German word

zulegen

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈtsuːˌleːgən/

Meaning

  • verbbuy

Example

Ich habe mir ein neues Auto zugelegt.

I bought myself a new car.

Illustration for zulegen (buy)

More examples

Nach langer Suche konnte sie sich endlich eine Wohnung zulegen.

After a long search, she was finally able to buy herself an apartment.

Core concept

An item, amount, or force is put onto an existing stock, making the possession, weight, or speed greater.

Common phrases

  • sich eine Wohnung zulegen

    buy oneself an apartment

  • sich ein Instrument zulegen

    buy oneself an instrument

Similar words

kaufen: Pay for and obtain an item from a shop or another person.
besorgen: Obtain a needed item by buying it or arranging for it to be supplied.
anschaffen: Buy a new item to have it available and keep it on hand.
bekommen: Receive or get an item from a shop or another person.

Definition in German

sich oder jemandem etwas anschaffen, meist durch Kauf, sodass es in den eigenen Besitz übergeht

Word origin

The verb is formed from the separable prefix zu- and legen, whose basic sense is to put or lay; zulegen therefore developed senses involving addition.

Usage tips

  • As a separable verb, zulegen appears as legt ... zu in main clauses and as zugelegt with haben in the perfect.

Other meanings

  • getverb
  • gain weightverb
  • pick up speedverb

Opposites

Related words

  • zugelegtboughtadjective

Word lists with this word