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Dictionary > ab verbs

    Here's a quick overview with translations. For family, examples and more check the details.
  • abändern
    (ab verb)
    hat abgeändert
    änderte ab
    1.
    to modify, to alter
    (Make small changes or adjustments in a bigger whole. Think of changing a route slightly or shifting around a few slides in a presentation.)
    see details >
  • abarbeiten
    (ab verb)
    hat abgearbeitet
    arbeitete ab
    1.
    to work, to get done
    (For a heap of work that you slowly "ablate" through work. )
    2.
    to work off
    (Paying a debt through work.)
    3.
    to wear oneself out with working
    ("sich+Acc abarbeiten an+Dat" - fixed phrasing for the idea of putting a lot of energy into a difficult and maybe futile endeavors. )
    see details >
  • abbauen
    (ab verb)
    hat abgebaut
    baute ab
    1.
    to take down, to deconstruct
    (methodically remove something that was built, like a stage or a tent)
    Opposite (closest): aufbauen
    2.
    to decompose, to reduce, to break down
    (for substances and energies)
    see details >
  • abbeißen
    (ab verb)
    hat abgebissen
    biss ab
    1.
    to bite off, to take a bite
    see details >
  • abbekommen
    (ab verb)
    hat abbekommen
    bekam ab
    1.
    to get a share
    ("etwas abbekommen von" - sounds a bit clumsy and needy, so don't use it in a professional business context.)
    2.
    to get hit
    (Same idea as before, only that now you get a share of something you didn't want. Think of someone throwing mud at party. )
    3.
    to (manage to) get off
    (The idea is that you're succesfully trying to get something of from somewhere. Think of a sticker from a car. )
    see details >
  • abbestellen
    (ab verb)
    hat abbestellt
    bestellte ab
    1.
    to cancel
    (ONLY for subscriptions where something is sent to you - either mail or a newsletter. Does NOT work for Netflix, for example.)
    Opposite (closest): bestellen
    see details >
  • abbiegen
    (ab verb)
    hat abgebogen
    bog ab
    1.
    to turn
    (in the sense of changing direction in traffic)
    see details >
  • abbilden (auf)
    (ab verb)
    hat abgebildet
    bildete ab
    1.
    to depict
    (Capture in pics, sounds a bit formal)
    2.
    to map, to transform
    (In the mathematical sense)
    see details >
  • abbinden
    (ab verb)
    hat abgebunden
    band ab
    1.
    to tie off, to untie
    (Pretty much only in the context of losing the leash or a dog from a tree. Most other contexts will be "losbinden".)
    Opposite (closest): anbinden
    2.
    to bind, to thicken
    (For binding a sauce!!)
    3.
    to put on a tourniquet, to secure
    (Put on a pressure bandage or tourniquet. You "bind off" that body part or artery.)
    see details >
  • abblasen
    (ab verb)
    hat abgeblasen
    blies ab
    1.
    to blow off
    (ONLY for literally blowing an object off from somewhere. SUPER rare!!)
    2.
    to cancel, to call off
    (Colloquial phrase for cancelling an event or project.)
    see details >
  • abblättern
    (ab verb)
    ist abgeblättert
    blätterte ab
    1.
    to peel off, to flake off
    (Pretty much only used for paint.)
    see details >
  • abbleiben
    (ab verb)
    ist abgeblieben
    blieb ab
    1.
    to stay/remain off
    (in the sense of "not attached")
    2.
    to be
    (Pretty much only in questions for the location of an object like "Wo ist ... abgeblieben?")
    see details >
  • abbrechen
    (ab verb)
    hat abgebrochen
    brach ab
    1.
    to abort
    (In the sense of "stopping an ongoing process". NOT for abortions in context of pregnancy.)
    2.
    to break off
    (in the literal sense of breaking something off of something)
    see details >
  • abbremsen
    (ab verb)
    hat abgebremst
    bremste ab
    1.
    to brake
    (Sounds a bit more sudden than "bremsen" but the difference is mostly based on what's idiomatic in a context.)
    see details >
  • abbrennen
    (ab verb)
    ist abgebrannt
    brannte ab
    1.
    to burn down
    (Not for burning something completely, but rather burning to the "foundation". Can be a building or an incence stick. If you "abbrennen" something, the spoken past goes with "haben". If something "abbrennen" by itself, it goes with "sein".)
    see details >
  • abbringen (von)
    (ab verb)
    hat abgebracht
    brachte ab
    1.
    to talk sb out of sth
    ("jemanden (Acc) von etwas (Dative) abbringen); always needs to come with the von-part.)
    see details >
  • abbuchen
    (ab verb)
    hat abgebucht
    buchte ab
    1.
    to debit
    (Lit.: "to book off" - it's when some other party draws money from your account. NOT for you withdrawing cash at an ATM.)
