schreien
/ˈʃʁaɪ̯ən/
To scream in German is schreien.
The verb schreien is used to describe the act of making a loud sound, whether that is screaming in pain or simply shouting and yelling loudly. If you wish to refer to the act of screaming as a noun, you can use the nominalized form das Schreien. Additionally, the noun Schrei refers to a loud exclamation.
Meaning: to make the sound of a scream (verb)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The present tense third-person singular form is schreit. For the past tense, the simple past is schrie and the past participle is geschrien.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʃʁaɪ̯ən/
Did you know?
- In German, the phrase die Wände hochschreien literally means 'to scream the walls up', describing a state of extreme frustration or despair.
- While English speakers might 'scream their lungs out', Germans use the phrase sich die Seele aus dem Leib schreien, meaning to scream their soul out of their body.
- German differentiates between schreien and brüllen. While schreien is a high-pitched scream, brüllen refers to a deep, guttural roar like that of a lion.
Examples in context
- Tom hörte Maria schreien.Tom heard Mary scream.This sentence is useful for demonstrating the use of schreien.Tatoeba #3155449 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1028678 by CK
- Ich versuchte zu schreien.I tried to scream.Tatoeba #3156167 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2549152 by CK
- Sie hat ihn schreien hören.She heard him scream.Tatoeba #910982 by Sudajaengi, translation #887196 by CK
- Ich schrie aufI screamed
- Sie schreit vor SchmerzenShe screams in pain
- Die Kinder erschrecken und schreien aufThe children get scared and scream
- Er brüllt vor WutHe screams in anger
- Schrei nicht so laut!Don't scream so loud!
- Sie schrie ihre Wut herausShe screamed out her anger
- Der Horrorfilm war so erschreckend, dass ich laut aufschrie.The horror movie was so terrifying that I screamed out loud.
- Sie schrie vor Schmerzen, als sie sich den Finger einklemmte.She screamed in pain when she trapped her finger.
- Die Fußballfans brüllten vor Freude, als ihr Team das entscheidende Tor schoss.The soccer fans screamed with joy when their team scored the winning goal.
- Ich habe vor lauter Überraschung herausgeschrien, als mir die Partygäste zum Geburtstag gratulierten.I screamed out of surprise when the party guests wished me a happy birthday.
- 25 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A quiet library where a student is being too loud.
- JuliaBitte hör auf zu schreien!Please stop screaming!
- FelixTut mir leid, Julia.I am sorry, Julia.
- JuliaDu lässt die Leute erschrecken.You are scaring the people.
- FelixIch werde jetzt leise sein.I will be quiet now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “scream” translations and entries schreien, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
