sich entspannen
/zɪç ʔɛntˈʃpanən/word by word
To relax in German is to say sich entspannen. Wiktionary also lists relaxen.
Meaning: (intransitive) to rest and become relieved of stress (verb)
Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| sich entspannen | /zɪç ʔɛntˈʃpanən/ (word by word) |
| relaxen | /ʁiˈlɛksn̩/ |
The verb describes the act of resting and becoming relieved of stress. While the reflexive form sich entspannen is used when a person relaxes themselves, the non-reflexive entspannen can be used transitively to mean relaxing something else, such as a muscle or a situation.
Which one should you use?
sich entspannen is the standard way to express the idea, whereas relaxen is a colloquialism borrowed from English that is more common in casual or youthful speech.
How does it change in a sentence?
The third-person singular present tense of the reflexive verb sich entspannen is entspannt sich, and the simple past tense is entspannte sich. The adjective form used to describe someone who is relaxed is entspannt.
How do you pronounce it?
/zɪç ʔɛntˈʃpanən/
Did you know?
- The word entspannen literally means to un-stretch or un-tension, as it combines the prefix ent- meaning removal and spannen meaning to tension a bow or spring.
- In some contexts, a German speaker might say die Beine hochlegen meaning 'to put your legs up' as a common idiomatic way to say they are going to relax.
- German uses different verbs for relaxing depending on the activity, such as ausspannen for a short break from work or abschalten to mentally switch off.
Examples in context
- Tom will sich entspannen.Tom wants to relax.This sentence shows the use of sich entspannen to express intention.Tatoeba #4834952 by Esperantostern, translation #3821215 by CK
- Kleine Mengen an Alkohol lassen Körper und Geist sich entspannen und verbessern die Blutzirkulation.A small amount of alcohol will relax the mind and body and improve blood circulation.This sentence shows how sich entspannen can be used in a context involving the body and mind.Tatoeba #409098 by xtofu80, translation #400953 by Grayster
- Entspannen Sie sich bitte nach einem langen Arbeitstag.Please relax after a long day at work.
- Setz dich hin und entspann dich ein bisschen.Sit down and relax for a bit.
- Hey, komm einfach her und chill mal.Hey, just come here and chill out.
- Lasst uns einfach abhängen und Spaß haben.Let's just relax and have fun.
- Nach einem anstrengenden Arbeitstag will ich nur abschalten und entspannen.After a tiring day at work, I just want to relax and unwind.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “relax” translations and entries relaxen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (sich, entspannen) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries entspannen, relaxen, sich, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