    Opposite (closest): überweisen
    see details >
  • abdecken
    (ab verb)
    hat abgedeckt
    deckte ab
    1.
    to cover, put a cover over
    (so that others can’t see it or so that it’s away from the air or the rain)
    2.
    to cover
    (for topics)
    3.
    to remove a roof
    (Think hurricane ;))
    see details >
  • abdichten
    (ab verb)
    hat abgedichtet
    dichtete ab
    1.
    to seal
    (A leakage of some kind.. NOT for sealing documents.)
    see details >
  • abdrehen
    (ab verb)
    hat abgedreht
    drehte ab
    1.
    to turn away
    (For boats and planes only)
    2.
    to turn off
    (For water and colloquially also electricity. )
    3.
    to screw off
    (For lids. Rarely actually used.)
    4.
    to wrap up
    (In the context of finishing filming a movie.)
    5.
    to go crazy
    (Colloquial, often in a positive sense.)
    see details >
  • abdrucken
    (ab verb)
    hat
    1.
    to print
    (With a focus on the fact that it'll be published. Think of a juicy celebrity photo and the editors are debating whether they should print it.)
    see details >
  • abdrücken
    (ab verb)
    hat abgedrückt
    drückte ab
    1.
    to pull the trigger
    2.
    to pay money
    ("abdrücken (für)" - very colloquial and usually in contexts where you think something is quite a lot of money.)
    see details >
  • abernten
    (ab verb)
    hat abgeerntet
    erntete ab
    1.
    to harvest, to reap
    (Slightly technical term that includes the idea of completion. So you harvest a field or tree completely. )
    see details >
  • abfahren
    (ab verb)
    ist abgefahren
    fuhr ab
    1.
    to start driving
    (With a focus in leaving. Often used for trains leaving a station. For starting your car ride, "losfahren" is the better choice.)
    2.
    to dig, to really like
    ("abfahren auf+Acc" - quite colloquial and not easy to use idiomatically, because it doesn't always work.)
    3.
    to drive off
    (In the sense of leaving a highway.)
    Opposite (closest): auffahren
    4.
    to drive along
    (ONLY in the sense of driving a full course of something, usually in a context of some sort of inspection.)
    5.
    to drive down
    (For mountains and hills and primarily used in context of biking or skiing.)
    see details >
  • abfallen
    (ab verb)
    ist abgefallen
    fiel ab
    1.
    to decrease, to drop, to decline
    (For certain metrics like quality, energy, performance and voltage, but it's overall pretty rare. You need to know the idiomatic phrasings.)
    Opposite (closest): ansteigen
    2.
    to descend, to slope down
    (For terrain only. And it's what the terrain does, not what you do on the terrain. )
    Opposite (closest): ansteigen
    3.
    to come out of, to be yielded
    (Mainly for financial gains or other compensations. The benefits are what does the "abfallen".)
    4.
    to fall off
    (Something literally falling off of something. Think of a bumper of a car, for example. Also for figurative loads that fall off of you. If the focus is on hitting the floor, then "runterfallen" is the better choice.)
    see details >
  • abfangen
    (ab verb)
    hat abgefangen
    fing ab
    1.
    to intercept
    see details >
  • abfärben
    (ab verb)
    hat abgefärbt
    färbte ab
    1.
    to bleed into
    (In the sense of a colored item "sharing" its color with other things. Think of a new shirt that might ruin your clothes if washed together.)
    2.
    to rub off on, to influence
    ("abfärben auf+Acc" - a figurative use where a person's character or behavior starts influencing others to behave the same way.)
    see details >
  • abfedern
    (ab verb)
    hat abgefedert
    federte ab
    1.
    to cushion, to absorb (a shock)
    (Softening an impact. Also used figuratively. )
    see details >
  • abfeiern
    (ab verb)
    hat abgefeiert
    feierte ab
    1.
    to party really hard
    (kind of slang)
    see details >
  • abfinden
    (ab verb)
    hat abgefunden
    fand ab
    1.
    to pay off, to compensate
    (Usually used in the context of severance payments for jobs)
    2.
    to make peace with
    („sich+Acc abfinden mit“ - ONLY in the sense of getting to terms with a situation. NOT making peace with someone)
    see details >
  • abfliegen
    (ab verb)
    ist abgeflogen
    flog ab
    1.
    to fly off
    (In the sense of being blown off by pressure. Think of a lid of a bottle. NOT for a hat being blown off by the wind.)
    2.
    to depart
    (For planes. The verb "starten" is more idiomatic, but the noun "der Abflug" is pretty common. )
    see details >
  • abfließen
    (ab verb)
    ist abgeflossen
    floss ab
    1.
    to flow away, out
    (Primarily for water that is "stuck" somewhere (sink or low area of land) but it's also used in a financial context for funds or liquidity.)
    see details >
  • abfragen
    (ab verb)
    hat abgefragt
    fragte ab
    1.
    to ask, to question, to quiz
    (In the sense of running through a list of questions. Mostly used in the context of practicing with someone for an exam)
    see details >
  • abgeben
    (ab verb)
    hat abgegeben
    gab ab
    1.
    to give a share
    ("abgeben von" - usually for small scale things like sharing a piece of your pizza)
    2.
    to hand over, to turn in
    (For items that you "turn in", like a phone at the door of a yoga retreat. Also for some borrowed things like a bike or a car. And for roles and responsibilities.)
    3.
    to be, to make for
    ("etwas+Acc abgeben" - Colloquial phrase for objects and people doing a surprisingly good job in a function that they weren't made for.)
