German word

chatten

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈtʃɛtən/

Meaning

  • verbchat

Example

Ich chatte gerade mit meiner Freundin.

I'm chatting with my girlfriend right now.

Illustration for chatten (chat)

More examples

Bevor wir anrufen, chatten wir kurz.

Before calling, we chat briefly.

Core concept

Two people exchange short messages in a chat window, creating an informal written conversation.

Common phrases

  • per Messenger chatten

    chat via messenger

  • chatten in Gruppen

    chat in groups

  • am Handy chatten

    chat on a mobile phone

Similar words

sich unterhalten: Carry on a focused conversation with another person.
texten: Send brief messages, usually from a mobile phone.
plaudern: Have a friendly, light conversation without a serious purpose.
telefonieren: Talk to someone by telephone.

Definition in German

Kurz und informell über Internet oder Messenger schriftlich mit anderen kommunizieren.

Word origin

German chatten is an English loan from chat, adapted as a regular German verb with the infinitive ending -en.

Usage tips

  • With a person, chatten normally takes mit plus the dative, as in mit meiner Freundin.

Other meanings

  • messageverb

Opposites

  • verstummenfall silentverb

Related words

  • der Chatchatnoun
  • die Chatnachrichtchat messagenoun
  • der Chatpartnerchat partnernoun

Word lists with this word