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Dictionary > unter verbs

    Here's a quick overview with translations. For family, examples and more check the details.
  • (d)runtersetzen
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): hat runtergesetzt
    Preterite (written past): setzte runter
    1.
    to sit down
    (In the sense of switching seating places from somewhere up to down. Think of someone sitting on a table then switching to the floor. Usually used with a self reference - "sich+Acc runtersetzen".)
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): hochsetzen
    2.
    to reduce in price
    (Especially "runtergesetzt" is pretty common in daily life conversations. )
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): hochsetzen
    3.
    to sit down under it
    (In the literal sense of taking a seat under something. Like, think of a tree during a rainfall. Usually used reflexively - "sich+Acc druntersetzen". )
    How useful:
    see details >
  • (dr)unterziehen
    (unter (sep))
    Perfect (spoken past): hat untergezogen
    Preterite (written past): zog unter
    1.
    to put something underneath
    ("sich+Dat etwas unterziehen" - in the sense of clothes. Both "runterziehen" and "drunterziehen" work, but "runterziehen" sounds a bit weird.)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • (he)runterkommen
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): ist runtergekommen
    Preterite (written past): kam runter
    1.
    to come down
    (Works in a factual sense of "going to a lower altitude" but also for coming down from some sort of "trip", be it from stress, anger or drugs. For numbers, "runtergehen" is the more common choice.)
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): raufkommen
    2.
    to get run down
    (The adjective "heruntergekommen" is more common.)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • (he)runterladen
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): hat runtergeladen
    Preterite (written past): lud runter
    1.
    to download
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): hochladen
    see details >
  • runterziehen
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): hat runtergezogen
    Preterite (written past): zog runter
    1.
    to drag down, to depress
    (In the figurative sense of pulling someone's mood down. )
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): aufmuntern
    2.
    to pull down
    (In the literal sense of pulling down an object. Like pants, for example.)
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): hochziehen
    3.
    to move down
    (In the sense of moving to a specified location in the South. Not common, but you might hear it. Spoken past goes with "sein".)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • runterbringen
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): hat runtergebracht
    Preterite (written past): brachte runter
    1.
    to bring down(stairs)
    (quite literal, rarely used in sense of just lowering)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • runterdrücken
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): hat runtergedrückt
    Preterite (written past): drückte runter
    1.
    to push down
    (Only in a literal sense.)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • runterfahren
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): hat runtergefahren
    Preterite (written past): fuhr runter
    1.
    to drive down something
    (The spoken past goes with "sein" here, even though the slope is the direct object.)
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): hochfahren
    2.
    to shut down
    (For complex machinery and computers. For small devices like phones and tablets, "ausmachen" is more common)
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): hochfahren
    see details >
  • (he)runterfallen
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): ist runtergefallen
    Preterite (written past): fiel runter
    1.
    to fall down
    (In the sense of falling from height. Doesn't need to be high at all, but there needs to be a "vertical difference". So it does NOT work for a person falling over on the street. More common with just "runter". "herunter" is for snobs.)
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): (d)rauffallen
    2.
    to drop
    ("jemandem fällt etwas runter" - German phrases it backwards. So the thing you drop "drops from you". Pretty much ALWAYS "runterfallen", so without the "fancy" "her" that textbooks love so much.)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • runtergeben
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): hat runtergegeben
    Preterite (written past): gab runter
    1.
    to hand down
    (ONLY in the super literal sense of handing down an object from a higher stance. Think of a person on a ladder handing down something from the attic. NOT for figurative handing down.)
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): (d)raufgeben
    see details >
  • runtergehen
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): ist runtergegangen
    Preterite (written past): ging runter
    1.
    to go down(ward), to come down, to sink
    (Works for actually walking down somewhere but colloquially also for number based things going down like temperature or prices.)
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): (d)raufgehen
    see details >
  • runtergucken
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): hat runtergeguckt
    Preterite (written past): guckte runter
    1.
    to look down(ward)
    (In a literal sense as well as in a figurative sense of looking down on someone ("runtergucken auf+Acc"))
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): hochgucken
    see details >
  • (d)runterhalten
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): hat runtergehalten
    Preterite (written past): hielt runter
    1.
    to hold something down/under something
    (Very literal. Think of holding your hands under a small waterfall. NOT for figuratively holding someone down. Both "r-" and "dr-" are idiomatic, "dr-" just has the focus a little more on the stationary aspect. "her-" is not idiomatic at all.)
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): (d)rüberhalten
    see details >
  • runterheben
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): hat runtergehoben
    Preterite (written past): hob runter
    1.
    to lift something down from something
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): raufheben
    see details >
  • runterholen
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): hat runtergeholt
    Preterite (written past): holte runter
    1.
    to take down
    (In the sense of bringing down something, but NOT for fights.)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • runterkriegen
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): hat runtergekriegt
    Preterite (written past): kriegte runter
    1.
    to manage to get something off
    (In the sense of getting off a layer from somewhere. "abkriegen" is usually the better choice.)
    How useful:
    2.
    to manage to get/take down
    (In the sense of getting an object down from somewhere. Can also work for lowering quantities, but it's tricky to use idiomatically.)
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): hochkriegen
    3.
    to manage to put under
    ("(d)runterkriegen" - has a notion of squeezing stuff under something.)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • (d)runterlassen
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): hat runtergelassen
    Preterite (written past): ließ runter
    1.
    to "let" something (go) down
    ("runter" or "herunter" but not "drunter" - Literal, like for instance letting down one's pants or Rapunzel letting down her hair. Can also be about giving permission to go down. NOT for "letting down" in sense of disappointing. )
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): (d)rauflassen
    2.
    to leave under it
    ("drunterlassen" - Literally, in the sense of not removing something that's under something else. Like a bucket under the sink. ONLY works with "drunter-" because it is stationary, not directed. )
    How useful:
    see details >
  • runterlaufen
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): ist runtergelaufen
    Preterite (written past): lief runter
    1.
    to run down
    (for liquids on a surface)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • (d)runterlegen
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): hat runtergelegt
    Preterite (written past): legte runter
    1.
    to lay down
    (In the literal sense of taking an object that was "up" and laying it down.)
    How useful:
    2.
    to lay under
    ("(d)runterlegen (unter+Acc)" - The focus here is that the object then STAYS under the thing. Think of putting a floor cloth under a dripping sink. That's why "dr-" is more idiomatic than "r-". "her-" is NOT an option, despite what textbooks might imply.)
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): rüberlegen
    see details >
  • runtermachen
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): hat runtergemacht
    Preterite (written past): machte runter
    1.
    to take down, to make down
    (Generic word. Works for taking onions off of a pizza as well as for lowering your car window.)
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): raufmachen
    2.
    to diminish, to slam someone
    (Talking really bad about them and dimishing all their qualities.)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • runternehmen
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): hat runtergenommen
    Preterite (written past): nahm runter
    1.
    to take down, to take of
    (For literally taking pepperoni off of a pizza and also for taking down stuff that was up online. )
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): (d)rauflegen
    see details >
  • runterschreiben
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): hat runtergeschrieben
    Preterite (written past): schrieb runter
    1.
    to write down
    (In the sense of cranking out a long text in one go.)
    How useful:
    2.
    to write something under something
    (The "where" has to be already established. Can also be "drunter-" which puts more focus on the stuff then being there.)
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): rüberschreiben
    3.
    to write down, to criticze
    (In the sense of "tearing down" through writing. )
    How useful:
    see details >
  • runterspringen (von)
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): ist runtergesprungen
    Preterite (written past): sprang runter
    1.
    to jump down (from)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • runtersteigen
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): ist runtergestiegen
    Preterite (written past): stieg runter
    1.
    to climb down
    ("runtersteigen (von)" - For smaller things like climbing down from a table. Sounds a bit more complicated than it needs to be. "runterklettern" is more common.)
