Dictionary > verbs
- Perfect (spoken past): hat raufgegebenPreterite (written past): gab rauf1.
- to give upward
- (The literal meaning of handing an object upward. Think of handing a screw driver to someone on a ladder. "hochgeben" is more idiomatic overall, I think.)
How useful:Opposite (closest): runtergebensee details >2.- to put on top of
- (Can be "draufgeben" or "raufgeben". Think of asking an ice cream vendor if they can add some chocolate sirupe on top. Sounds a bit formal, though and "(d)raufmachen" is the more common choice.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat raufgekriegtPreterite (written past): kriegte rauf1.
- to get up
- (In the sense of managing to move something up somewhere. Think of moving a heavy couch.)
How useful:see details >2.- to get on top
- (Very colloquial. Used in context of getting a topping on your food.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): ist raufgestiegenPreterite (written past): stieg raufsee details >1.
- to get on (it), to climb on (it)
- (Getting or climbing onto a thing that has been established before. Can be a simple table or a bike. Rare for a mountain. More common in the sense of "stepping on", but that's regional. Either "rauf-" or "drauf-" but pretty much never "herauf-".)
How useful:Opposite (closest): runtersteigen - Perfect (spoken past): ist rübergelaufenPreterite (written past): lief rübersee details >1.
- to walk across
- (Think of a bridge. With "rüber", the focus is a bit more on A to B, with "drüber" it's on being on it while crossing. But that is some C-Level nuance.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat rübergestelltPreterite (written past): stellte rüber1.
- to put something over there
- (ONLY in the literal sense of putting an object from one "side" to another. Think of putting a chair over into the living room or moving the mirror out of the way, or something.)
How useful:see details >2.- to put over/above
- ("drüberstellen" - Literally putting something over something. Think of a table over a door in the floor, for example. Can also be "rüberstellen" but "drüberstellen" is more common, because it's about the resulting position, not the motion.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat runtergesetztPreterite (written past): setzte runter1.
- 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): hochsetzen2.- to reduce in price
- (Especially "runtergesetzt" is pretty common in daily life conversations. )
How useful:Opposite (closest): hochsetzensee details >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: - Perfect (spoken past): ist hintergestiegenPreterite (written past): stieg hinter1.
- to climb to the rear
- (Technically, it can mean that, but I doubt you'll see it in real life any time soon. Maybe for climbing to the backseat of a car from the front.)
How useful:see details >2.- to understand something
- ("dahintersteigen" - the "da" often gets split off and moved elsewhere. Pretty similar to "durchsteigen", but this one is more about one particular "mystery". Think of a magical trick that you can't understand how it's done.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat untergezogenPreterite (written past): zog untersee details >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: - Perfect (spoken past): hat rausbekommenPreterite (written past): bekam raus1.
- to get out
- (In the literal sense of managing to get something out of somewhere.)
How useful:Opposite (closest): reinbekommensee details >2.- to find out
- (Usually implies a big of digging or at least some sort of secret.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): ist rausgestiegenPreterite (written past): stieg raussee details >1.
- to climb out (to rise out)
- (Super literal and barely ever used, except in epic contexts. That's why it's usually also with "her-" and not just "r-". Maybe think of a queen slowly leaving a pool. For most contexts, "rausklettern" is more idiomatic.)
How useful:Opposite (closest): reinsteigen - Perfect (spoken past): hat rumgeschlagenPreterite (written past): schlug rumsee details >1.
- to deal with (a hassle)
- ("sich+Acc rumschlagen mit" - think of a tricky excel problem that you deal with for like three days. Needs to be used in this phrasing, so with self reference and "mit".)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat rumgespieltPreterite (written past): spielte rumsee details >
- Perfect (spoken past): ist rumgezogenPreterite (written past): zog rumsee details >1.
- to move around
- (Either moving around town with friends, or in the sense of moving from settlement to settlement. Think of a circus for example. Though in the latter context, "umherziehen" is more idiomatic because.... reasons #reasonsarethebest)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): ist runtergekommenPreterite (written past): kam runter1.
- 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): hochkommensee details > - Perfect (spoken past): hat vorgegucktPreterite (written past): guckte vorsee details >1.
- to peek out, to stick out
- (An object peeking out from a cover. Think of a unicorn trying to hide behind a bush, but the horn sticks out.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat vorgeholtPreterite (written past): holte vorsee details >1.
- to bring out, to take out
- (Take out something you had in your pockets (or personality). "hervorholen" is more probably a bit more common.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat ernährtPreterite (written past): ernährtesee details >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.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat abgeändertPreterite (written past): änderte absee details >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.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat abgearbeitetPreterite (written past): arbeitete ab1.
- to work, to get done
- (For a heap of work that you slowly "ablate" through work. )
How useful:see details >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. )
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat abgebautPreterite (written past): baute absee details >
- Perfect (spoken past): hat abgebissenPreterite (written past): biss absee details >
- Perfect (spoken past): hat abbekommenPreterite (written past): bekam ab1.
