called txDictionary > um (sep)s
- Perfect (spoken past): hat rumgekriegtPreterite (written past): kriegte rum1.
- to manage to pass
- (Colloquial verb for killing time. ONLY used for time or time spans, like "the meeting" or "the 3 hours".)
2.- to turn someone around, to convince
- (Used for talking someone into something. One context is talking someone into making out or more.)
see details >3.- to manage to get something around
- (In the very literal sense of wrapping something around somewhere. Hard to find an actual use case. Maybe think of a piece of cloth that is too short to get it all the way around a tree for example.)
- Perfect (spoken past): ist rumgelaufenPreterite (written past): lief rumsee details >1.
- to walk around
- (Has a vibe of "walking here and there". Sounds colloquial. )
- Perfect (spoken past): hat rumgelegtPreterite (written past): legte rumsee details >1.
- to lay something around somewhere
- (In the very literal sense. Think of laying a bunch of rose flowers across a birthday cake. For clothes, like a scarf for example, "umlegen" is more idiomatic. Also works reflexively for "lying down around" - "sich+Acc rumlegen um+Acc")
- Perfect (spoken past): hat rumgelegenPreterite (written past): lag rumsee details >1.
- to lie around
- Perfect (spoken past): hat rumgemachtPreterite (written past): machte rum1.
- to make out, to hook up
- (In the sexual sense. Kissing, petting and so on.)
see details >2.- to put something around something
- ("rummachen um" - in a literal sense.)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat rumgesprochenPreterite (written past): sprach rumsee details >1.
- to make the rounds
- („sich+Acc rumsprechen“ - For rumors and news. Always used reflexively)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgegucktPreterite (written past): guckte um1.
- to look around
- (The self reference must be there and it is in Accusative.)
2.- to look for, to search
- ("sich+Acc umgucken nach" - usually for someone long term searches like looking for an apartment or a job.)
see details >3.- to wonder, to be astonished
- ("sich+Acc umgucken" - colloquial phrase for the idea that someone gets flabbergasted, usually because they didn't expect something. Think of someone turning their head being like "Dang, WTF was that?")
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgebautPreterite (written past): baute umsee details >1.
- to remodel, to reconstruct, to convert
- (The core idea is that you CHANGE something, NOT the you fix something that is run down or broken.)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umbenanntPreterite (written past): benannte umsee details >1.
- to rename
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgeblättertPreterite (written past): blätterte umsee details >1.
- to turn one page
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgebrachtPreterite (written past): brachte umsee details >1.
- to kill
- (Only for people, NOT for killing projects or killing time.)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgebuchtPreterite (written past): buchte umsee details >1.
- to change a booking
- (Can take a direct object, but it's more common without)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgedachtPreterite (written past): dachte umsee details >1.
- to change one's thinking
- (Sounds a bit lofty. Usually used in context of planning and strategy.)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgedeutetPreterite (written past): deutete umsee details >1.
- to reinterpret
- (NOT in the sense of re-envisioning. It's really about shifting how you interpret something.)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgedichtetPreterite (written past): dichtete umsee details >1.
- to change a poem
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgefahrenPreterite (written past): fuhr umsee details >1.
- to run over
- (ONLY for objects, like a sign post for instance. For running over a living being, "überfahren" is used.)
Opposite (closest): umfahren - Perfect (spoken past): ist umgefallenPreterite (written past): fiel umsee details >1.
- to fall over
- (Think of a vase or a glass of water. Or a person falling while standing. For a person falling while walking" hinfallen" is the better choice. Sometimes used figuratively for a person (politician) caving to pressure and changing their mind.)
- Perfect (spoken past): ist umgegangenPreterite (written past): ging um1.
- to go around
- (Not very common, but you find it in contexts of ghosts, rumors and diseases. NOT for literally walking around something.)
see details >2.- to handle, to treat
- ("umgehen mit" - the idea of "walking around with something" shifted to how you handle something "on the way". It can be about actually treating an object, but also about dealing with a challenge or burden.)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgestaltetPreterite (written past): gestaltete umsee details >1.
- to redesign, to rearrange
- (Not for moving furniture in your apartment, but if it involves painting and hanging up stuff.)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgewöhntPreterite (written past): gewöhnte umsee details >1.
- to slowly readjust
- ("sich (Akk) umgewöhnen".. for people getting used to something that has changed)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgebgrabenPreterite (written past): grub umsee details >1.
- to dig over, to break up
- (for fields)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgehabtPreterite (written past): hatte umsee details >1.
- to wear
- (For stuff you put "around" you, like scarfs and chains and stuff like that.)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgehauenPreterite (written past): haute um1.
- to knock over
see details >2.- to seriously impress
- (colloquial, usually positive, but not always)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgehörtPreterite (written past): hörte umsee details >1.
- to ask around
- ("sich+Acc umhören" - the self reference must be there. Quite common in the sense of "I'll see if I hear something." NOT for actual intense asking around, for example for the way to the train station.)
- Perfect (spoken past): ist umgekehrtPreterite (written past): kehrte umsee details >1.
- to reverse direction, to turn around
- Perfect (spoken past): ist umgekipptPreterite (written past): kippte um1.
- to fall over
- (Something that stands and then falls over. Pretty much the same as "umfallen", but "umkippen" is more common for drinks.)
2.- to topple over, to knock over
- (Knocking over a standing object. Primarily used for knocking over someone's drink. Doesn't always sound idiomatic for other objects, especially big ones.)
see details >3.- to go sour
- (For milk and juices that go bad.)
