übersetzen

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See also: Übersetzen

German

Etymology 1

From Middle High German übersetzen, from Old High German ubarsezzen, from Proto-West Germanic *ubarsattjan. Equivalent to über- +‎ setzen. Cognates include Dutch overzetten and English overset.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈyːbərˌzɛtsən/, , (Germany)
  • IPA(key): /ˈyːbɐˌsɛt͡sn̩/ (Austria)
  • Audio:(file)
  • Audio:(file)

Verb

übersetzen (weak, third-person singular present setzt über, past tense setzte über, past participle übergesetzt, auxiliary sein or haben)

  1. (intransitive) to cross, to cross over, to traverse, to ferry
    Wir sind / haben über den Fluss übergesetzt
    We crossed the river.
    Einmal täglich setzt eine Fähre auf die Insel über.
    A ferry goes to the island once a day.
  2. (transitive) to take across, to cause to traverse
    Der Fährmann hat die Touristen ans andere Ufer übergesetzt.
    The ferryman took the tourists over to the other shore.
Usage notes
  • As the first example sentence shows, the verb is used with the (additional) preposition über when referring to what is being crossed, usually a body of water. Such double usage of identical preposition and prefix is quite common with German compound verbs. (Cf. einsteigen in, aussteigen aus, etc.)
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Etymology 2

16th century, from über- (over) +‎ setzen (to set), probably modeled on Latin trādūcere, perhaps through Middle Low German ōversetten (15th c.).

Pronunciation

Verb

übersetzen (weak, third-person singular present übersetzt, past tense übersetzte, past participle übersetzt, auxiliary haben)

  1. (transitive) to translate, to interpret
    Sie übersetzt Lyrik ins Deutsche.
    She translates poetry into German.
    • 1836, Heinrich Heine, “Die romantische Schule”, in Heinrich Heine: Werke und Briefe in zehn Bänden, volume 5, Aufbau-Verlag, published 1972, page 38:
      [...] jetzt übersetzte er, mit unerhörtem Fleiß, auch die übrigen heidnischen Dichter des Altertums, [...]
      now he also translated, with unheard-of effort, the remaining pagan poets of antiquity,
  2. (transitive, computing) to compile
Conjugation
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Further reading