- to get a share
- ("etwas abbekommen von" - sounds a bit clumsy and needy, so don't use it in a professional business context.)
How useful: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. )
How useful:see details >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. )
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat abbestelltPreterite (written past): bestellte absee details >
- Perfect (spoken past): hat abgebogenPreterite (written past): bog absee details >
- Perfect (spoken past): hat abgebildetPreterite (written past): bildete absee details >
- Perfect (spoken past): hat abgebundenPreterite (written past): band absee details >3.
- to put on a tourniquet, to secure
- (Put on a pressure bandage or tourniquet. You "bind off" that body part or artery.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat abgeblasenPreterite (written past): blies ab1.
- to blow off
- (ONLY for literally blowing an object off from somewhere. SUPER rare!!)
How useful:see details >2.- to cancel, to call off
- (Colloquial phrase for cancelling an event or project.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): ist abgeblättertPreterite (written past): blätterte absee details >
- Perfect (spoken past): ist abgebliebenPreterite (written past): blieb absee details >2.
- to be
- (Pretty much only in questions for the location of an object like "Wo ist ... abgeblieben?")
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat abgebrochenPreterite (written past): brach ab1.
- to abort
- (In the sense of "stopping an ongoing process". NOT for abortions in context of pregnancy.)
How useful:see details > - Perfect (spoken past): hat abgebremstPreterite (written past): bremste absee details >1.
- to brake
- (Sounds a bit more sudden than "bremsen" but the difference is mostly based on what's idiomatic in a context.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): ist abgebranntPreterite (written past): brannte absee details >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".)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat abgebrachtPreterite (written past): brachte absee details >1.
- to talk sb out of sth
- ("jemanden (Acc) von etwas (Dative) abbringen); always needs to come with the von-part.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat abgebuchtPreterite (written past): buchte absee details >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.)
How useful:Opposite (closest): überweisen - Perfect (spoken past): hat abgedanktPreterite (written past): dankte absee details >1.
- to demit, to abdicate
- (The formal term for ruler officially stepping back. Can be a king but also a government. Sounds big. Für single politicians, "zurücktreten" is the better choice.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat abgedecktPreterite (written past): deckte ab1.
- 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)
How useful:see details > - Perfect (spoken past): hat abgedichtetPreterite (written past): dichtete absee details >
- Perfect (spoken past): hat abgedrehtPreterite (written past): drehte absee details >
- Perfect (spoken past): ist abgedriftetPreterite (written past): driftete absee details >1.
- to drift of, to get carried away
- (Works in the literal sense of a piece of wood drifting in a stream, but the main use is for going of on a tangent in thoughts or a conversation.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hatPreterite (written past):see details >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.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat abgedrücktPreterite (written past): drückte absee details >2.
- to pay money
- ("abdrücken (für)" - very colloquial and usually in contexts where you think something is quite a lot of money.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat abgeduschtPreterite (written past): duschte absee details >1.
- to give a shower, to shower off
- (The focus is a bit more on getting something off. Think of getting of the mud after a mud bath. The verb always takes the person or thing you shower as a direct object, so if you do it to yourself it's "sich+Acc abduschen".)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat aberkanntPreterite (written past): erkannte absee details >1.
- to revoke, to abjudicate, to strip
- (Officially taking a title or privilege from someone. Not necessarily the direct opposite of "anerkennen" because that one is more about accepting reality.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat abgeerntetPreterite (written past): erntete absee details >1.
- to harvest, to reap
- (Slightly technical term that includes the idea of completion. So you harvest a field or tree completely. )
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): ist abgefahrenPreterite (written past): fuhr ab1.
- 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.)
How useful:2.- to dig, to really like
- ("abfahren auf+Acc" - quite colloquial and not easy to use idiomatically, because it doesn't always work.)
How useful:4.- to drive along
- (ONLY in the sense of driving a full course of something, usually in a context of some sort of inspection.)
How useful:see details >5.- to drive down
- (For mountains and hills and primarily used in context of biking or skiing.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): ist abgefallenPreterite (written past): fiel ab3.
- to come out of, to be yielded
- (Mainly for financial gains or other compensations. The benefits are what does the "abfallen".)
How useful:see details >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.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat abgefangenPreterite (written past): fing absee details >
- Perfect (spoken past): hat abgefärbtPreterite (written past): färbte ab1.
- 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.)
How useful:see details >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.)
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat abgefedertPreterite (written past): federte absee details >1.
- to cushion, to absorb (a shock)
- (Softening an impact. Also used figuratively. )
How useful: - Perfect (spoken past): hat abgefeiertPreterite (written past): feierte absee details >
Here's a quick overview with translations. For family, examples and more check the details.