German word

gern

Pronunciation

IPA/gɛɐ̯n/

Meaning

  • adverbgladly

Example

Ich spiele gern Fußball.

I gladly play soccer.

Illustration for gern (gladly)

More examples

Ich habe ihn gern.

I am fond of him.

Core concept

A person willingly joins an activity because it feels pleasing.

Common phrases

  • gern haben

    like

  • gern zuhören

    gladly listen

  • gern ins Kino gehen

    gladly go to the cinema

Similar words

gerne: Shows that an activity is done with pleasure.
lieber: Shows preference for one choice over another.
am liebsten: Shows the strongest preference among several choices.
sehr gern: Shows especially strong enjoyment of an activity.

Definition in German

Vorliebe oder freiwilliges Tun kennzeichnet und eine positive Haltung zur Tätigkeit zeigt.

Word origin

German gern comes through Old High German from an inherited Germanic word meaning willingly or gladly and is related to English yearn.

Usage tips

  • German gern often expresses a general liking, so Ich spiele gern Fußball means that playing football is enjoyable rather than that one accepts a particular invitation.

Other meanings

  • likeadverb
  • willinglyadverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word