lesen
/ˈleːzn̩/
The German verb for 'to read' is lesen. Wiktionary also lists lesn.
Meaning: to look at and interpret letters or other information (verb)
Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| lesen | /ˈleːzn̩/ (Germany) /ˈleːsn̩/ (Austria) |
| lesn |
lesen means to look at and interpret letters or other information. If you specifically want to say you are reading something aloud to someone else, you should use the separable verb vorlesen. If you want to express the idea of reading something from beginning to end, you can use durchlesen, which means 'to read through'.
How does it change in a sentence?
lesen is an irregular verb. In the present tense, the stem vowel changes to ie for the second and third person singular: du liest and er/sie/es liest. The simple past singular form (for the 1st and 3rd person) is las, and the past participle is gelesen.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈleːzn̩/
Did you know?
- The English word 'lease', which describes a transfer of property, is a distant linguistic relative of the German lesen. Both words trace back to the same ancient root meaning 'to gather'.
- In German, lesen can also mean 'to pick' or 'to cull', such as when sorting through grapes or picking berries. This preserves the word's original meaning of gathering.
- German has a direct linguistic sibling in Dutch, which is the word lezen, sharing nearly the same spelling and meaning as the German version.
Examples in context
- Lesen Sie es vor.Read it aloud.This sentence shows how to use lesen to give a command to read aloud.Tatoeba #4943037 by Hans_Adler, translation #271932 by CK
- Ich kann es lesen.I can read it.This sentence demonstrates the ability to use lesen with a modal verb.Tatoeba #12051719 by mayabe, translation #6358571 by CK
- Soll ich es lesen?Should I read it?This sentence shows how to use lesen when asking for permission or offering to read.Tatoeba #12136060 by Naina, translation #10780646 by CM
- Könnten Sie bitte diesen Bericht lesen?Could you please read this report?
- Unser Geschäftsführer liest immer viele Bücher.Our CEO always reads many books.
- Kannst du bitte diesen Artikel lesen?Can you please read this article?
- Meine Schwester liest gerne Comics.My sister enjoys reading comics.
- Er hat gestern ein Buch gelesen.He read a book yesterday.
- Ich lese gerade ein Buch.I am reading a book right now.
- Sie wird später die Zeitung lesen.She will read the newspaper later.
- Ich möchte diesen Artikel gründlich durchlesen.I want to read through this article thoroughly.
- Ich muss zwischen den Zeilen lesen können.I have to be able to read between the lines.
- Sie hat ein Buch in einem Rutsch durchgelesen.She read a book in one go.
- Der Krimi, den du liest, ist sehr spannend.The crime novel you are reading is very exciting.
- 1040 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sarah and Lukas are in a library.
- SarahWillst du dieses Buch lesen?Do you want to read this book?
- LukasJa, ich werde es heute lesen.Yes, I will read it today.
- SarahIch kann es dir auch vorlesen.I can read it aloud to you too.
- LukasNein, ich lese lieber alleine.No, I prefer to read alone.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “read” translations and entries lesen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lesen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
