sprechen
German, verb
sprechen is spelled S-P-R-E-C-H-E-N (8 letters) and appears 135 times per million words in written German, the 657th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Sprechen is a German verb meaning “to speak (some language, the truth, etc.)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). With a capital, Sprechen is a different word: “gerund of sprechen: "speaking"”. The German Wiktionary defines it as “mündliche Äußerungen in Form von Lauten, Wörtern und/oder Sätzen von sich geben”.
What does sprechen mean in English?
verb
- 1
to speak (some language, the truth, etc.)
Ich spreche Deutsch.
- 2
to speak, to talk, to give a speech
Sprechen Sie bitte langsam.
- 3
to say, to speak (a word, phrase, sentence, prayer, etc.)
Was? Du hast kein Wort darüber gesprochen.
- 4
to have a pronunciation; to be pronounced (some way)
Wie spricht sich das?
- 5
to pronounce (a judgment, a verdict, etc.)
Die Geschichte wird das endgültige Urteil über sein Werk sprechen.
- 6
to say (something)
- 7
Switzerlandto grant, approve (a loan, funding, etc.)
noun
- 1
neutergerund of sprechen: "speaking"
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
verb: 1. mündliche Äußerungen in Form von Lauten, Wörtern und/oder Sätzen von sich geben 2. etwas nonverbal andeuten; indirekt erkennbar machen, zum Ausdruck bringen
noun: 1. mündliche Äußerung sprachlicher Einheiten; der Vorgang/Prozess, die Tätigkeit des mündlichen Gebrauchs von Sprache
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 sprechen
- spricht present singular third-person
- sprach past
- gesprochen participle past
- spräche past subjunctive
- haben auxiliary
- 4 strong
- sprechend participle present
- spreche first-person indicative present
- sprichst indicative present second-person
- sprecht indicative plural present
- sprechest second-person singular subjunctive
- sprechet plural second-person subjunctive
- sprachen first-person indicative plural
- sprächen first-person formal plural
- sprachst indicative preterite second-person
- spracht indicative plural preterite
- sprächest formal rare second-person
- sprächst formal rare second-person
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to sprechen
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is sprechen in German?
sprechen appears 135 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).