Google
/ˈɡuːɡəl/
In German, the word Google refers to the search engine or the company. If you mean the action of searching for something on the internet, the verb is googeln.
The term is used to describe searching for information on the internet using a search engine. While Google refers to the specific entity, the verb googeln is used to describe the act of performing a search.
Meaning: to search for (something) on the Internet using any comprehensive search engine (verb)
Which one should you use?
The capitalized Google refers to the company or the search engine itself, whereas the lowercase googeln refers to the action of searching.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb for the action is googeln. It is a regular weak verb, meaning the first person singular present tense is ich google and the past participle is gegoogelt. You can also use the noun Das Googeln to refer to the act of Googling, or Die Google-Suche to refer to the Google search itself.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈɡuːɡəl/
What mistakes should you avoid?
If you want to describe the act of looking something up, you can also use the German verb nachschlagen.
Did you know?
- The verb googeln became so ingrained in the language that it was officially included in the Duden, the authoritative dictionary of the German language.
- The term googeln is used as a generic verb in Germany even when the person is actually using a different search engine like Bing or DuckDuckGo.
- Because German creates new verbs by adding -n to English stems, googeln follows the same pattern as other tech terms like twittern or chatten.
Examples in context
- Warum hasst du Google?Why do you hate Google?This sentence is useful for expressing a feeling toward the company Google.Tatoeba #13011546 by Vortarulo, translation #8373956 by Amastan
- Tom nutzt Google Chrome.Tom uses Google Chrome.This sentence is useful for mentioning the use of a specific product like Google Chrome.Tatoeba #5967953 by Ronja, translation #5965062 by Hybrid
- Google weiß nicht alles.Google doesn't know everything.This sentence is useful for making a statement about the knowledge held by Google.Tatoeba #8082577 by Luiaard, translation #3784847 by senryakun
- Ich werde es schnell googeln.I'll quickly Google it.
- Hast du es schon bei Google gesucht?Have you already searched for it on Google?
- Ich werde es gleich nachschlagen.I'll look it up right away.
- Wir suchen bei Google danach.We're searching for it on Google.
- Kannst du das bitte bei Google nachschlagen?Can you please look that up on Google?
- Ist das bei Google auffindbar?Is that findable on Google?
- 42 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hannah and Maximilian are planning a trip.
- HannahWeißt du, wann der Zug fährt?Do you know when the train leaves?
- MaximilianNein, ich muss das kurz Google.No, I have to Google that quickly.
- HannahHast du schon etwas gefunden?Have you found anything yet?
- MaximilianJa, der Zug fährt um zehn Uhr.Yes, the train leaves at ten o'clock.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry Google, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
