A fun look at the meaning of "schieben" and what delaying has to do with a drawer and deportations.
Words we'll learn:
schieben, abschieben, aufschieben, der Schub, die Schublade, verschieben,...
By: Emanuel|71 Comments| Updated:
January 14, 2026
Hello everyone,
and welcome to our German Word of the Day. This time we’ll have a look at another random, boring verb that you’ll never use and its super lame cousins. On the edge of your seat yet? Perfect :) . Then let’s dive right in and talk about
schieben
Schieben is related to the English word to shove. They both come from the same root as words like shoot, shut, shun, scootor shuttle: the mega turbo uber kind of ancient root *skeub-which meant as much as making something move quickly by applying a force from behind. So … it’s kind of what I do with the interns, when I kick their lazy ass for being on Facebook all day. Hmmm… I wonder if the Indo-Europeans had lazy interns too. Like… some Intern-Europeans… meh, anyways. Seriously though… the core of the root was probably just broad idea of to (make) move quickly. But this whole notion of a pushing force (as opposed to pulling) was definitely in there very early on and it’s totally part of words like shove or shoot.
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Word of the Day – “schieben” - Key Questions
'schieben' means a slow, steady push or slide of something across a surface. It's related to English 'shove' but 'schieben' is a much slower, controlled movement. Think for instance of pushing a fridge, a book or a glass across a table across the room.
'drücken' is about the pressure you apply. 'schieben' is about the moving of something by means of pressure.
Aufschieben most often means to procrastinate — to keep putting something off. In official contexts it can also mean to delay. Example: Ich habe das Lernen immer wieder aufgeschoben.
Verschieben means to move something to a different place. That can be an actual object but it's also the word for moving around dates and other non tangible things. It's the go-to verb for rescheduling appointments. The noun form for a postponement is 'die Verschiebung'.
Abschieben usually means 'to deport' or to push someone away from a position. It has a cold, dismissive feel, especially in the context of deportation, and is used when someone is essentially shoved out or removed.
It means to blame someone else or pass the blame on to them. Literally it's like sliding the responsibility onto another person. Example: Ich habe alles auf den Praktikanten geschoben.
Der Schub is a noun meaning a thrust, boost or surge. So this is much closer to its English cousin 'shove'. You'll see it in compounds like Adrenalinschub (adrenaline rush), Motivationsschub (motivation boost) or Zahlungsaufschub (payment deferral). Also note die Schublade is a drawer and die Schiebetür is a sliding door.
I have watched a video news item from the Hamburg Journal and encountered the word “schieben” in the following sentence: “Damit die Regale in den letzten Stunden voll bleiben, schieben sie hier bei Niemerszein in Eimsbüttel Extraschichten.” Google translate translates it as “working extra shifts”. Could you please explain how come the verb “schieben” can somehow mean “to work”? For info, I have provided below the link to the video.
It’s the phrase “Schichten schieben” which means “to work”, not just “schieben” alone. There are similar expressions like “Wache schieben” for instance, which means “have a guard shift”.
I tried to look for the origin of this type of expression and it’s possible that it’s a variation of a Rotwelsch verb “scheffen” which apparently meant something like “to be at”.
There is no actual logic if you look at it through the idea of actual “schieben”. Best to treat it as a fixed idiom, I’d say.
Hi Emanuel, many thanks for your reply. That is very helpful. Just want to clarify. Regarding expression “Schichten schieben” – does this mean “to work shifts” ?
To me “work shifts” has more concrete meanings. “Schichten schieben” is more like “pull some shifts”. I would not recommend using it actively, it’ll probably be out of place and you risk not being understood. Like… people might assume you’re trying to say “Schichten (ver)schieben” in the sense of moving them around.
Hyuri
“watching “Shades of Grey” with your partner. Ahem.”
