“Schau ma mal.” – The Viennese art of committing to absolutely nothing

Some people say yes. Others say no. And then there’s Vienna. Here, for situations where one prefers not to decide yet, a much more elegant answer has been found: “Schau ma mal.”

Two words that sound friendly, offer hope, and yet create no obligation whatsoever. Because “Schau ma mal” can mean: Maybe. Generally, gladly. Probably not. Ask me again later. Or even: We both know that will never happen, but why spoil the mood now with an unpleasant rejection?

Perhaps “Schau ma mal” is therefore less an idiom than a small Viennese philosophy of life: Why commit today when you can still see tomorrow?

What does “Schau ma mal” actually mean?

“Schau ma mal” is the Austrian-Viennese form of “Schauen wir mal” (Let’s see) and means “We’ll see,” “Maybe,” or “Let’s wait and see,” depending on the situation. As often in Vienna, the tone, context, and relationship between people are crucial.

“Shall we go out for dinner next week?”

“Ja, schau ma mal!” (Yes, we’ll see!)

Quite possible.

“Are you coming running with me at six in the morning on Sunday?”

“Schau ma mal.” (We’ll see.)

Unlikely.

And if “Schau ma mal” is pronounced particularly slowly, it might be advisable not to make a reservation just yet.

The politest way to avoid saying no

A direct no has something unpleasantly final about it. The matter is decided, the door is closed, and the other person might even want to know why.

“Schau ma mal” saves you all of that.

The door remains open. Perhaps only a crack, but technically it’s open. You don’t have to agree or disagree, and you can elegantly delegate the final decision to your future self.

If the plan actually happens, you were always open to it. If it’s never mentioned again, you didn’t promise anything.

From a communicative perspective, that’s quite efficient.

The tone of voice determines your chances

As with “Na eh,” “Geh bitte,” and many other Austrian expressions, the actual meaning is often less in the words themselves than in their pronunciation.

An interested “Ja, schau ma mal!” can express genuine openness. A drawn-out “Schaau ma mal …” already sounds much more cautious. The short, emotionless “Schau ma mal.”, on the other hand, is a good reason to keep your expectations modest.

A useful rule of thumb is: The more enthusiastically you present your proposal, and the less enthusiastically the “Schau ma mal” comes back, the less likely the shared future of that plan will be.

“Wird scho” – Optimism the Austrian way

Closely related to “Schau ma mal” is another classic:

“Wird scho.”

Two words that can be both reassuring and astonishingly uninformative.

“Do you think it will work?”

“Wird scho.” (It will be fine.)

Why?

Unclear.

How?

We’ll see.

Is there a plan?

Not necessarily.

Nevertheless, “Wird scho” contains a special kind of optimism. Not the euphoric “Everything will be amazing!”, but the much more sober Austrian conviction that things will somehow work out.

And if not, well, it wasn’t meant to be.

“Meld ma uns” – a plan that isn't one yet

At the end of a meeting, another classic often comes up:

“Meld ma uns.”

In standard German: We’ll get in touch.

Who gets in touch, when that happens, and what exactly should happen afterward, remains open for now.

That is precisely the beauty of this phrase. Both parties leave with the pleasant feeling of having already arranged a future meeting, although they have actually only agreed to perhaps talk about a meeting sometime.

Of course, “Meld ma uns” can be completely serious.

Whether it was, you’ll find out later.

Or not.

“Das geht sich schon aus” – Trust without reliable basis

Hardly any sentence sounds more Austrian than “Das geht sich schon aus.” This means that something will work out or be sufficient in terms of time, space, or organization.

The train leaves in twenty minutes and you’re still having coffee?

“Geht sich aus.” (It'll work out.)

The deadline is tomorrow and about half is missing?

“Geht sich schon aus.” (It'll be fine.)

Whether this assessment is based on careful analysis is not necessarily relevant. The small “schon” (already) takes on an astonishing part of the responsibility.

It will work.

Probably.

Schau ma mal.

“Passt eh” – when enthusiasm doesn't need to be exaggerated

“Passt eh” also belongs to this linguistic family. To outsiders, it sometimes sounds like a rather mediocre judgment. In Austria, it can mean that everything is perfectly fine.

“How was the hotel?”

“Passt eh.” (It was fine.)

Was it good?

Yes.

Very good?

Possibly.

Why doesn’t it sound like it then?

Because not every satisfying experience needs to be an emotional grand event.

Austrian enthusiasm likes to work with reduced volume.

Is “Schau ma mal” a polite refusal?

Sometimes yes. But not always.

That’s exactly what makes the expression so practical and at the same time so dangerous. “Schau ma mal” can mean honest interest if someone genuinely doesn’t yet know if a plan will work. But it can just as easily be a soft refusal, avoiding a direct no.

The difference usually doesn't show up at the moment of the conversation, but afterwards.

If a concrete date is suggested, the interest was probably genuine.

If you never hear anything about it again?

Well.

Then you have an answer now too.

Why does “Schau ma mal” fit Vienna so well?

Perhaps because Vienna already has a slightly tense relationship with exaggerated euphoria. Grand promises quickly seem suspicious. A bit of skepticism, a little distance, and the possibility of changing one’s mind later feel much more comfortable.

But there’s also something endearing behind it: Not everything in life has to be decided immediately. You can leave things open, await developments, and accept that you might not even know today what you feel like doing next week.

“Schau ma mal” can therefore be non-committal.

But also serenity.

Can visitors to Vienna say “Schau ma mal”?

Na eh. (Of course.)

The expression is uncomplicated and understood. The only difficulty is using it as casually as people who have been saying it for years.

As with Viennese Schmäh, the rule is: don't try too hard. Listening is enough. The moment will come on its own anyway.

Someone suggests something that you would fundamentally like. You don't want to say yes or no. In fact, you don't even know exactly what you want.

And suddenly you say:

“Ja… schau ma mal.” (Yes… we’ll see.)

Then you have learned a very important Viennese lesson.

Not every question needs an immediate decision. Not every plan needs a fixed date, and not every “maybe” has to become a “yes” eventually.

Is that a particularly good philosophy of life?

Schau ma mal. (We’ll see.)