German word

erhoffen

Pronunciation

IPA/ɛɐ̯ˈhɔfən/

Meaning

  • verbhope for

Example

Ich erhoffe gute Nachrichten.

I am hoping for good news.

Illustration for erhoffen (hope for)

More examples

Anna erhofft sich eine schnelle Antwort.

Anna hopes for a quick answer.

Core concept

A person looks toward a marked destination representing the particular result still hoped for.

Common phrases

  • sich von jemandem viel erhoffen

    hope for a lot from someone

  • sich eine Antwort erhoffen

    hope for an answer

  • etwas Gutes erhoffen

    hope for something good

Similar words

hoffen: Hope that something will turn out well without clear grounds for confidence.
erwarten: Anticipate an outcome based on experience or existing circumstances.
wünschen: Desire something deeply and sincerely, whether or not it is likely.

Definition in German

Etwas Konkretes erwarten; häufig in Konstruktionen wie 'sich etwas erhoffen' verwendet.

Word origin

Erhoffen is formed from hoffen with the prefix er-, giving the verb a focus on attaining a particular hoped-for outcome.

Usage tips

  • Erhoffen often appears as sich etwas erhoffen: sich is dative and the hoped-for thing is accusative, as in sich gute Nachrichten erhoffen.

Other meanings

  • expectverb

Opposites

Related words

  • das Erhofftewhat was hoped fornoun
  • erhoffthoped-foradjective

Word lists with this word