She reads this, then it was the last time if you got lucky
Last edited 1 year ago by Hyuri
Jojon
I wonder if it has a relation to shiv as well? As in a crudely made dagger usually associated with prisons. Thank you for the article it really helped me get the meaning behind anschieben. What words would I use to open and close a drawer ? I was thinking aufziehen and zuschieben for literally pulling open and pushing closed, but is it actually used or do I just machen it auf und zu ?
I read in a German book once that in order to say postpone/reschedule an appointment from one date to another one needs to use ,,verlegen auf”. Does verschieben not work with a preposition indicating the new date of rescheduling?
“verschieben” works perfectly and I don’t use “verlegen”. Might be a regional thing, but to me it sounds a bit more formal than “verschieben”. “auf” is the correct preposition for both verbs though.
Garcelle
Hey Emanuel
Good morning….
After reading this sentence:
Du musst den Truthahn auftauen bevor du ihn in den Ofen schiebst.
I am guessing that “schieben” has the connotation of “pushing” the Turkey into the oven? Could one use “stecken” or “reintun” in this sentence? I am assuming that one cannot “schieben” something into one’s pocket, since you are not “pushing”?
For a pocket, “stecken” is more idiomatic, indeed. “stecken” and “reintun” or “machen” or “tun”… they’d all work for the turkey example. They all have a slightly different vibe, but nothing that matters for the main message. “schieben” sounds like “slowly shoving”, “stecken” sounds quick and cute, “tun” sounds generic and so on.
AlexP1960
For me “hatte” and “nächsten Montag” in “Hallo, ich hatte nächsten Montag um 3 einen Termin bei Ihnen. Den muss ich leider verschieben.” sound totally confusing. Is this idiomatic?
Yes, it is. I guess the confusion is because technically still have the appointment. But in the mind of the speaker that is already canceled. It just doesn’t know it yet :).
Hi, so “Schub” is the noun of “schieben”? I thought it was “Schiebung”. Just kidding. But I still like the word “Schiebung” and I am quite sure it fits in there somewhere. I am just not sure how. “Schiebung” is spoken with a looong “ie” and is used in sports. Spektators shout it if they are not happy about the result of a match or about the decision of the referee. They want to express that they think that somebody already decided before the match how it would end. So “Schiebung” is the process of forging a result. There is probably a better translation. But in the end it is just the sound out of the mouth of the person who points the finger at something and the expression on his/her face that tells you how wronged he/she feels.
No idea how “Schiebung” could tie in with the basic sense of “schieben”. I checked Dwds and all they said is that it evolved in late 19th centrury and came from “Gaunersprache”. I wonder if it connects to “Autoschieber”
Barratt
Ah so. Ein “schwaches Nomen”. Alles klar. Ich habe immer noch ständig Probleme wenn es um Artikeln geht.
Barratt
Ich habe eine Frage über Grammatik. Sollte es “Ich habe alles auf die Praktikanten (Akk.) geschoben” sein? (nicht auf den Praktikanten)?
Gute Frage. Beides ist richtig. “auf den Praktikanten” ist Akkusativ von “der Praktikant”, das “-en” ist die sogenannte “n-Deklination”, einer der unwichtigsten Aspekte der Grammatik. “auf die Praktikanten” ist Plural.
JULIA MASTRANTONAKI
“ABSCHIEBUNGSVERBOT”,IS A WORD YOU MIGHT LIKE. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING !!!
Nice idea… it completely misses the pushing aspect though and that is important. Also, “to inch” is incremental while “schieben” is more of a continuous movement. But there’s a post coming up with a word that is indeed close to “to inch”.
Kvrdz
Jo, Es ist mir jetzt klar. Ich hätte es mir so denken sollen. Aber Danke Emmanuel. Hast du Zufälligerweise eine Facebook-Page oder sowas, die man die man liken können?
aber ich mach’ da nicht wirklich was, ausser die Posts zu posten. Mal sehen, vielleicht in der Zukunft :)
Kvrdz
Hallo Emmanuel, Also, Es hat wohl nicht direkt mit dem Thema zu tun. Wie wird dieser Satz richtig geschrieben? Woanders Verschieben oder woanders hin verschieben? Der mit “woanders hin”, kommt mir häufiger benutzt vor. Worin liegt das unterschied?
