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Illustration of the B1 German word “pfeifen”, which translates to “to whistle”. A marmot purses its lips and whistles so hard that its cheeks balloon, and the visible ring of sound blasts the hats off a whole row of astonished sheep.
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pfeifen is one of the B1 words in the free course — with this picture, the audio, and spaced repetition.

pfeifen

to whistle

/ˈp͡faɪ̯fn̩/

Conjugation

Principal parts

pfeifen, pfiff, hat gepfiffen

ich pfeife
du pfeifst
er/sie/es pfeift
wir pfeifen
ihr pfeift
sie/Sie pfeifen

Practice "pfeifen"

Examples — pfeifen in a sentence

Er pfeift ein Lied.

He whistles a tune.

Der Schiedsrichter pfiff das Spiel ab.

The referee blew the whistle to end the game.

How to remember it

PFEIFEN, 'pfif-en' – sounds like the 'fife' in a marching band, which whistles tunes.

More B1 words

Illustration of the B1 German word “preisen”, which translates to “to praise”. A sunflower with a beaming blushing face is showered in a burst of golden petals from above, leaning back and glowing with delighted embarrassment.
preisen

/ˈpʁaɪ̯zn̩/

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to praise

Principal parts

preisen, pries, hat gepriesen

ich preise
du preist
er/sie/es preist
wir preisen
ihr preist
sie/Sie preisen

Examples

Wir preisen seinen Mut.

We praise his courage.

Der Dichter pries die Schönheit der Natur.

The poet praised the beauty of nature.

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Illustration of the A2 German word “raten”, which translates to “to advise, guess”. A puzzled bear scratches its head before three identical closed boxes, finger hovering uncertainly, trying to guess which one hides the prize.
raten

/ˈʁaːtn̩/

to advise, guess

Principal parts

raten, riet, hat geraten

ich rate
du rätst
er/sie/es rät
wir raten
ihr ratet
sie/Sie raten

Examples

Ich rate dir, vorsichtig zu sein.

I advise you to be careful.

Er riet ihr zur Geduld.

He advised her to be patient.

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Illustration of the B1 German word “die Ratenzahlung”, which translates to “installment payment”. A big coin is sliced into a row of equal wedges, one wedge floating off each month past a calendar.
die Ratenzahlung

/ˈʁaːtn̩ˌt͡saːlʊŋ/

installment payment

Examples

Ich zahle per Ratenzahlung.

I pay in installments.

Ratenzahlung ist hier möglich.

Payment in installments is possible here.

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Illustration of the A2 German word “reiben”, which translates to “to rub”. A sleepy koala vigorously rubs its tired eyes with both fuzzy paws, cheeks scrunched, little motion-blur lines showing the furious rubbing.
reiben

/ˈʁaɪ̯bn̩/

to rub

Principal parts

reiben, rieb, hat gerieben

ich reibe
du reibst
er/sie/es reibt
wir reiben
ihr reibt
sie/Sie reiben

Examples

Ich reibe mir die Augen.

I rub my eyes.

Sie rieb die Stelle sauber.

She rubbed the spot clean.

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Illustration of the A2 German word “reißen”, which translates to “to tear”. A fierce little terrier yanks a thick rope clean in two with a mighty tug, tumbling backward as it tears apart, ears flying.
reißen

/ˈʁaɪ̯sn̩/

to tear

Principal parts

reißen, riss, hat gerissen

ich reiße
du reißt
er/sie/es reißt
wir reißen
ihr reißt
sie/Sie reißen

Examples

Reiß das Papier nicht!

Don't tear the paper!

Der Sturm riss den Baum um.

The storm tore down the tree.

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Illustration of the A2 German word “reiten”, which translates to “to ride (horse)”. A tiny frog in riding boots posts up and down on the back of a galloping carthorse, gripping the mane with both webbed hands, cheeks puffed in fierce concentration.
reiten

/ˈʁaɪ̯tn̩/

to ride (horse)

Principal parts

reiten, ritt, hat geritten

ich reite
du reitest
er/sie/es reitet
wir reiten
ihr reitet
sie/Sie reiten

Examples

Er kann gut reiten.

He can ride well.

Sie ritt durch den Wald.

She rode through the forest.

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preisen — to praise

preisenratenRatenzahlungreibenreißenreitenAll German word pages

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