German word

kaufen

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈkaʊ̯fən/

Meaning

  • verbbuy

Example

Ich kaufe heute Brot.

I'm buying bread today.

Illustration for kaufen (buy)

More examples

Sie kauft heute im Supermarkt Lebensmittel.

She buys groceries at the supermarket today.

Core concept

At a market exchange, a price changes into possession of a particular item.

Common phrases

  • Lebensmittel kaufen

    buy groceries

  • im Supermarkt kaufen

    buy at the supermarket

  • online kaufen

    buy online

Similar words

einkaufen: Choose and buy everyday goods or food while shopping at a store or supermarket.
bestellen: Ask a shop or website to provide desired goods or a meal.
bezahlen: Pay the price charged for a purchased item.

Definition in German

etwas kaufen; meist transitiv gebraucht

Word origin

The verb kaufen continues Middle High German koufen and Old High German koufon, forms borrowed from Latin caupo, 'merchant'.

Usage tips

  • The purchased thing takes the accusative, while a person receiving it can take the dative, as in Ich kaufe meiner Schwester ein Geschenk.

Opposites

Related words

  • der Kaufpurchasenoun
  • der Käuferbuyernoun
  • kaufbarpurchasableadjective

Word lists with this word