Dictionary > er verbs

Here's a quick overview with translations. For family, examples and more check the details.

(sich) ernähren (von)
(er verb)
hat ernährt
ernährte

1.
to feed, to nurture, to nourish

(ONLY for food. Not in figurative contexts)

2.
to eat

("sich+Acc ernähren von" - Sounds a bit technical but still, it's fairly common in daily life, especially in context of special diets.)

see details >
erahnen
(er verb)
hat erahnt
erahnte

1.
to sense, to intuite

(Fancy version of "ahnen". Sounds a bit more epic, but there's no real difference in meaning)

see details >
erarbeiten
(er verb)
hat erarbeitet
erarbeitete

1.
to work out

(In the sense of working out a plan, for example, NOT a plan working out!)

2.
to get through working

("sich^+Dat etwas erarbeiten" - for instance a reputation or a mansion)

see details >
erbauen
(er verb)
hat erbaut
erbaute

1.
to build

(Sounds epic and only fits for somewhat significant buildings.)

see details >
erbeuten
(er verb)
hat erbeutet
erbeutete

1.
to "obtain", to bag

(In the sense of "obtaining" through hunt or robbery.)

see details >
erblicken
(er verb)
hat erblickt
erblickte

1.
to see, to lay eyes on

(The verb is about the moment when you go from "not seeing" to "seeing". And it sounds epic. Think of a blind person seeing a tree for the first time after restorative surgery.)

see details >
erbrechen
(er verb)
hat erbrochen
erbrach

1.
to throw up

(If you want to add what you're throwing up, then use Accusative. For a general throwing up, "sich erbrechen" is the best choice. Sounds a bit formal overall. The colloquial term is "kotzen")

see details >
erbringen
(er verb)
hat erbracht
erbrachte

1.
to yield, to bring forth, to render

(Sounds VERY formal and you rarely hear it in daily life. It works for services as well as for proofs or payments.)

see details >
erdrücken

(er verb)
hat erdrückt
erdrückte

1.
to squeeze to death

(Often used figuratively for smothering in a relationship.)

see details >
erfahren

(er verb)
hat erfahren
erfuhr

1.
to experience

(Not very commonly used in that sense. Usually you can find it in context of hostility or hospitality.)

2.
to find out, to learn

(Fairly common in context of single pieces of news that cross your path. )

see details >
erfinden
(er verb)
hat erfunden
erfand

1.
to invent

see details >
erfolgen

(er verb)
ist erfolgt
erfolgte

1.
to happen, to take place, to be done

(Sounds formal and bureaucratic. Impersonal option to express that someone will do something under such and such conditions.)

see details >
erfordern

(er verb)
hat erfordert
erforderte

1.
to require

(Usually used for "situational/circumstantial" requirements, and not so much for requirements written in a form.)

see details >
erforschen
(er verb)
hat erforscht
erforschte

1.
to investigate, research

(sounds very scientific and thorough. Implies a result (unlike "forschen" which is about the process))

see details >
erfragen
(er verb)
hat erfragt
erfragte

1.
to get through asking

(Basically asking with a focus on getting the result. )

see details >
erfrieren

(er verb)
ist erfroren
erfror

1.
to freeze to death

see details >
erfrischen
(er verb)
hat erfrischt
erfrischte

1.
to refresh, to get refreshed

(ONLY in the sense of people refreshing themselves. Mostly used with a self reference "sich+Acc erfrischen". NOT for refreshing web pages or knowledge. )

see details >
erfüllen

(er verb)
hat erfüllt
erfüllte

1.
fulfill

(wishes)

Opposite (closest): wünschen

2.
to meet

(in combination with expectations or requirements)

see details >
ergänzen
(er verb)
hat ergänzt
ergänzte

1.
to add, to complement, to supplement

(Sometimes also used as a speech tag in books, if someone gives some additional information or opinions)

see details >
ergattern
(er verb)
hat ergattert
ergatterte

1.
to snag, to manage to get

(Colloquial term for getting something rare and desired. Think of a limited edition of something where lots of people cue up and you get one. The original idea probably comes from managing to trap an animal in a fenced area.)

see details >
ergeben
(er verb)
hat ergeben
ergab

1.
to yield, to result in, to make

(Mainly used on context of equations, but you might see it more figuratively, too, especially for "making sense".)

