öffnen
German, verb/ˈœfnən/
öffnen is a German verb meaning “to open (to make something accessible or allow for passage by moving from a shut position)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “etwas aufmachen; offen machen”.
What does öffnen mean in English?
verb
- 1
to open (to make something accessible or allow for passage by moving from a shut position)
Das Kind öffnete die Fenster.
- 2
to open (to make accessible to customers or clients)
Der Supermarket hat den ganzen Tag geöffnet.
- 3
to open (to load into memory for viewing or editing)
- 4
to open, get, or answer the door
- 5
to open (to become open)
sich für Veränderungen öffnen
- 6
to open up (to), confide (in) (to reveal oneself; share personal information about oneself)
er hat sich mir geöffnet
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
verb: 1. etwas aufmachen; offen machen 2. aufgehen; offen werden 3. einer Sache nicht mehr widerstrebend gegenüberstehen
noun: 1. Akt des Öffnens, die Öffnung einer Sache bewirkende Handlung
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of öffnen
- öffnet present singular third-person
- öffnete past
- geöffnet participle past
- haben auxiliary
- öffnend participle present
- öffne first-person indicative present
- öffnest indicative present second-person
- öffneten first-person indicative plural
- öffnetest indicative preterite second-person
- öffnetet indicative plural preterite
- habe geöffnet first-person indicative multiword-construction
- haben geöffnet first-person indicative multiword-construction
- öffne! imperative singular
- öffnet! imperative plural
- geöffnet haben active infinitive perfect
- geöffnet werden processual-passive infinitive present
- geöffnet worden sein processual-passive infinitive perfect
- geöffnet sein statal-passive infinitive present
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce öffnen?
- /ˈœfnən/
- [ˈʔœf.nən]
- [ˈœfnən]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to öffnen
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is öffnen in German?
öffnen appears 43 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).