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): (d)raufsteigen
    see details >
  • (d)runterstellen
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): hat runtergestellt
    Preterite (written past): stellte runter
    1.
    to put down on the ground
    (Something that was on a table for instance, implies a certain weight. Only works with "runter".)
    How useful:
    2.
    to turn down
    (In a sense of lower, but not off. The main use I can think of is a heater or a stove, but it's not useful beyond that. Can work with "herunter" and "runter")
    How useful:
    3.
    to put something "under it/that"
    (The focus is on the fact that the object then stands under whatever it is for a while, so the stationary part matters. That's why only "drunter" is really idiomatic. "runter" kind of works, "herunter" not at all.)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • runtertragen
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): hat runtergetragen
    Preterite (written past): trug runter
    1.
    to carry down(stairs)
    (Only in the literal sense of carrying something down the stairs or down a mountain or something.)
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): hochtragen
    see details >
  • runterwerfen
    (he(runter) verb)
    Perfect (spoken past): hat runtergeworfen
    Preterite (written past): warf runter
    1.
    to throw something down, to drop
    (In the literal sense of throwing an object down from somewhere. Sometimes also used in the sense of "to drop" but "fallen lassen" is the safer choice there.)
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): raufstellen
    see details >
  • unterbelichten
    (unter (sep))
    Perfect (spoken past): hat unterbelichtet
    Preterite (written past): belichtete unter
    1.
    to underexpose
    (Only in the sense of photography and film.)
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): überbelichten
    see details >
  • unterbieten
    (unter (insep))
    Perfect (spoken past): hat unterboten
    Preterite (written past): unterbat
    1.
    to beat (by going lower)
    (often in context of prices)
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): überbieten
    see details >
  • unterbinden
    (unter (insep))
    Perfect (spoken past): hat unterbunden
    Preterite (written past): unterband
    1.
    to prevent, to stop
    (Technical term for taking measures that ensure some behavior or act is not done anymore.)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • unterbrechen
    (unter (insep))
    Perfect (spoken past): hat unterbrochen
    Preterite (written past): unterbrach
    1.
    to interrupt
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): ausreden
    see details >
  • unterbringen
    (unter (sep))
    Perfect (spoken past): hat untergebracht
    Preterite (written past): brachte unter
    1.
    to accommodate, to place
    (in the sense of a finding some room for something)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • unterdrücken
    (unter (insep))
    Perfect (spoken past): hat unterdrückt
    Preterite (written past): unterdrückte
    1.
    to suppress, to oppress
    (When used in the psychological sense, it's less "gone" than "verdrängen")
    How useful:
    see details >
  • untergehen
    (unter (sep))
    Perfect (spoken past): ist untergegangen
    Preterite (written past): ging unter
    1.
    to sink
    (For ships)
    How useful:
    2.
    to fall apart, vanish
    (For big entities like empires or civilizations. You wouldn't use it for a marriage that is falling apart)
    How useful:
    3.
    to set
    (For sun, moon and stars)
    How useful:
    Opposite (closest): aufgehen
    see details >
  • untergraben
    (unter (insep))
    Perfect (spoken past): hat untergraben
    Preterite (written past): untergrub
    1.
    to undermine
    How useful:
    see details >
  • unterhalten
    (unter (insep))
    Perfect (spoken past): hat unterhalten
    Preterite (written past): unterhielt
    1.
    to have a conversation, to talk
    ("sich+Acc unterhalten mit" - quite common. The "mit" is optional)
    How useful:
    2.
    to sustain, to maintain
    (In the sense of financially sustain someone or something. Sounds quite formal. The noun "der Unterhalt" is used in the context of child support.)