2.
to surrender

("sich+Acc (jemandem) ergeben" - you "yield" yourself, in a way.)

3.
to present itself

("sich ergeben", the translations vary but the idea is a coincidence/chance/situation "yielding/offering" itself.)

see details >
ergehen
(er verb)
ist ergangen

1.
to get through going

(That's the very literal meaning, but it's quite rare. You could use it in the context of a walking competition or getting a shredded body through walking. )

2.
to be for someone, to turn out for someone

("jemandem ergehen" - Someone poetic word for the idea of how someone was/is/will be faring. Think of meeting someone after 6 months. It's only used in books though and sounds old school. And it's hard to use anyway. )

3.
to be passed, to be issued

(For laws and certain orders. Sounds VERY formal and you do not hear this word in daily life. The law or regulation is the subject.)

4.
to indulge in, to get lost on

("sich+Acc ergehen in+Acc" - ONLY for figurative contexts like indulging in platitudes or dreams. Very rare. I never hear it in daily life, except a couple of fixed phrasings.)

5.
to endure something, to submit to something

("etwas über sich+Acc ergehen lassen" - literally to let something "go over" you. Think of a thorough pet down at the airport for example. This phrasing is fairly common in daily life. )

see details >
ergießen (sich)

(er verb)
hat ergossen
ergoss

1.
to pour into

(ONLY used for liquids pouring themselves somewhere, so it's pretty much always used reflexively. And it sounds a bit epic, so you'd use it for bigger streams. Not for a little trickle. It does work for figurative streams.)

see details >
ergreifen
(er verb)
hat ergriffen
ergriff

1.
to grab to seize

(For objects it sounds a bit epic. More common for seizing chances, initiative or opportunities. And fugitives.)

2.
to take

(For taking measures ("Maßnahmen"). Fixed combo, pretty much.)

see details >
ergründen
(er verb)
hat ergründet
ergründete

1.
to fathom, to get to the bottom of

(Sounds pensive and somewhat grand. Think of someone trying to think their way to the meaning of life.)

see details >
erhalten
(er verb)
hat erhalten
erhielt

1.
receive, get

(In the sense of "being given". Sounds a bit stiff. )

2.
to maintain, to preserve

(Usually in the context of preventing decay or destruction. Works for a natural habitat, a historic building, but also for friendship and energy in the universe.)

see details >
erheben
(er verb)
hat erhoben
erhob

1.
to stand up, to rise up

("sich+Acc erheben" - sounds a bit pompous. Works for standing up from a chair but also in a figurative sense of rising up against oppression.)

2.
to raise, to press

(In the context of raising objections or concerns. Sounds very formal, but you will hear it in court speech for example. Also used for pressing charges.)

3.
to gather, to collect

(For "raising" data. Think of a large scale opinion poll for example.)

see details >
erhellen
(er verb)
hat erhellt
erhellte

1.
to brighten, to illuminate, to light

(A slightly poetic sounding verb for lighting a room. Think of a candle for example.)

2.
to illuminate, to make brighter

(In the figurative sense of illuminating the mind.)

see details >
erhitzen
(er verb)
hat erhitzt
erhitzte

1.
to heat up

(Quite common in the kitchen, but it sounds a bit technical and if you're talking about heating up a dish from yesterday, "warm machen" is the more idiomatic choice.)

see details >
erhoffen (von)
(er verb)
hat erhofft
erhoffte

1.
to hope, to expect, to "hopespect"

("sich^+Dat erhoffen von" - A mix between a wish, hope and expectation. MUST be used with the self reference. The wish/expecation is the direct object.)

see details >
erhöhen

(er verb)
hat erhöht
erhöhte

1.
to increase something

(in the sense of someone doing it, you need subject AND object, so either "Ich erhöhe etwas" or "etwas erhöht sich")

see details >
erhören
(er verb)
hat erhört
erhörte

1.
to hear (and answer)

(ONLY in the epic context of God hearing your prayers or a ruler of old hearing the plea of a peasant.)

