Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| herunterladen | /hɛˈʁʊntɐˌlaːdən/ |
| downloaden | /ˈdaʊ̯nˌloːdən/ /-ˌlɔʊ̯dən/ |
The verb refers to the process of transferring data from a remote computer to a local one. You can use the phrase etwas aus dem Internet herunterladen to mean 'to download something from the internet'.
Which one should you use?
herunterladen is the standard German verb used in formal speech and technical documentation. In contrast, downloaden is an anglicism commonly used in casual conversation and digital contexts. Additionally, runterladen is an informal way to express the same action.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
herunterladen is a separable verb, which means the prefix herunter- moves to the end of the sentence in main clauses, such as Ich lade die Datei herunter. It is a strong verb, so the third-person singular present form is herunterlädt. The past participle is heruntergeladen, and when using the perfect tense, it uses the auxiliary verb haben (e.g., heruntergeladen hat).
How do you pronounce it?
/hɛˈʁʊntɐˌlaːdən/
Did you know?
- In German, the word laden is also used for charging a battery, meaning 'to download' and 'to charge' share the same root verb.
- The verb laden originally referred to loading cargo onto a ship or wagon. The modern digital meaning is a metaphor for moving data as if it were physical freight.
- While downloaden is common, some German purists prefer herunterladen to avoid 'Denglisch', a blend of German and English.
Examples in context
- Wo kann ich den Film downloaden?Where can I download the movie?This sentence is useful for asking where to find a specific movie to download using downloaden.Tatoeba #13061928 by Vortarulo, translation #10071539 by moxy
- Wie kann ich die Datei herunterladen?How do I download the file?This sentence is useful for asking how to perform a download using herunterladen.Tatoeba #8098146 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #5738382 by CM
- Die Datei ist zu groß zum Herunterladen.The file is too big to download.This sentence is useful for describing a file that is too large for the process of downloading using Herunterladen.Tatoeba #9705826 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #9479625 by DJ_Saidez
- Könnten Sie bitte das Dokument für mich downloaden?Could you please download the document for me?
- Kannst du das Lied für mich runterladen?Can you download the song for me?
- Ich habe den Film heruntergeladen.I have downloaded the movie.
- Hast du den Download abgeschlossen?Have you completed the download?
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sarah and Lukas are working together on a computer.
- SarahLukas, kannst du die Präsentation herunterladen?Lukas, can you download the presentation?
- LukasJa, ich lade sie gerade herunter.Yes, I am downloading it right now.
- SarahSuper, dann können wir anfangen.Great, then we can start.
- LukasEs ist fertig, die Datei ist da.It is finished, the file is here.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “download” translations and entries herunterladen, downloaden, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