“Woanders” kann nur die Frage “wo?” beantworten, nicht die Frage “wohin?”. Ohne “hin” fehlt hier also die Markierung, dass “verschieben” hier den Fokus auf der Bewegung von A nach B hat. Der Satz heißt soviel wie:
– I am changing the position of something [somewhere else].
So within the confines of “somewhere else” you’re “schiebening” an object. Mit “hin” bedeutet es
– I’m moving an object from somewhere to somewhere else.
Hoffe das hilft.
Annett
Love this article. Very refreshing in its style. I am German and sometimes we forget all the little nuances of the word “schieben” and its translation. I loved the “Aufschieberitis”. Haven’t heard that for a long time. I could imagine to have this post also as a video!
Danke :). Always really great to hear that native speakers enjoy this, too. As for video… I think for you it would be no problem to process but I imagine for a learner it’s a lot of information in here and I always felt video is too fast. Kind of like a bus tour through a city… you see everything in little time but you don’t really know it.
Kvrdz
Danke!
Kvrdz
Hey Emmanuel, erstmal Super nützliches Post. Geht das, wenn “Verschieben” bezügliches Küchen zeug wie Geschirr und ähnliches verwendet wird. Zur Seite stellen oder zur Seite schieben klingt mir irgendwie besser, aber ich weiß es nicht, ob sowas sich idiomatisch anhört.
Ja, du hast Recht. Für so kleine Sachen klingt “verschieben” etwas technisch. “zur Seite, nach links/recht, rüberschieben…”… die sind alle besser. Kleine Korrektur:
– klingt mir irgendwie besser
Hier wäre der Standard
– klingt für ich irgendwie besser
Kann sein, dass “klingt mir” regional verwendet wird, aber für mich klingt es sehr komisch.
Kstanbach
Please don’t say “gonna.” “Going to” is the correct phrase.
You’re wrong. Gonna isn’t correct, but if that’s the sound he wanted us to hear from him, then that would be more correct than going to, which wouldn’t have the same sound he wanted. I’m sure he knows that going to is technically the correct one.
I think actually get it… I sometimes get annoyed by people using colloquialisms to sound cool and informal too. I’m trying to avoid it but in some sentences it just kinda feels ri… oh ops.
Grateful Reader
* gibt dem Firma * Mein Chef hat wollte mich zusammenscheißen
I had a question about one of your example sentences: Mein Chef hat wollte mich zusammenscheißen aber ich habe alles auf den Praktikanten geschoben.
Is ‘wollte’ here not a verb? I thought all but the first verbs had to go at the end. Would it be incorrect to say ‘Mein Chef hat mich zusammenscheissen wollen’?
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Hi Emanuel,
I have watched a video news item from the Hamburg Journal and encountered the word “schieben” in the following sentence:
“Damit die Regale in den letzten Stunden voll bleiben, schieben sie hier bei Niemerszein in Eimsbüttel Extraschichten.”
Google translate translates it as “working extra shifts”. Could you please explain how come the verb “schieben” can somehow mean “to work”? For info, I have provided below the link to the video.
I would much appreciate your help.
Source: https://www.ndr.de/fernsehen/sendungen/hamburg_journal/letzte-lebensmittel-einkaeufe-vor-dem-fest,hamj-6436.html
It’s the phrase “Schichten schieben” which means “to work”, not just “schieben” alone. There are similar expressions like “Wache schieben” for instance, which means “have a guard shift”.
I tried to look for the origin of this type of expression and it’s possible that it’s a variation of a Rotwelsch verb “scheffen” which apparently meant something like “to be at”.
There is no actual logic if you look at it through the idea of actual “schieben”. Best to treat it as a fixed idiom, I’d say.
Hi Emanuel, many thanks for your reply. That is very helpful. Just want to clarify. Regarding expression “Schichten schieben” – does this mean “to work shifts” ?
