Musik abspielen
The German phrase for to play music is Musik abspielen.
Musik abspielen is used when you are starting a digital recording of music on a device, such as a phone, computer or media player.
Which one should you use?
There is an important distinction between Musik abspielen and Musik spielen. Use Musik abspielen when referring to playing a digital track or recording on a device. In contrast, use Musik spielen when a person is physically playing an instrument.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb abspielen is a separable verb. This means that in a main clause, the prefix ab moves to the end of the sentence.
Did you know?
- The prefix ab- in abspielen can often imply a sense of 'off' or 'away', which reflects the concept of 'playing off' a stored piece of data.
- The verb spielen in Musik spielen is the same word used for 'to play' a game or 'to act' in a theater production.
- The verb abspielen is used not only for music but also for playing back a video or a voicemail recording.
Examples in context
- Darf ich Sie bitten, Musik abzuspielen?May I ask you to play music?
- Könnten Sie vielleicht Musik abspielen?Could you perhaps play music?
- Kannst du bitte Musik spielen?Can you please play music?
- Spiel mal Musik ab!Play music, will you?
- Ich spiele Musik ab.I am playing music.
- Ich möchte die Musik abspielen.I want to play the music.
Example conversation
Lukas and Sarah are hanging out in the living room.
- LukasSarah, kannst du bitte Musik abspielen?Sarah, can you please play some music?
- SarahJa, gerne. Welche Musik möchtest du hören?Yes, gladly. Which music do you want to hear?
- LukasIch mag heute etwas Entspanntes.I like something relaxing today.
- SarahAlles klar, ich suche eine passende Playlist.All right, I'll look for a suitable playlist.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Musik, abspielen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
