lehren
/ˈleːʁən/
The English phrase teach is translated into German as lehren. Wiktionary also lists beibringen and unterrichten.
Meaning: to pass on knowledge (verb)
Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| lehren | /ˈleːʁən/ |
| beibringen | /ˈbaɪ̯ˌbʁɪŋən/ |
| unterrichten | [ˌʊntɐˈʁɪçtn̩] (narrow) |
Which one should you use?
Use unterrichten when referring to the professional act of teaching a class or a subject in a school or formal educational setting. In contrast, lehren is often used in a more formal, literary or abstract sense, such as teaching a lesson or a philosophical principle. For other contexts, you may also use beibringen.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verbs have different grammatical requirements for the person and thing being taught. lehren and beibringen both take a dative object for the person being taught and an accusative object for the thing being taught. However, unterrichten takes an accusative object for the person being taught and an accusative object for the subject being taught.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈleːʁən/
Did you know?
- The word lehren shares a surprising ancestor with the English word 'trail', coming from a root meaning 'to leave a track or trace'.
- The word unterrichten is built from the verb richten, which can mean to straighten or set right, implying that teaching is a way of correcting or aligning a student.
- In German, the noun Lehre refers to both a formal apprenticeship and a scientific or philosophical theory.
Examples in context
- Ich kann Englisch lehren.I can teach English.This sentence demonstrates how to use lehren to say one can teach a language.Tatoeba #962181 by Espi, translation #256232 by CK
- Was kannst du mich lehren?What can you teach me?This sentence shows how to use lehren to ask what can be taught to someone.Tatoeba #1815050 by pne, translation #1638587 by Spamster
- Ich will Sie etwas lehren.I want to teach you something.This sentence shows how to use lehren to express the desire to teach someone something.Tatoeba #3102260 by Zaghawa, translation #2033476 by CK
- Ich möchte Deutsch unterrichten. Kannst du mir beibringen, wie man richtig lehrt?I want to teach German. Can you show me how to teach properly?
- Als Lehrerin möchte ich junge Schülerinnen und Schüler unterrichten.As a teacher, I want to teach young students.
- Es ist wichtig, Wissen an die nächste Generation zu vermitteln.It is important to teach knowledge to the next generation.
- Kannst du mir zeigen, wie man das Spiel spielt?Can you show me how to play the game?
- 284 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lukas and Sarah are discussing their professional goals.
- LukasIch möchte an einer Universität lehren.I would like to teach at a university.
- SarahDas klingt toll, Lukas!That sounds great, Lukas!
- LukasWas würdest du gerne lehren, Sarah?What would you like to teach, Sarah?
- SarahIch möchte anderen das Programmieren lehren.I want to teach others programming.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “teach” translations and entries lehren, beibringen, unterrichten, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries beibringen, lehren, unterrichten, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
