conversation
Wie geht's dir?
How are you?
Mir geht's ein bisschen mies.
I'm feeling a bit crappy.
✕Common Mistakes
Mir geht ein bisschen mies.
The verb needs the dummy subject "es"; the correct contraction is "geht's" (geht es).
Mir geht's ein bisschen mieses.
"Mies" is an indeclinable adjective in this idiom; it does not take an ending.
Mir geht's ein bisschen mieser.
Do not add comparative endings; the phrase stays in the base form.
↔Alternatives
Mir geht es nicht so gut.
I'm not feeling so well.
Ich fühle mich etwas schlecht.
I feel a bit bad.
Ich bin ein wenig niedergeschlagen.
I'm a little down.
Cultural Tip
The phrase is distinctly informal and carries a slightly slangy tone. Germans often use "mir geht's ..." to talk about their physical or emotional state in everyday chat. In a formal setting, switch to "Mir geht es nicht so gut" or "Ich fühle mich nicht gut" to keep the register appropriate.