To me “work shifts” has more concrete meanings. “Schichten schieben” is more like “pull some shifts”. I would not recommend using it actively, it’ll probably be out of place and you risk not being understood. Like… people might assume you’re trying to say “Schichten (ver)schieben” in the sense of moving them around.
“watching “Shades of Grey” with your partner. Ahem.”
Mein Beileid
That ain’t worth a dollar
Just trying to get laid here, okay?
She reads this, then it was the last time if you got lucky
I wonder if it has a relation to shiv as well? As in a crudely made dagger usually associated with prisons. Thank you for the article it really helped me get the meaning behind anschieben.
What words would I use to open and close a drawer ? I was thinking aufziehen and zuschieben for literally pulling open and pushing closed, but is it actually used or do I just machen it auf und zu ?
Just checked on etymonline and there, it says that “shiv” comes from Romanian gipsy language “chivomengro” (knife).
For a drawer… aufmachen and zumachen are the default ones, I’d say but “aufziehen” and “zuschieben” work perfectly well.
Yet again, just a super little article. I now understand perfectly. Thank you for your way with words and your humour
Happy you enjoyed it :)
I read in a German book once that in order to say postpone/reschedule an appointment from one date to another one needs to use ,,verlegen auf”. Does verschieben not work with a preposition indicating the new date of rescheduling?
“verschieben” works perfectly and I don’t use “verlegen”. Might be a regional thing, but to me it sounds a bit more formal than “verschieben”.
“auf” is the correct preposition for both verbs though.
Hey Emanuel
Good morning….
After reading this sentence:
Du musst den Truthahn auftauen bevor du ihn in den Ofen schiebst.
I am guessing that “schieben” has the connotation of “pushing” the Turkey into the oven? Could one use “stecken” or “reintun” in this sentence? I am assuming that one cannot “schieben” something into one’s pocket, since you are not “pushing”?
Thanks for the clarification.
Have a nice day.
For a pocket, “stecken” is more idiomatic, indeed.
“stecken” and “reintun” or “machen” or “tun”… they’d all work for the turkey example. They all have a slightly different vibe, but nothing that matters for the main message. “schieben” sounds like “slowly shoving”, “stecken” sounds quick and cute, “tun” sounds generic and so on.
For me “hatte” and “nächsten Montag” in “Hallo, ich hatte nächsten Montag um 3 einen Termin bei Ihnen. Den muss ich leider verschieben.” sound totally confusing. Is this idiomatic?
Yes, it is.
I guess the confusion is because technically still have the appointment. But in the mind of the speaker that is already canceled. It just doesn’t know it yet :).
Thank you!
Hi,
so “Schub” is the noun of “schieben”? I thought it was “Schiebung”. Just kidding. But I still like the word “Schiebung” and I am quite sure it fits in there somewhere. I am just not sure how.
“Schiebung” is spoken with a looong “ie” and is used in sports. Spektators shout it if they are not happy about the result of a match or about the decision of the referee. They want to express that they think that somebody already decided before the match how it would end. So “Schiebung” is the process of forging a result. There is probably a better translation. But in the end it is just the sound out of the mouth of the person who points the finger at something and the expression on his/her face that tells you how wronged he/she feels.
No idea how “Schiebung” could tie in with the basic sense of “schieben”. I checked Dwds and all they said is that it evolved in late 19th centrury and came from “Gaunersprache”. I wonder if it connects to “Autoschieber”
Ah so. Ein “schwaches Nomen”. Alles klar. Ich habe immer noch ständig Probleme wenn es um Artikeln geht.
Ich habe eine Frage über Grammatik. Sollte es “Ich habe alles auf die Praktikanten (Akk.) geschoben” sein? (nicht auf den Praktikanten)?
Gute Frage. Beides ist richtig. “auf den Praktikanten” ist Akkusativ von “der Praktikant”, das “-en” ist die sogenannte “n-Deklination”, einer der unwichtigsten Aspekte der Grammatik.
“auf die Praktikanten” ist Plural.