2.
to get through listening

(Technically, the verb can mean that you "get" something through listening. It's rarely used, but you could technically "erhören yourself" the German language, if you learn it through podcasts, for example. )

see details >
erinnern an (+Acc)

(er verb)
hat erinnert
erinnerte

1.
to remind

(The person you remind is the direct object)

Opposite (closest): vergessen

2.
to remember

("sich+Acc erinnern" - you basically "remind yourself")

see details >
erkalten
(er verb)
ist erkaltet
erkaltete

1.
to get cold, to cool out

(For objects losing their heat. Sounds a bit epic)

see details >
erkämpfen
(er verb)
hat erkämpft
erkämpfte

1.
get through fighting

(Sounds epic.)

see details >
erkennen

(er verb)
hat erkannt
erkannte

1.
to recognize, to realize

see details >
erklären

(er verb)
hat erklärt
erklärte

1.
to explain

see details >
erklimmen
(er verb)
hat erklommen
erklomm

1.
to climb

(An epic option for fully climbing a mountain. Can also be used for figurative peaks, but it's always epic. This is a close cousin to "to climb", family-wise.)

see details >
erkranken (an)
(er verb)
ist erkrankt
erkrankte

1.
to contract a disease, to get sick with

("erkranken an^+Dativ")

see details >
erkunden

(er verb)
hat erkundet
erkundete

1.
to explore the unknown

(has an epic, grand scale)

see details >
erkundigen (sich)

(er verb)
hat erkundigt
erkundigte

1.
to ask, to inquire

(In context of asking people you don't really know for some piece of information. Sounds formal and is not used among friends.)

see details >
erlassen

(er verb)
hat erlassen
erließ

1.
to waive

(for fees, debt or jail time)

2.
to pass

(for laws or regulations)

see details >
erlauben

(er verb)
hat erlaubt
erlaubte

1.
to allow, to permit

("jemandem^+Dat etwas+Acc erlauben")

Opposite (closest): verbieten

2.
to take the liberty

("sich^+Dat etwas erlauben")

see details >
erlaufen
(er verb)
hat erlaufen
erlief

1.
to get through walking or running

("sich^+Dat etwas erlaufen" - Can be world fame as an elite runner, or a city that you get to know by walking through it. The self reference is a must.)

see details >
erläutern
(er verb)
hat erläutert
erläuterte

1.
to explain, to clarify

(pretty similar to "erklären", a little more "wordy" maybe)

see details >
erleben

(er verb)
hat erlebt
erlebte

1.
to experience

(This verb has a focus on really living something.)

see details >
erledigen

(er verb)
hat erledigt
erledigte

1.
to get done, to take care of something

(Very common in context of getting chores done or errands run.)

2.
to kill someone, to finish someone

("jemanden erledigen" - gangster slang, just like "taking care of someone")

see details >
erlegen
(er verb)
hat erlegt
erlegte

1.
to kill

(ONLY for game, in the context of hunting.)

see details >
erleichtern
(er verb)
hat erleichtert
erleichterte

1.
to make easier, to facilitate

Opposite (closest): erschweren

2.
to pee

("sich+Acc erleichtern" - nice but not very common euphemism)

see details >
erleiden

(er verb)
hat erlitten
erlitt

1.
to suffer something

(This is for single events like a stroke for instance. And it' not very common overall. "leiden" itself is more about continuous suffering.)

see details >

Dictionary > er verbs

Search It!

Recent Entries

Links