German Conversation · Level 70
60 words
German word
anhalten
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈanˌhaːltən/
Meaning
- verbstop
Example
Der Bus hält an.
The bus is stopping.
More examples
Auf der Bergstraße mussten wir anhalten.
We had to stop on the mountain road.
Core concept
Motion meets a hold: a vehicle comes to rest, while an activity remains in progress.
Common phrases
an der Haltestelle anhalten
stop at the bus stop
auf dem Parkplatz anhalten
stop in the parking lot
Similar words
stoppen: Bring something moving to an abrupt or deliberate stop.
bremsen: Slow down by using the brakes.
halten: Stop a vehicle briefly, usually during a journey.
aufhören: Stop an action or end a continuing state.
Definition in German
(trennbar) zum Stillstand kommen oder etwas stoppen; intransitiv auch fortdauern
Word origin
Anhalten combines the separable prefix an- with halten, 'to hold'; holding something at a point extends to stopping motion and to something persisting.
Usage tips
- As a separable verb, anhalten places an after the finite verb, as in 'Der Bus hält an', and its past participle is angehalten.