German word

erzählen

Pronunciation

IPA/ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlən/

Meaning

  • verbtell

Example

Er erzählt eine Geschichte.

He tells a story.

Illustration for erzählen (tell)

More examples

Er erzählt mir etwas Lustiges.

He tells me something funny.

Core concept

A narrator guides a listener through what happened, adding enough detail to make the sequence clear.

Common phrases

  • jemandem etwas erzählen

    tell someone something

  • von der Kindheit erzählen

    talk about childhood

  • etwas erzählen

    tell something

Similar words

sagen: Putting a fact or thought into a short statement.
berichten: Providing a factual account of something experienced or observed.
mitteilen: Conveying information or news to another person.
schildern: Depicting an event or scene with close attention to its details.

Definition in German

in Worten eine Geschichte oder einen Sachverhalt so darstellen, dass ein Zuhörer oder Leser ihn nachvollziehen kann

Word origin

The older forms erzælen and irzalon are related to zählen, reflecting an earlier sense of listing or recounting things in order.

Usage tips

  • Erzählen commonly takes von with the dative for a topic, as in von einer Reise erzählen.

Other meanings

  • talk aboutverb
  • recountverb
  • narrateverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word