seinen Senf dazugeben
to put in one's two cents; to add one's (usually unwanted) opinion
Origin
Origin not entirely certain; probably from the 17th century: innkeepers served mustard with almost every dish - whether wanted or not - which was as intrusive as unsolicited advice. Alternatively, the 'sharpness' of mustard transfers to biting verbal contributions.
Building blocks
Words in this expression
Grammar that uses this word
- Pronoun 'er' (he/it, nominative)Pronomen 'er' (Nominativ)
- Regular verbs: er/sie/es-form (stem + -t)Regelmäßige Verben: er/sie/es-Form (Stamm + -t)
- Modal verb 'müssen' (must/have to)Modalverb 'müssen'
- Modal verb 'dürfen' (to be allowed to)Modalverb 'dürfen'
Examples
Zu jedem muss er seinen dazugeben.
He absolutely has to put in his two cents on every topic.