bleiben
/ˈblaɪ̯bən/
To stay in German is to say bleiben. Wiktionary also lists sich aufhalten.
Meaning: to remain in a particular place (verb)
Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| bleiben | /ˈblaɪ̯bən/ |
| sich aufhalten | /zɪç ˈʔaʊ̯fhaltn̩/ (word by word) |
The verb bleiben is used both for physical location (staying in a room) and for maintaining a state (staying calm or staying the same).
Which one should you use?
While bleiben means to remain in a state or place, sich aufhalten specifically emphasizes the act of staying or residing somewhere temporarily.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb bleiben is a strong verb, meaning its stem vowel may change in certain forms, though it remains bleib- in the present tense (bleibe, bleibst, bleibt, bleiben, bleibt). The verb bleiben uses the auxiliary verb sein (to be) instead of haben (to have) to form the perfect tense, such as ist geblieben for 'has stayed'.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈblaɪ̯bən/
Did you know?
- The German word bleiben shares a distant ancestor with the English word 'glue'. It comes from the Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to stick'.
- If you are told to sich aufhalten, you might be misled into thinking you are being told to 'hold up' something, as aufhalten is a compound of 'auf' and 'halten'.
- The expression bleiben wir dabei is used in discussions to mean 'let us stick to that' or 'let us agree on that'.
Examples in context
- So wird es bleiben.It's going to stay that way.This sentence shows how to express a state that will continue, using bleiben.Tatoeba #3383374 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #3378950 by CK
- Bleiben Sie bei Tom!Stay with Tom.This sentence uses bleiben to give a command to stay with someone.Tatoeba #1851650 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1849355 by CK
- Läßt du uns bleiben?Will you let us stay?This sentence uses bleiben in a question about being permitted to stay.Tatoeba #13252460 by Waldelfe, translation #11943161 by CK
- Bleiben Sie bittePlease stay
- Wir bitten Sie zu bleiben, bis alle Passagiere das Flugzeug verlassen habenWe ask you to stay until all passengers have left the plane
- Bleib noch ein bisschenStay a little longer
- Bleib bitte noch einen MomentPlease stay a moment longer
- Verweile doch einen AugenblickLinger for a moment
- Ich bleibe zu HauseI'm staying at home
- Er bleibt für eine WocheHe's staying for a week
- 1434 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sarah and Julian are at a cafe when it starts raining.
- SarahEs regnet, lass uns doch hier bleiben.It is raining, let's just stay here.
- JulianJa, ich möchte heute nicht nach Hause gehen.Yes, I do not want to go home today.
- SarahDann bleiben wir einfach noch eine Stunde.Then let's just stay for another hour.
- JulianDas ist eine gute Idee, Sarah.That is a good idea, Sarah.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stay” translations and entries bleiben, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (sich, aufhalten) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aufhalten, bleiben, sich, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
