English–German

“drown” in German

German

Pronunciation

IPA/ɛɐ̯ˈtʁɪŋkən/

Example

Er ertrank im Fluss.

He drowned in the river.

Illustration for ertrinken (drown)

How to say “drown” in German

“Drown” in German is ertrinken.

A swimmer slips beneath the surface, cannot get air, and dies in the water.

Full entry for ertrinken: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with ertrinken

Selbst geübte Schwimmer ertrinken in starken Strömungen.

Even experienced swimmers drown in strong currents.

Tips for using ertrinken

  • Ertrinken is intransitive, while ertränken is transitive: "Er ertrank" means the subject drowned, but "Sie ertränkte ihn" means she drowned him.

“drown” in other languages