Context: I’m missing a cutting board. So I wrote in our telegram family group: “Wo ist eigentlich unser zweites großes Schneidebrett hin?” (literally: “Where is actually our second big cuttingboard thither?”).
By using the modal particle “eigentlich” I insinuate that something is oddly off and express an emotional state of curiousity and/or mild discontent.
By adding “hin”, I notify that I ask because it is not where it is supposed to be and not because I don’t know where it should be.
Now I ask myself, how would I express this additional information in English?
Edit: Thank you all for your answers! I learned a lot. Just our cutting board is still gone, and probably enjoying it’s freedom somewhere … I suppose.
“Where is actually our second big cuttingboard thither?"
I lol’d
“Eigentlich” here would be “by the way” because it’s used to express curiosity in a marginalised way. “wo ist… hin” is “where has… gone (to)”
So a more literal translation including the undertones would be “By the way, where has our big cutting board gone?”