auswendig lernen
To memorize in German is auswendig lernen. Wiktionary also lists memorieren.
Meaning: to commit to memory, to learn by heart (verb)
Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| auswendig lernen | |
| memorieren | /memoˈʁiːʁən/ |
The phrase is used when you want to express the act of committing something to memory or learning something by heart.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase auswendig lernen literally translates to to learn outwardly. In this expression, auswendig means outwardly or from the outside, describing the manner in which the learning is performed.
Which one should you use?
auswendig lernen is the standard and most common way to say to memorize or to learn by heart in everyday German. In contrast, memorieren is a more formal, technical or academic term for the same action.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase auswendig lernen, the word auswendig functions as an adverb that describes how the learning is being done.
Did you know?
- Even though memorieren sounds very similar to the English 'memorize', using it to describe studying a poem would sound oddly robotic to a native speaker.
- In German, the verb lehren is a close relative of lernen, but while the latter refers to the student's act of learning, the former refers specifically to the act of teaching.
- In historical German educational settings, auswendig lernen was often associated with rote repetition and strict discipline, contrasting with 'understanding' a subject.
Examples in context
- Alle Beschäftigten mussten die Zugangskennziffer auswendig lernen.All employees had to memorize the access code.This sentence shows how to use auswendig lernen regarding an access code.Tatoeba #1687607 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1358855 by CM
- Wir müssen dieses Gedicht bis zur nächsten Stunde auswendig lernen.We have to memorize this poem by the next class.This sentence shows how to use auswendig lernen regarding a poem.Tatoeba #450266 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1503578 by CK
- Man muss kein Wörterbuch auswendig lernen, um gute Sprachkenntnisse zu haben.You don't need to memorize a dictionary to have good knowledge of a language.This sentence shows how to use auswendig lernen regarding a dictionary.Tatoeba #13060009 by Vortarulo, translation #1265464 by CM
- Ich werde mir diese Informationen einprägenI will memorize this information
- Ich muss diese Daten auswendig lernenI have to memorize these facts
- Ich muss diesen Text auswendig lernenI have to memorize this text by heart
- Das muss ich mir merkenI need to remember that
Example conversation
Julian and Hannah are studying for a history test.
- JulianMusst du alle Daten auswendig lernen?Do you have to memorize all the dates?
- HannahJa, unser Lehrer verlangt das von uns.Yes, our teacher requires that of us.
- JulianDas ist wirklich sehr anstrengend.That is really very exhausting.
- HannahStimmt, aber ich schaffe es schon.True, but I can do it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “memorize” translations and entries memorieren, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries auswendig, lernen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