    How useful:
    3.
    to entertain
    ("jemanden unterhalten" - in the sense of entertainment. It's what a Netflix series does, for example. Also used reflexively in the sense of having fun somewhere.Sounds a bit "high brow", so not a good fit for a wild party. NOT for entertaining a thought.)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • unterheben
    (unter (sep))
    Perfect (spoken past): hat untergehoben
    Preterite (written past): hob unter
    1.
    to (gently) fold in
    (ONLY in cooking! It's about adding whipped cream or egg white foam to a dough or mass of some kind. I hate baking, so I don't really know.)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • unterjubeln
    (unter (sep))
    Perfect (spoken past): hat untergejubelt
    Preterite (written past): jubelte unter
    1.
    to talk someone into buying something
    (You "cheer" it into their possession. Usually used in contexts of stuff that the person doesn't really need.)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • unterkommen
    (unter (sep))
    Perfect (spoken past): ist untergekommen
    Preterite (written past): kam unter
    1.
    to find shelter, to crash
    (In a a low-urgency way. Not what you'd use in context of finding shelter from a snow storm.)
    How useful:
    2.
    cross one's path
    ("etwas kommt mir unter"... rarely used. Mostly for events or instances, NOT for people crossing one's path)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • unterlassen
    (unter (insep))
    Perfect (spoken past): hat unterlassen
    Preterite (written past): unterließ
    1.
    to refrain from doing
    (Sounds stiff and formal. The "act" is the direct object. If you use a "zu"-sentence, then it's better to use a dummy-"es" also.)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • unterlegen
    (unter (insep))
    Perfect (spoken past): hat unterlegt
    Preterite (written past): unterlegte
    1.
    to add a backdrop to
    ("etwas+Acc unterlegen mit" - Mainly used for adding a background audio somewhere. Sometimes also used with texts and background color.)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • unterlegen
    (unter (sep))
    Perfect (spoken past): hat untergelegt
    Preterite (written past): legte unter
    1.
    to lay under
    (Pretty much only used in the context of putting something under something as a protection or to catch water. )
    How useful:
    see details >
  • unterliegen
    (unter (insep))
    Perfect (spoken past): hat unterlegen
    Preterite (written past): unterlag
    1.
    to succumb, to be defeated
    (In contexts of there being a competition.)
    How useful:
    2.
    to be subject to
    (For regulations or restrictions of all kinds.)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • unternehmen
    (unter (insep))
    Perfect (spoken past): hat unternommen
    Preterite (written past): unternahm
    1.
    to do something
    (in the sense of an undertaking. Often used in context of doing something cool on the weekend, or doing something to solve a bigger problem. Not for small things at work. The better word there is simply "machen".)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • unterordnen
    (unter (sep))
    Perfect (spoken past): hat untergeordnet
    Preterite (written past): ordnete unter
    1.
    to subordinate A to B
    ("A+Acc B+Dat unterordnen" - can be used for files, but it also works for priorities and human hierarchies. Also often used "reflexively" for a person "taking their place as a subordinate" or "accepting authority" - "sich+Acc unterordnen".)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • unterrichten (in)
    (unter (insep))
    Perfect (spoken past): hat unterrichtet
    Preterite (written past): unterrichtete
    1.
    to teach
    (If you want to connect the topic, you need to do that with "in")
    How useful:
    2.
    to inform
    (a formal word for informing someone about something)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • untersagen
    (unter (insep))
    Perfect (spoken past): hat untersagt
    Preterite (written past): untersagte
    1.
    to forbid, to prohibit
    (Sounds less severe than "verbieten", but in essence it's the same thing. It's the literal translation of "to interdict".)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • unterscheiden (von)
    (unter (insep))
    Perfect (spoken past): ist untergeschieden
    Preterite (written past): schied unter
    1.
    to distinguish, to differentiate
    (Often also used reflexively ("sich+Acc unterscheiden"))
    How useful:
    see details >
  • unterschlagen
    (unter (insep))
    Perfect (spoken past): hat unterschlagen
    Preterite (written past): unterschlug
    1.
    to embezzle, to withhold, to peculate
    (The core idea is withholding funds or information.)
    How useful:
    see details >
  • unterschreiben
    (unter (insep))
    Perfect (spoken past): hat unterschrieben
    Preterite (written past): unterschrieb
    1.
    to sign, to underwrite
    (Figuratively also used in the sense of agreeing with something. )
    How useful:
    see details >


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