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handeln. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
handeln, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
handeln in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
handeln you have here. The definition of the word
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handeln, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
German
Etymology 1
From Middle High German handeln, from Old High German hantalōn, from Proto-West Germanic *handulōn.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈhandəln/,
- Hyphenation: han‧deln
Verb
handeln (weak, third-person singular present handelt, past tense handelte, past participle gehandelt, auxiliary haben)
- (intransitive) to act; to take action
Jeder ist dafür verantwortlich, wie er handelt.- Everybody is responsible for the way they act.
Wir müssen handeln, bevor es zu spät ist.- We must take action before it is too late.
- (intransitive) to negotiate; to bargain; to haggle
Da lass ich nicht mit mir handeln.- I won’t bargain about this.
- (intransitive) to trade in; to deal; to sell
- Er handelt mit Teppichen. ― He trades in carpets.
- (transitive, stock exchange and the like) to trade
Eine Aktiengesellschaft ist eine Firma, die an der Börse gehandelt wird.- A stock company is an enterprise that is traded in the stock market.
2010, Der Spiegel, number 46/2010, page 95:In Toronto werden mehr als 1400 Bergbaubetriebe gehandelt, jede Woche kommen im Schnitt drei Unternehmen hinzu.- More than 1400 mining companies are traded in Toronto, three companies are added each week on average.
- (transitive, figurative) to tip as; to take into consideration as being
Er wird als der nächste Superstar gehandelt.- He’s being tipped as the next superstar.
- (intransitive, of a person, formal, literary) to discuss; to deal with; to write or speak about
Der Autor handelt auf 32 Seiten von dieser Nebensächlichkeit.- The author discusses this marginal issue in 32 pages.
- (intransitive, with von, of a text, film, etc.) to be about; to deal with
- Das Buch handelt von Hasen. ― The book is about hares.
- (impersonal, reflexive, often with bei to add clarification, idiomatic) to be, to be a case of, to be a matter of (Often used to introduce the subject before giving it a name, or to indicate some uncertainty regarding exact amounts. Literally: it itself has to do with ...)
Es handelt sich um ein Missverständnis.- What we have is a misunderstanding.
Bei diesen Tieren handelt es sich um Hasen.- These animals here are hares.
Es handelt sich um ein paar Tage, bis die Pakete ankommen werden.- It will be a matter of days before the packages will arrive.
Conjugation
Conjugation of
handeln (
weak, auxiliary
haben)
1Rare except in very formal contexts; alternative in würde normally preferred.
Composed forms of
handeln (
weak, auxiliary
haben)
Derived terms
See also
Etymology 2
Borrowed from English handle. Doublet of handeln (“to act; to deal”).
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Verb
handeln (weak, third-person singular present handelt, past tense handelte, past participle gehandelt, auxiliary haben)
- (transitive, informal) to handle something; to control; to deal with in an organised fashion
- Synonyms: handhaben, bewältigen
Wir müssen sehen, wie wir dieses Problem handeln.- We must find a way of handling this problem.
Usage notes
- Rare in writing for confusability with etymology 1, but fairly common in speech, chiefly in business and media slang.
- The form händeln is sometimes used when quoting speech in writing.
Conjugation
Conjugation of
handeln (
weak, auxiliary
haben)
1Rare except in very formal contexts; alternative in würde normally preferred.
Composed forms of
handeln (
weak, auxiliary
haben)
Related terms
Further reading
Swedish
Noun
handeln
- definite singular of handel