“ABSCHIEBUNGSVERBOT”,IS A WORD YOU MIGHT LIKE. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING !!!
To inch – to move by small degrees
Nice idea… it completely misses the pushing aspect though and that is important. Also, “to inch” is incremental while “schieben” is more of a continuous movement. But there’s a post coming up with a word that is indeed close to “to inch”.
Jo, Es ist mir jetzt klar. Ich hätte es mir so denken sollen. Aber Danke Emmanuel.
Hast du Zufälligerweise eine Facebook-Page oder sowas, die man die man liken können?
Ja, hab’ ich irgendwo, warte mal… hier:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/German-is-easy-The-blog-for-all-students-of-German/156956949489
aber ich mach’ da nicht wirklich was, ausser die Posts zu posten. Mal sehen, vielleicht in der Zukunft :)
Hallo Emmanuel,
Also, Es hat wohl nicht direkt mit dem Thema zu tun. Wie wird dieser Satz richtig geschrieben?
Woanders Verschieben oder woanders hin verschieben?
Der mit “woanders hin”, kommt mir häufiger benutzt vor. Worin liegt das unterschied?
“Woanders” kann nur die Frage “wo?” beantworten, nicht die Frage “wohin?”. Ohne “hin” fehlt hier also die Markierung, dass “verschieben” hier den Fokus auf der Bewegung von A nach B hat.
Der Satz heißt soviel wie:
– I am changing the position of something [somewhere else].
So within the confines of “somewhere else” you’re “schiebening” an object.
Mit “hin” bedeutet es
– I’m moving an object from somewhere to somewhere else.
Hoffe das hilft.
Love this article. Very refreshing in its style. I am German and sometimes we forget all the little nuances of the word “schieben” and its translation. I loved the “Aufschieberitis”. Haven’t heard that for a long time. I could imagine to have this post also as a video!
Danke :). Always really great to hear that native speakers enjoy this, too. As for video… I think for you it would be no problem to process but I imagine for a learner it’s a lot of information in here and I always felt video is too fast. Kind of like a bus tour through a city… you see everything in little time but you don’t really know it.
Danke!
Hey Emmanuel, erstmal Super nützliches Post.
Geht das, wenn “Verschieben” bezügliches Küchen zeug wie Geschirr und ähnliches verwendet wird. Zur Seite stellen oder zur Seite schieben klingt mir irgendwie besser, aber ich weiß es nicht, ob sowas sich idiomatisch anhört.
Ja, du hast Recht. Für so kleine Sachen klingt “verschieben” etwas technisch. “zur Seite, nach links/recht, rüberschieben…”… die sind alle besser.
Kleine Korrektur:
– klingt mir irgendwie besser
Hier wäre der Standard
– klingt für ich irgendwie besser
Kann sein, dass “klingt mir” regional verwendet wird, aber für mich klingt es sehr komisch.
Please don’t say “gonna.” “Going to” is the correct phrase.
You’re wrong. Gonna isn’t correct, but if that’s the sound he wanted us to hear from him, then that would be more correct than going to, which wouldn’t have the same sound he wanted. I’m sure he knows that going to is technically the correct one.
Gonna,
Is there something mis :)
thass hilarious
I think actually get it… I sometimes get annoyed by people using colloquialisms to sound cool and informal too. I’m trying to avoid it but in some sentences it just kinda feels ri… oh ops.
* gibt dem Firma
* Mein Chef hat wollte mich zusammenscheißen
Danke :)
I had a question about one of your example sentences:
Mein Chef hat wollte mich zusammenscheißen aber ich habe alles auf den Praktikanten geschoben.
Is ‘wollte’ here not a verb? I thought all but the first verbs had to go at the end. Would it be incorrect to say ‘Mein Chef hat mich zusammenscheissen wollen’?
There is simply a mistake there, strike “hat”.
Your sentence is also correct.
Oh, that’s an editing mistake right there… it’s supposed to be just “wollte”. And you alternative is perfect too. Danke
Thanks