kaufen
[ˈkaʊ̯fn̩]
To buy in German is kaufen.
The verb kaufen is the most common and general term for the act of obtaining something with money.
Meaning: to obtain something with money (verb)
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between kaufen, which means to buy a specific item and einkaufen, which refers to the general activity of shopping or running errands.
How does it change in a sentence?
The simple past tense of kaufen is kaufte, and the past participle used for perfect tenses is gekauft. The related noun for a purchase or the act of shopping is der Einkauf.
Did you know?
- The German word kaufen is an ancient relative of the English word 'cheap', as both stem from the same Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to grasp' or 'to take'.
- A common German idiom die Katze im Sack kaufen means to 'buy the cat in the bag', which is the equivalent of the English 'buying a pig in a poke'.
- The German language has a specific term Schnäppchenjagd, meaning 'bargain hunt', to describe the thrill of using kaufen to get items at a deep discount.
Examples in context
- Was soll ich kaufen?What should I buy?This sentence is useful for asking for a suggestion on what to buy using kaufen.Tatoeba #3997776 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #423157 by CM
- Er wird Brot kaufen.He'll buy some bread.This sentence shows how to use kaufen to express a future intention to buy something.Tatoeba #4774451 by Tamy, translation #8981889 by sundown
- Kann ich das kaufen?Can I buy that?This sentence shows how to use kaufen to ask for permission to buy an item.Tatoeba #8089197 by Luiaard, translation #6274908 by CK
- Ich möchte das Buch kaufen.I would like to buy the book.
- Wir haben das Produkt erworben.We have purchased the product.
- Ich plane, ein Auto anzuschaffen.I plan to buy a car.
- Kannst du mir ein Eis holen?Can you buy me an ice cream?
- Ich kaufe mir heute neue Schuhe.I'm buying myself new shoes today.
- 1559 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Laura and Julian are shopping at a local market.
- LauraJulian, sollen wir diese Äpfel kaufen?Julian, should we buy these apples?
- JulianJa, sie sehen sehr frisch aus.Yes, they look very fresh.
- LauraIch kaufe auch noch die Erdbeeren.I will buy the strawberries too.
- JulianGute Idee, Laura.Good idea, Laura.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “buy” translations and entries kaufen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries kaufen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
