German Conversation · Level 29
89 words
German word
herunter
Pronunciation
IPA/hɛˈʁʊntɐ/
Meaning
- adverbdown
Example
Er steigt die Treppe herunter.
He is going down the stairs.
More examples
Er versuchte, das Problem herunterzuspielen.
He tried to play down the problem.
Core concept
A person moves downward along a route toward the speaker's location.
Common phrases
die Datei herunterladen
download the file
etwas herunterspielen
play something down
die Rolläden herunterlassen
lower the shutters
Similar words
runter: Moving downward, especially in casual speech.
hinunter: Moving down away from where the speaker is.
nach unten: In the direction of a lower position.
unten: Located below or on a lower floor.
Definition in German
Bezeichnet eine Abwärtsbewegung, die zum Sprecher hin gerichtet ist.
Word origin
Herunter developed by combining her for movement toward the speaker with unter for a position beneath or lower than another point.
Usage tips
- Herunter contrasts with hinunter: her points toward the speaker, whereas hin points away from the speaker.
Other meanings
- downwardadverb
Related words
- herunterladendownloadverb
- herunterspielenplay downverb
- herunterlassenlowerverb