German Conversation · Level 82
60 words
German word
schalten
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈʃaltən/
Meaning
- verbswitch
Example
Ich schalte oft zwischen den Sendern um.
I often switch between channels.
More examples
Vor Meetings schalte ich mein Handy auf stumm.
Before meetings, I put my phone on silent.
Core concept
A hand moves a control from one channel, gear, or setting to another, making the machine operate in a different way.
Common phrases
das Handy auf stumm schalten
put the phone on silent
das Gerät in den Standby-Modus schalten
switch the device to standby mode
zwischen Eingangsquellen schalten
switch between input sources
Similar words
umschalten: Move from one channel or mode to another.
wechseln: Replace one thing or condition with another.
einstellen: Adjust a machine's settings so it works differently.
einschalten: Turn on a device so it begins operating.
Definition in German
bei Geräten oder Fahrzeugen einen Gang, Modus oder eine Einstellung wechseln; allgemein etwas umstellen
Word origin
Schalten comes through Middle High German from Old High German scaltan, whose early sense was 'divide' or 'separate'; later senses involved arranging or controlling.
Usage tips
- In the example, umschalten is a separable verb, so the prefix moves to the end: Ich schalte zwischen den Sendern um.
Other meanings
- shift gearsverb
- placeverb
Opposites
- beibehaltenleave unchangedverb
Related words
- Umschaltungswitchingnoun
- Schalterswitchnoun