German word

seufzen

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈzɔʏ̯ft͡sən/

Meaning

  • verbsigh

Example

Sie seufzt leise.

She sighs quietly.

Illustration for seufzen (sigh)

More examples

Er seufzte enttäuscht, als er die Prüfungsergebnisse sah.

He sighed in disappointment when he saw the exam results.

Core concept

Emotional pressure escapes as one slow, audible exhalation that can signal either release or displeasure.

Common phrases

  • enttäuscht seufzen

    sigh in disappointment

  • über die Situation seufzen

    sigh about the situation

Similar words

aufatmen: To take a deep, relieved breath that makes the body feel more relaxed.
ausatmen: To let air leave the lungs without expressing a particular feeling.
schnaufen: To draw and expel breath loudly and heavily, signaling tiredness or irritation.

Definition in German

seufzen bedeutet, tief und hörbar ausatmen, oft um Gefühle wie Erleichterung, Traurigkeit oder Ärger auszudrücken.

Word origin

The German verb comes from Middle High German sūfzen, a breath-sound formation that developed into the modern sense of sighing.

Usage tips

  • Seufzen commonly combines with über plus accusative for a subject of complaint and with vor plus dative for a cause, as in vor Erleichterung.

Related words

  • Seufzersighnoun
  • seufzendsighingadjective

Word lists with this word