- Perfect (spoken past): ist umgeknicktPreterite (written past): knickte um1.
- to fold over, to snap
- (For the corner of pages in a book when you make a dog-ear, and also for flowers and branches that you bend and break. Spoken past goes with "haben".)
see details >2.- to twist one's ankle
- (Very common verb for twisting or rolling one's ankle. Is used WITHOUT saying "ankle" or "foot". The verb alone is 100% clear.)
- Perfect (spoken past): ist umgekommenPreterite (written past): kam umsee details >1.
- to die
- (Sounds softer than "sterben". Only used for accidents and natural disasters. Not dying of disease, natural cause or murder. The similar "ums Leben kommen" is probably more common. )
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgekriegtPreterite (written past): kriegte um1.
- to get put on
- (For scarfs, medals and other stuff people can put "around" your body. Very colloquial.)
see details >2.- to manage to put on
- (Think of someone managing to put on a tight belt (around their waist). Very colloquial. )
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgelassenPreterite (written past): ließ umsee details >1.
- to not take off
- (For something you have wrapped around you. Like, think of not taking off a scarf or your gun holster in a restaurant.)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgelegtPreterite (written past): legte um1.
- to turn, to throw
- (For levers and lever-like switches that you "lay" from one side to the other. Not very common in daily life.)
2.- to divide among, to split, to pass on to
- ("umlegen auf+Acc" - pretty much only used in the context of dividing costs between parties. Think an apartment building and the costs for the hallway lights.)
3.- to kill
- (A very colloquial term for killing, mainly with a gun. You'll hear it in action movies a lot.)
see details >4.- to put on, to put around
- (For some items that you literally "lay" around somewhere. Like a scarf for example. A bit more high register sounding than "ummachen".)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgeleitetPreterite (written past): leitete umsee details >1.
- to redirect
- (traffic, travelling entities)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgelenktPreterite (written past): lenkte umsee details >1.
- to change direction, to redirect
- (Not very common and it does NOT work for changing directions of cars and bikes.)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgemachtPreterite (written past): machte umsee details >1.
- to put on
- (ONLY for clothes and wearables that are "put around" in some way. Like a scarf or a wristband.)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgemeldetPreterite (written past): meldete umsee details >1.
- register at a new apartment after a move
- ("sich+Acc ummelden")
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgeräumtPreterite (written past): räumte umsee details >1.
- to rearrange the furniture in one’s home
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgerechnetPreterite (written past): rechnete umsee details >1.
- to convert
- (For units of measurement.)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgerührtPreterite (written past): rührte umsee details >1.
- to stir
- (used for coffee, tea and soups mainly)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgerüstetPreterite (written past): rüstete umsee details >1.
- to reequip, to refurbish
- (Making an object ready for a different purpose than the original one. )
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgeschaltetPreterite (written past): schlatete um1.
- to switch, to change
- (In the general sense of switching a setting. Often combined with the preposition "auf" to connect the new setting.)
see details >2.- to change channels, to switch
- (Changing the channels while watching TV.)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgeschautPreterite (written past): schaute um1.
- to look around
- ("sich+Acc umschauen" - can be used to just scan the surrounding, but also for more searching, like looking around in a store.)
see details >2.- to be impressed
- (Used either in past or future and often with coloring phrasings like "ganz schön".)
- Perfect (spoken past): ist umgeschlagenPreterite (written past): schlug umsee details >1.
- to change
- (ONLY used for weather)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgeschriebenPreterite (written past): schrieb umsee details >1.
- to rewrite, to edit, to change
- (Changing a piece of writing, without redoing it completely.)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgesehenPreterite (written past): sah um1.
- to look around
- (The self reference (in Accusative) MUST be there. The focus is on looking around to check the surroundings. )
see details >2.- to search, to look for
- ("sich+Acc umsehen nach" - for slow searches, like for instance searching for a new apartment.)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgesetztPreterite (written past): setzte um1.
- to switch seats, to put elsewhere
- (Like most setzen-versions that are about sitting down, this one, too will usually be used with a self reference - "sich+Acc umsetzen". Also used in gardening for putting plants to a different place.)
2.- to put into practice, to realize
- (For projects and plans. Quite common.)
Opposite (closest): planensee details >3.- to transact, to have revenue
- (It's a word for the money you earn with your business before all expenses and such. So just what you take in from sales.)
- Perfect (spoken past): ist umgestiegenPreterite (written past): stieg umsee details >1.
- to switch from one to the other
- ("umsteigen auf+Acc" - Works for switching trains or buses but also for figuratives switches like changing from PC to Mac or coffee to tea (both of which shall never do!).)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgestelltPreterite (written past): stellte um1.
- move from one place to another
- (Pretty much ONLY used for furniture. And often "umräumen" is more idiomatic choice there.)
see details >2.- to adjust, to change, shift
- ("umstellen (auf)" - for settings and all kinds of "organized plans" including things like diet. Also works reflexively for "readjusting, adepting" yourself.)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgestimmtPreterite (written past): stimmte umsee details >1.
- to change someone’s mind
- (not too common)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgestoßenPreterite (written past): stieß umsee details >1.
- to knock over, to topple
- (Sometimes also used in a figurative sense for systems and governments)
- Perfect (spoken past): hat umgetauschtPreterite (written past): tauschte umsee details >1.
- to change
- (for money and clothes that don't fit)
Here's a quick overview with translations. For family, examples and more check the details.
