Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| ausdehnen | /ˈʔaʊ̯sˌdeːnən/ |
| erweitern | /ʔɛɐ̯ˈvaɪ̯tɐn/ |
In German, the choice of word depends on what you are extending. Use ausdehnen when dealing with physical objects or areas. It is also used when extending something in terms of physical space, volume or a conceptual scope, such as a period of time or tolerance. Alternatively, use erweitern when you want to extend or expand a capacity, such as a person's knowledge, a product line or a building's footprint.
Which one should you use?
ausdehnen is used for extending things in space, time or scope. In contrast, erweitern is used for expanding the capacity or range of something, such as knowledge or size.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle ausgedehnt can be used as an adjective to describe something that is physically spread out or extended. Similarly, the past participle erweitert can be used as an adjective to describe something that has been enlarged or expanded, such as an erweiterte Suche (extended search).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʔaʊ̯sˌdeːnən/
Did you know?
- If you want to extend an invitation in German, you wouldn't use ausdehnen for the physical paper, but rather aussprechen, meaning 'to utter' or 'to pronounce' the invitation.
- In German, when you 'extend' a deadline, you do not use ausdehnen or erweitern, but rather verlängern, which literally means 'to make longer'.
- The verb erweitern is built from the comparative form of the adjective weit, which means 'wide'. To extend something is literally to make it 'wider' than it was before.
Examples in context
- Bitte verlängern Sie den VertragPlease extend the contract
- Wir sollten das Projekt weiterführenWe should extend the project
- Lass uns unseren Aufenthalt verlängernLet's extend our stay
- Um unseren Aufenthalt zu verlängern, müssen wir das Hotel benachrichtigen.To extend our stay, we need to notify the hotel.
- Wir müssen den Schutzbereich weiter ausdehnen.We need to extend the scope of protection further.
- Der Staat will seine Macht weit ausdehnen.The state wants to extend its power extensively.
Example conversation
Sarah and Julian are discussing their home renovation.
- SarahSollen wir das Wohnzimmer nach hinten ausdehnen?Should we extend the living room to the back?
- JulianJa, dann haben wir viel mehr Platz.Yes, then we will have much more space.
- SarahKönnen wir den Garten dabei ausdehnen?Can we extend the garden at the same time?
- JulianDas glaube ich leider nicht, Sarah.I'm afraid I don't think so, Sarah.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “extend” translations and entries ausdehnen, erweitern, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ausdehnen, erweitern, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
