German word

zufolge

Pronunciation

IPA/t͡sʊˈfɔlgə/

Meaning

  • prepositionaccording to

Example

Dem Zeugen zufolge hat er das Haus gesehen.

According to the witness, he saw the house.

Illustration for zufolge (according to)

More examples

Den Statistiken zufolge ist die Arbeitslosigkeit gesunken.

According to the statistics, unemployment has fallen.

Core concept

A claim stands beside its source and follows that source's account.

Common phrases

  • den Medien zufolge

    according to the media

  • den Statistiken zufolge

    according to the statistics

  • dem Bericht zufolge

    according to the report

Similar words

laut: Used to attribute information to a stated source, often in everyday speech.
nach: Used to report information based on what a person or source says.

Definition in German

Postpositional verwendet wird, den Dativ verlangt und anzeigt, dass eine Aussage auf einer bestimmten Quelle beruht.

Word origin

The form combines German zu with Folge, meaning 'following' or 'sequence', and its source-based meaning developed from the idea of following something.

Usage tips

  • Unlike English 'according to', zufolge normally follows its noun phrase and governs the dative, as in dem Bericht zufolge.

Other meanings

  • in accordance withpreposition

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word