German word

erwarten

Pronunciation

IPA/ɛɐ̯ˈvaʁtən/

Meaning

  • verbexpect

Example

Ich erwarte gute Noten in der Prüfung.

I expect good grades on the exam.

Illustration for erwarten (expect)

More examples

Ich erwarte von dir Ehrlichkeit.

I expect honesty from you.

Core concept

The mind looks ahead to a likely person or event and treats it as the basis for preparation or prediction.

Common phrases

  • etwas erwarten

    expect something

  • von jemandem erwarten

    expect something from someone

Similar words

hoffen: Have a desire for something and wish for its fulfillment.
vermuten: Judge something to be possible from reasons or clues without certainty.
rechnen mit: Anticipate something as probable and make preparations or plans for it.
warten auf: Remain somewhere while awaiting the arrival of a person or thing.

Definition in German

Etwas als wahrscheinlich ansehen und sich darauf einstellen

Word origin

Erwarten developed from warten through the addition of er-, with the older idea of waiting giving rise to the modern sense of anticipating something.

Usage tips

  • Unlike English 'expect', erwarten does not by itself express enthusiasm; 'sich auf etwas freuen' expresses looking forward to something positively.

Other meanings

  • count onverb

Related words

Word lists with this word