putzen
/ˈpʊt͡sn̩/
To clean in German is putzen.
putzen is used to describe the act of removing dirt or stains from a surface by scrubbing it. It is also the specific verb used when talking about dental hygiene in the phrase Zähne putzen (to brush teeth). Related vocabulary includes Wischmopp (mop) and Putzmittel (cleaning supplies).
Which one should you use?
While putzen is the common word for scrubbing or tidying a room, reinigen is a more formal term often used for professional cleaning services or the technical process of purifying something. In contrast, sauber machen is a very common, slightly more casual way to express the act of cleaning a space or an object.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb putzen conjugates in the present tense as follows: Ich putze (I clean), Du putzt (you clean), Er/sie/es putzt (he/she/it cleans), Wir putzen (we clean), Ihr putzt (you [plural] clean) and Sie putzen (they clean). The simple past (Präteritum) form is putzte, and the past participle used for perfect tenses is geputzt.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈpʊtsn̩/
Did you know?
- The German word putzen may be a distant relative of the English word 'butt' if it originally meant removing 'lumps and stumps'.
- In some German dialects, putzen is used as slang to mean 'to leave' or 'to clear out' a place quickly.
- While putzen describes scrubbing, the word Putz also refers to the specific type of plaster used on the exterior walls of a building.
Examples in context
- Sami muss das Bad putzen.Sami has to clean the bathroom.This sentence shows how to use putzen with a room like a bathroom.Tatoeba #11360685 by mayabe, translation #7237399 by OsoHombre
- Er muss die Wohnung putzen.He has to clean the flat.This sentence demonstrates using putzen with a flat.Tatoeba #6776827 by ruth_tatoeba, translation #12356264 by sundown
- Er musste sein Zimmer putzen.He had to clean his room.This sentence shows the past tense usage of putzen regarding a room.Tatoeba #4309102 by Esperantostern, translation #303402 by CK
- Ich putze mein Haus jeden Samstag.I clean my house every Saturday.
- Wir müssen das Büro putzen.We need to clean the office.
- Bitte reinigen Sie die Fenster gründlich.Please clean the windows thoroughly.
- Der Reinigungsdienst reinigt unser Büro jede Woche.The cleaning service cleans our office every week.
- Ich muss heute mein Zimmer saubermachen.I need to clean my room today.
- Kannst du bitte das Geschirr saubermachen?Can you please clean the dishes?
- Lass uns das Wohnzimmer aufräumen.Let's clean up the living room.
- Meine Kinder müssen ihr Spielzeug aufräumen.My kids need to clean up their toys.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Laura and Maximilian are talking about housework in the kitchen.
- LauraKannst du bitte die Küche putzen?Can you please clean the kitchen?
- MaximilianJa, ich werde sie gleich putzen.Yes, I will clean it right away.
- LauraDanke, Maximilian!Thanks, Maximilian!
- MaximilianKein Problem, Laura.No problem, Laura.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry putzen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries putzen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