    4.
    to deal with, to occupy oneself with
    ("sich+Acc abgeben mit" - Usually used in the negative, either for tasks you don't want to deal with or people you (don't) want to get involved with.)
    see details >
  • abgehen
    (ab verb)
    ist abgegangen
    ging ab
    1.
    to come off
    (stickers, pictures on a wall, etc)
    2.
    to go crazy/wild
    (for example people dancing or throwing a fit, but also for songs that are really energetic)
    3.
    to leave the stage or the scene
    (ONLY in context of theater)
    Opposite (closest): aufgehen
    4.
    happen, take place
    (Quite common colloquial option for "to happen". Also used to ask "What's up?")
    5.
    to be lacking from
    ("jemandem abgehen" - more common in the South of Germany)
    see details >
  • abgewinnen
    (ab verb)
    hat abgewonnen
    gewann ab
    see details >
  • abgewöhnen (sich+Dative)
    (ab verb)
    hat abgewöhnt
    gewöhnte ab
    1.
    to break a habit, to stop
    ("sich (Dativ) abgewöhnen"... literally once used to be "to wean off")
    Opposite (closest): angewöhnen (sich+Dative)
    see details >
  • abgießen
    (ab verb)
    hat abgegossen
    goss ab
    1.
    to drain
    (For pasta, rice and other things you cook. You "pour off" the water.)
    Opposite (closest): aufgießen
    see details >
  • abgleichen
    (ab verb)
    hat abgeglichen
    glich ab
    1.
    to square, to align, to check for matches
    (Comparing two things to see if they align like they're supposed to.)
    see details >
  • abgrenzen (von)
    (ab verb)
    hat abgegrenzt
    grenzte ab
    1.
    to separate from, to delineate, to set apart
    (The core idea is consciously creating or emphasizing a boundary to clearly distinguish A from B. Also often used reflexively "sich+Acc abgrenzen")
    see details >
  • abgucken (sich)
    (ab verb)
    hat abgeguckt
    guckte ab
    1.
    to crib, to peek
    (The idea is "to learn or find out by watching someone". The self reference needs to be there and it's in Dative. In South Germany, also with "schauen" instead of "gucken")
    see details >
  • abhaben
    (ab verb)
    hat abgehabt
    hatte ab
    1.
    to get a piece/share
    (Colloquial, mostly used to ask if you can have a piece or state that you'd like to have a share. Not used to talk about actually getting one. Pretty much always with a modal verb and virtually never alone in pure present or past tense.)
    2.
    to (not) like, to (not) stand
    (Only in combination with "können", very colloquial. )
    see details >
  • abhacken
    (ab verb)
    hat abgehackt
    hackte ab
    1.
    to hack off
    see details >
  • abhaken
    (ab verb)
    hat abgehakt
    hakte ab
    1.
    to tally, to check off
    (To put a check mark behind something. Mostly used in figurative contexts for stuff that was on the agenda. NOT used for checking and actual test.)
    2.
    to forget
    (In a sense of "Forget about it, not gonna happen". The idea is that you check it off instead of waiting forever.)
    see details >
  • abhalten
    (ab verb)
    hat abgehalten
    hielt ab
    1.
    to deter, keep someone from doing something
    ("abhalten von" - Similar idea to preventing, but not as definite)
    Opposite (closest): anhalten
    2.
    to hold
    (For meetings and conferences. Sounds a bit formal)
    see details >
  • abhandeln
    (ab verb)
    hat abgehandelt
    handelte ab
    1.
    to fully discuss a topic
    (Mostly in context of a monologue or text, not for an engaging conversation among friends.)
    see details >
  • abhängen (von)
    (ab verb)
    hat abgehangen
    hängte ab/hing ab
    1.
    to depend
    ("abhängen von" ... actually, this is a literal translation because the Latin "pendere" meant "to hang")
    2.
    to lose a pursuer
    ("jemanden abhängen" - works for actual car chases as well as in a figurative sense of leaving the competition behind)
    3.
    to take down, "unhang" laundry
    Opposite (closest): aufhängen
    4.
    to chill, to hang out
    (very colloquial)
    see details >
  • abhauen
    (ab verb)
    ist abgehauen
    haute ab
    1.
    to chop off
    ("spoken past" is formed with "haben"!)
    2.
    to piss off, hastily going away
    (spoken past is with "sein")
    see details >
  • abheben
    (ab verb)
    hat abgehoben
    hob ab
    1.
    to lift off
    (Planes, rockets.)
    2.
    to lose touch with reality a bit
    (Actors, Insta-Models and so on)
    3.
    to answer the phone, to pick up the phone
    (You do NOT add "phone" in German. "abheben" alone is enough.)
    Opposite (closest): auflegen
    4.
    to withdraw money
    Opposite (closest): einzahlen
    5.
    to stand out, to distinguish oneself
    ("sich+Acc abheben (von)")
    see details >
  • abheften
    (ab verb)
    hat abgeheftet
    heftete ab
    1.
    to file away
    (To put away into a folder. Does NOT work for digital stuff, so it'll slowly disappear)
    see details >


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