verlangen
/fɛʁˈlaŋən/
To demand in German is verlangen. Wiktionary also lists bestehen (auf etwas).
Meaning: to request forcefully (verb)
Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| verlangen | /fɛʁˈlaŋən/ |
| bestehen (auf etwas) | /bəˈʃteːən aʊ̯f ˈɛtvas/ (word by word) |
The verb verlangen is used to request something forcefully or formally. If you are discussing economics, such as the amount a consumer is willing to buy at a particular price or the general desire to purchase goods and services, the nouns Nachfrage or Bedarf are used.
Which one should you use?
While verlangen is a direct demand for something to be given, bestehen (auf etwas) is used when you insist on a specific condition or a right being respected.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The simple past (Präteritum) form of verlangen is verlangte. To form the perfect tense, use the past participle verlangt (for example, hat verlangt).
How do you pronounce it?
/fɛʁˈlaŋən/
Did you know?
- Depending on the object being requested, verlangen can carry an aggressive or even 'lustful' connotation that 'demand' lacks in English.
- The German word for economic demand, Nachfrage, is a compound of nach (after) and Frage (question), literally meaning a 'following question'.
- The word verlangen is a cognate of the obsolete English word 'forlong', which meant to long for or desire something.
Examples in context
- Es gibt viele Fragen, die eine Antwort verlangen.There are many questions which demand answers.This sentence shows how questions can demand an answer using verlangen.Tatoeba #8201745 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #11514118 by sundown
- Wir verlangen Taten!We demand action.This sentence is an example of demanding action with verlangen.Tatoeba #4536270 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #4530159 by CK
- Tom kann verlangen, was immer er will. Er wird nichts bekommen.Tom can demand whatever he wants. He will get nothing.This sentence shows a person demanding what they want using verlangen.Tatoeba #11991174 by Naina, translation #11989975 by Ergulis
- Wir fordern eine sofortige Antwort.We demand an immediate response.
- Die Kundin verlangt eine Erstattung.The customer demands a refund.
- Wir fordern Ihre sofortige Unterstützung. Bitte antworten Sie so bald wie möglich.We demand your immediate assistance. Please respond as soon as possible.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “demand” translations and entries verlangen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (bestehen, auf, etwas) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bestehen, verlangen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
