verlobt
The English word "engaged" (agreed to be married) is translated into German as verlobt.
verlobt is an adjective used to describe people who have agreed to marry each other.
Meaning: agreed to be married (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
To describe the state of being engaged, use the adjective with the verb sein (to be), as in verlobt sein. To describe the action of the engagement occurring, use the reflexive construction sich verlobt haben (to have gotten engaged). When you want to say you are engaged to someone, German uses the preposition mit (with) rather than the English.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use an or zu to translate the English phrase "engaged to". In German, you must use mit (for example, verlobt mit ihm).
Did you know?
- While English uses 'engaged' for both marriage and being busy, German uses verlobt strictly for marriage. To say you are 'engaged' in a meeting, you would use beschäftigt.
- Unlike the English 'engagement' which can refer to a business appointment, the German word Verlobung is almost exclusively reserved for marriage-related contexts.
- In older German literature, the process of being verlobt often implied a legalistic 'binding' of two families, emphasizing the contract over the romance.
Examples in context
- Tom hat sich verlobt.Tom got engaged.This sentence shows how to use the reflexive construction to say someone got engaged.Tatoeba #6615372 by Felixjp, translation #2236321 by CK
- Ich war einmal verlobt.I was engaged once.This sentence shows how to describe a past state of being engaged.Tatoeba #1888565 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1887920 by CK
- Sie ist mit ihm verlobt.She is engaged to him.This sentence demonstrates how to specify the person one is engaged to using mit.Tatoeba #910964 by Esperantostern, translation #887242 by CK
- Hanna und Jonas sind verlobt.Hanna and Jonas are engaged.
- Wir haben uns verlobt und freuen uns, dies mit Ihnen zu teilen.We got engaged and we are excited to share this news with you.
- Wir haben uns verlobt und möchten dies bekannt geben. Unsere Hochzeit findet am 10. August statt.We got engaged and would like to announce it. Our wedding will take place on August 10th.
- Schau mal, ich bin verlobt!Look, I am engaged!
- Endlich haben wir uns verlobt und wollen nächstes Jahr heiraten!We finally got engaged and plan to get married next year!
- Wir haben uns verlobt und sind überglücklich!We got engaged and we are overjoyed!
- Ich habe einen Antrag bekommen und natürlich sofort Ja gesagt!I got a proposal and, of course, said yes right away!
- 88 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Julian are talking about a mutual friend.
- JuliaHast du schon gehört? Sarah ist verlobt!Have you heard? Sarah is engaged!
- JulianWirklich? Mit wem ist sie verlobt?Really? Who is she engaged to?
- JuliaMit ihrem Freund aus der Uni.With her boyfriend from university.
- JulianDas ist ja toll für sie!That is great for her!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “engaged” translations and entries verlobt, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
