Illustration of the A2 German word “graben”, which translates to “to dig”. A bespectacled badger with a tiny shovel wears a miner’s helmet, throwing giant fountains of dirt behind him as he tunnel-races a panicked mole toward a buried, shimmering treasure chest.
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graben is one of the A2 words in the free course — with this picture, the audio, and spaced repetition.

graben

to dig

/ˈɡʁaːbn̩/

Conjugation

Principal parts

graben, grub, hat gegraben

ich grabe
du gräbst
er/sie/es gräbt
wir graben
ihr grabt
sie/Sie graben

Practice "graben"

Examples — graben in a sentence

Er gräbt ein Loch.

He digs a hole.

Wir gruben einen Schatz aus.

We dug up a treasure.

How to remember it

To 'GRABEN' is to DIG. You might 'GRUB'ble in the dirt.

More A2 words

Illustration of the A2 German word “greifen”, which translates to “to grab, grasp”. A hungry chameleon stretches its tongue twenty feet across a garden, eyes swiveling in wild glee as it tries to grab a flying cupcake out of the air, its suction-cup toes desperately gripping a branch.
greifen

/ˈɡʁaɪ̯fn̩/

Tap to see details

to grab, grasp

Principal parts

greifen, griff, hat gegriffen

ich greife
du greifst
er/sie/es greift
wir greifen
ihr greift
sie/Sie greifen

Examples

Er greift nach dem Ball.

He reaches for the ball.

Sie griff nach seiner Hand.

She reached for his hand.

Illustration of the A1 German word “groß”, which translates to “big/tall”. A cheerful family gathered around a very large birthday cake, everyone smiling b
groß

/ɡʁoːs/

big/tall

Comparative Forms

Positive groß
Komparativ größer
Superlativ am größten

Examples

Dein Haus ist sehr groß.

Your house is very big.

Er hat einen großen Hund.

He has a big dog.

Illustration of the A1 German word “halten”, which translates to “to hold/stop”. A giant warm hand cupped gently around a tiny glowing snowglobe, keeping the swirling snow inside perfectly still with patient, steady care.
halten

/ˈhaltn̩/

to hold/stop

Principal parts

halten, hielt, hat gehalten

ich halte
du hältst
er/sie/es hält
wir halten
ihr haltet
sie/Sie halten

Examples

Bitte halten Sie die Tür.

Please hold the door.

Der Bus hält hier nicht.

The bus does not stop here.

Illustration of the B1 German word “die Haltung”, which translates to “attitude / posture”. A book balanced on the head of a perfectly upright flamingo standing on one leg, chin high.
die Haltung

/ˈhaltʊŋ/

attitude / posture

Examples

Er hat eine sehr gute Haltung.

He has very good posture.

Ihre Haltung zum Thema ist klar.

Her stance on the topic is clear.

Illustration of the B1 German word “hauen”, which translates to “to hit, chop”. A burly beaver swings an axe and splits an oak log clean in two, both halves flying apart in a burst of chips, his cap knocked sideways by the force.
hauen

/ˈhaʊ̯ən/

to hit, chop

Principal parts

hauen, hieb, hat gehauen

ich haue
du haust
er/sie/es haut
wir hauen
ihr haut
sie/Sie hauen

Examples

Er haut das Holz klein.

He chops the wood into small pieces.

Der Schmied hieb das Metall.

The blacksmith struck the metal.

Illustration of the A1 German word “das Haus”, which translates to “house”. A cheerful house balanced on a single fluffy cloud, its chimney puffing heart-shaped smoke rings into the blue sky above a tiny garden.
das Haus

/haʊ̯s/

house

Examples

Unser Haus ist sehr groß.

Our house is very big.

Sie wohnen in einem kleinen Haus.

They live in a small house.

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greifen — to grab, grasp

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