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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.
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reiben is one of the A2 words in the free course — with this picture, the audio, and spaced repetition.

reiben

to rub

/ˈʁaɪ̯bn̩/

Conjugation

Principal parts

reiben, rieb, hat gerieben

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

Practice "reiben"

Examples — reiben in a sentence

Ich reibe mir die Augen.

I rub my eyes.

Sie rieb die Stelle sauber.

She rubbed the spot clean.

How to remember it

To 'REIBEN' is to RUB. You can 'RIEB' (rub) a lamp for a genie.

More A2 words

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/

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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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Illustration of the A2 German word “rennen”, which translates to “to run”. A blazing-fast cheetah sprints flat out, legs a total blur and tongue flapping, kicking up a trail of dust and zooming motion-lines.
rennen

/ˈʁɛnən/

to run

Principal parts

rennen, rannte, ist gerannt

ich renne
du rennst
er/sie/es rennt
wir rennen
ihr rennt
sie/Sie rennen

Examples

Der Läufer rennt schnell.

The runner runs fast.

Ich rannte zum Bahnhof.

I ran to the station.

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Illustration of the A2 German word “riechen”, which translates to “to smell”. A tiny mouse stands on tiptoe with its nose pressed to a giant steaming wheel of cheese, eyes shut in bliss as curling scent-ribbons swirl up its nose.
riechen

/ˈʁiːçn̩/

to smell

Principal parts

riechen, roch, hat gerochen

ich rieche
du riechst
er/sie/es riecht
wir riechen
ihr riecht
sie/Sie riechen

Examples

Hier riecht es gut.

It smells good here.

Die Rose roch wunderbar.

The rose smelled wonderful.

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Illustration of the B1 German word “ringen”, which translates to “to wrestle”. Two stout otters grapple chest to chest on a straw mat, legs braced and whiskers quivering, locked in a perfectly even deadlock.
ringen

/ˈʁɪŋən/

to wrestle

Principal parts

ringen, rang, hat gerungen

ich ringe
du ringst
er/sie/es ringt
wir ringen
ihr ringt
sie/Sie ringen

Examples

Er ringt mit seinen Problemen.

He wrestles with his problems.

Die beiden Athleten rangen hart um den Sieg.

The two athletes fought hard for the win.

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Illustration of the B1 German word “rinnen”, which translates to “to flow, trickle”. A thin silver thread of water winds down a mossy rock face and drips into a tiny cupped leaf held by a patient snail.
rinnen

/ˈʁɪnən/

to flow, trickle

Principal parts

rinnen, rann, hat geronnen

ich rinne
du rinnst
er/sie/es rinnt
wir rinnen
ihr rinnt
sie/Sie rinnen

Examples

Das Wasser rinnt aus dem Hahn.

The water trickles from the tap.

Blut rann ihm über die Hand.

Blood ran over his hand.

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reißen — to tear

reißenreitenrennenriechenringenrinnenAll German word pages

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