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laufen. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
laufen, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
laufen in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
laufen you have here. The definition of the word
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German
Etymology
From Middle High German loufen, from Old High German hloufan, loufan, from Proto-West Germanic *hlaupan. Cognate with Dutch lopen, English leap and lope, Danish løbe.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈlaʊ̯fən/, ,
- Hyphenation: lau‧fen
Verb
laufen (class 7 strong, third-person singular present läuft, past tense lief, past participle gelaufen, auxiliary sein)
- (transitive or intransitive) to walk; to jog; to run (to move on foot; either at a normal or an increased speed)
Wir können mit dem Bus fahren oder laufen.- We could take the bus or walk.
Lasst uns etwas schneller laufen.- Let's move a little faster.
Joggen bedeutet entspannter, aber auch bewusster zu laufen.- Jogging means to run in a less exhausting but more conscious way.
- (intransitive, of a fluid) to flow; to leak; to run
- (intransitive, of an event) to be in progress; to run
Das Projekt läuft erfolgreich.- The project is progressing successfully.
- (intransitive) to happen, to go on, to take place
Was läuft da zwischen euch?- What's going on between you guys?
- (intransitive, computing) to run, to execute (a program)
- Das Programm läuft einwandfrei. ― The program runs flawlessly.
- (intransitive, of an event) to be in order; to work; to function
- Alles läuft, wie es soll. ― Everything works just fine.
2014, Schnitzler Klaus, edited by Klaus Schnitzler, Münchener Anwaltshandbuch Familienrecht, 4th edition, München: C.H. Beck, § 1 Rn. 41, page 12:Wenn die Trennung einigermaßen läuft und auch der Umgang zwischen dem die faktische Sorge nicht ausübenden Elternteil und den Kindern klappt, sollte man mit der Einleitung eines Sorgerechtsverfahrens zurückhaltend sein.- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- (intransitive, of time) to pass; to flow
Usage notes
- Some dictionaries misleadingly define laufen as specifically meaning a pace between gehen (“walking”) and rennen (“running”). This was the original sense in Middle High German, and this is still common in Bavaria and Austria. But descriptions or definitions that claim it has only this meaning are contradicted by long-established usage. In fact, laufen is neutral with regard to pace in modern German, unless the context implies it, as in: Sie waren spät dran und mussten laufen. (“They were late, so they had to run.”)
- Regardless of pace, moreover, only laufen is commonly used of animals and in such idioms as auf den Händen laufen (“to walk on one's hands”) or laufen lernen (“to learn to walk”).
- In Austria, however, laufen is not considered neutral with regard to pace, and a strict distinction is made between gehen, which is exclusively used in the sense of “to walk”, and laufen and rennen, both of which are exclusively used in the sense of “to run”.
Conjugation
Conjugation of
laufen (class 7
strong, auxiliary
sein)
1This form and alternative in würde both found.
Composed forms of
laufen (class 7
strong, auxiliary
sein)
- 1st ps. sg. indicative present active also: lauf', lauf
Derived terms
Related terms
See also
Further reading
- “laufen” in Duden online
- “laufen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- “laufen” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon