tunken
/ˈtʊŋkən/
The English verb "dunk" can be translated into German as tunken. Wiktionary also lists eintunken.
Meaning: to submerge briefly in a liquid (verb)
Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| tunken | /ˈtʊŋkən/ |
| eintunken | [ˈaɪ̯nˌtʊŋkn̩] (narrow) |
Both tunken and eintunken mean to submerge something briefly in a liquid. tunken is often used specifically for food, such as dipping bread into soup or cookies into milk.
Which one should you use?
The separable verb eintunken is used when emphasizing the act of dipping something into a substance.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb tunken has the simple past tense form tunkte and the past participle form getunkt. The verb eintunken is a separable verb.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈtʊŋkən/
Did you know?
- While tunken refers to the physical act, German uses the related root in the phrase das dünkt mich, meaning 'that seems to me'.
- The English word 'dunk' entered the English language through Pennsylvania German, rather than directly from standard High German.
- In German, tunken is the primary word for dipping food, while tauchen is used for people diving into water.
Examples in context
- Hey, hast du gesehen, wie er gedunkt hat?Hey, did you see him dunking?
- Du darfst den Keks nicht zu lange in die Milch tunken.You shouldn't dunk the cookie in the milk for too long.
- Ich möchte das Gemüse nur kurz in die Soße tunken.I just want to dip the vegetables into the sauce briefly.
Example conversation
Julian and Sarah are eating snacks at a cafe.
- JulianWillst du den Brotstick in den Dip tunken?Do you want to dip the breadstick into the dip?
- SarahJa, das sieht sehr lecker aus.Yes, that looks very delicious.
- JulianIch gebe dir auch ein Stück von meinem Brot.I will give you a piece of my bread too.
- SarahDanke, Julian, das ist sehr nett von dir.Thanks, Julian, that is very kind of you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dunk” translations and entries tunken, eintunken, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Pronunciation from the Wiktionary entry Eintunken.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries eintunken, tunken, CC BY-SA 4.0.
