befreundet sein wollen
The German phrase for "want to be friends" is befreundet sein wollen.
This phrase is used to express a desire to start or maintain a friendship with another person.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adjective befreundet (befriended or in a state of friendship), the verb sein (to be) and the modal verb wollen (to want).
How does it change in a sentence?
When you want to express being friends with a specific person, you must use the preposition mit followed by the dative case, as seen in the construction mit jemandem befreundet sein wollen.
Did you know?
- In German, calling someone a Freund often implies a deep, long-term bond, so people frequently use Bekannter for an acquaintance to avoid overstating the closeness.
- Depending on the context, using wollen can sound very direct or demanding in German, so people often soften the phrase using the subjunctive möchte to say they 'would like' to be friends.
- The word befreundet shares its root with the noun Freund, which comes from an ancient root meaning 'to love' or 'to be fond of'.
Examples in context
- Warum sollte ich mit so jemandem befreundet sein wollen?Why would I want to be friends with someone like that?Tatoeba #13370893 by Waldelfe, translation #7984731 by CK
- Warum sollte ich mit jemandem befreundet sein wollen, der auf Facebook bereits 4387 Freunde hat?Why would I want to be friends with someone who has 4,387 of them on Facebook?Tatoeba #2935779 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1231803 by darinmex
Example conversation
Felix and Julia are meeting for the first time at a party.
- FelixHallo Julia, ich würde gerne mit dir befreundet sein wollen.Hello Julia, I would like to want to be friends with you.
- JuliaDas klingt schön, Felix! Ich auch.That sounds lovely, Felix! Me too.
- FelixSollen wir dann morgen einen Kaffee trinken?Shall we have a coffee tomorrow then?
- JuliaJa, das machen wir!Yes, let's do that!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
