wiederholen
/ˌviːdɐˈhoːlən/
The German verb for 'repeat' is wiederholen.
The verb wiederholen means to do or say something again.
Meaning: do or say again (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
The simple past tense of wiederholen is wiederholte, while the past participle, which is used for perfect tenses or as an adjective, is wiederholt.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌviːdɐˈhoːlən/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful with the stress on the word. To avoid sounding like you are saying the separable verb wieder holen (which means to fetch something again), ensure the stress is placed on the second syllable of wiederholen.
When do people say it?
If you are in a formal context and need someone to say something again, a polite way to ask is Können Sie das bitte wiederholen?
Did you know?
- The root holen in wiederholen originally meant 'to fetch' or 'to call back', suggesting that repeating something was viewed as 'fetching' the words again.
- Because 'wiederholen' is inseparable, you cannot put the 'wieder' at the end of a sentence, which is a common pattern for other German verbs starting with 'wieder'.
- The word wiederholen is a rare example of a verb that changes its meaning and its stress pattern based on whether it is separable or inseparable.
Examples in context
- Wiederholen Sie das nicht!Don't repeat that.This sentence is used to tell someone not to repeat an action or statement using wiederholen.Tatoeba #1846302 by Tamy, translation #1845510 by CK
- Könnt ihr das wiederholen?Could you repeat that?This sentence is an informal way to ask if someone can repeat something using wiederholen.Tatoeba #8459680 by Luiaard, translation #327331 by CK
- Können Sie das wiederholen?Can you repeat that?This sentence is a formal way to ask if someone can repeat something using wiederholen.Tatoeba #6005500 by wolfgangth, translation #2553620 by CK
- Kannst du das bitte wiederholen?Can you please repeat that?
- Ich habe das nicht verstanden. Kannst du das noch einmal wiederholen?I didn't understand that. Can you repeat that one more time?
- Entschuldigung, können Sie das bitte wiederholen?Excuse me, could you please repeat that?
- Ich habe nicht ganz verstanden. Könnten Sie das noch einmal wiederholen?I didn't quite understand. Could you repeat that one more time, please?
- 76 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Felix are studying together in a library.
- JuliaKannst du das bitte wiederholen?Can you repeat that, please?
- FelixNatürlich, ich wiederhole es gerne.Of course, I am happy to repeat it.
- JuliaDanke, Felix, das war sehr hilfreich.Thanks, Felix, that was very helpful.
- FelixGerne geschehen, Julia.You're welcome, Julia.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “repeat” translations and entries wiederholen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
