hier
/hiːr/
The English word "here" is translated into German as hier.
The word hier is an adverb meaning in, on or at this place. It is used to denote a location that is near the speaker.
Meaning: in, on, or at this place (adv)
Which one should you use?
While hier is used for a location near the speaker, the words da or dort are used to indicate locations further away, meaning "there".
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing movement towards the speaker's location, such as in the phrase "come here", German often uses the directional form hierher instead of just hier. If you are expressing movement towards a specific point or place, such as "put it here", you can use the directional form hierhin.
How do you pronounce it?
/hiːr/
Did you know?
- In German, hier can be used as a way to answer a roll call, similar to saying 'present' in English.
- The spelling of hier actually gained popularity due to influence from Middle Low German, rather than being the original standard form in Middle High German.
- While you might expect hier to be the only way to say 'here', many German dialects actually use a shorter form, hie, which has dropped the final '-r'.
Examples in context
- Es tut hier weh.It hurts here.This sentence shows how to use hier to describe a sensation in a specific location.Tatoeba #1341008 by Zaghawa, translation #456097 by lukaszpp
- Tut es hier weh?Does it hurt here?This sentence uses hier to ask about a sensation in a specific location.Tatoeba #6168814 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #4609578 by Hybrid
- Tom mag es hier.Tom likes it here.This sentence uses hier to express liking a specific location.Tatoeba #6642502 by Felixjp, translation #2648332 by CK
- Ist jemand hier?Is anyone here?
- Ja, ich bin hier.Yes, I am here.
- Hey, wo bist du?Hey, where are you?
- Hier bin ich!Here I am!
- 9933 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Felix are meeting at a train station.
- JuliaHallo Felix, ich bin schon hier!Hello Felix, I am already here!
- FelixWo genau bist du hier?Where exactly are you here?
- JuliaIch stehe hier vor dem Bahnhof.I am standing here in front of the station.
- FelixAlles klar, ich komme sofort.All right, I am coming right now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “here” translations and entries hier, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hier, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
