tun
German, verb
tun is spelled T-U-N (3 letters) and appears 380 times per million words in written German, the 242nd most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Tun is a German verb meaning “to do (to perform or execute an action)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). With a capital, Tun is a different word: “gerund of tun; doing, deeds, behaviour”. The German Wiktionary defines it as “eine Handlung ausführen”.
What does tun mean in English?
verb
- 1
to do (to perform or execute an action)
Tu es!
- 2
to do (harm or good, but negative by default)
Der tut Ihnen nichts!
- 3
informalto pretend, to play-act
Er hat nur so getan.
- 4
colloquialto put, to place, to add (especially of smaller objects or ingredients)
Tu das hier rein.
- 5
colloquialto work, to function
Die Uhr tut’s nicht mehr.
- 6
colloquialto make a difference; to be different
Tut sich das viel?
- 7
informalto happen, to be going on (as opposed to a lack of activity)
Und, tut sich heute etwas?
- 8
informalUsed with the preceding infinitive of another verb that has been fronted to the first position, typically for strong emphasis or contrast with another verb
Er singt immer noch gern, aber tanzen tut er gar nicht mehr.
noun
- 1
neutergerund of tun; doing, deeds, behaviour
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
verb: 1. eine Handlung ausführen 2. eine zuvor im Kontext näher beschriebene Handlung ausführen 3. eine dem vorangehenden Nomen entsprechende Handlung ausführen 4. dazu führen, dass sich etwas ereignet, zustande kommt
verb: 1. in nachgestellter Verwendung zur Betonung des Vollverbs 2. in vorangestellter Verwendung zur Betonung des Vollverbs 3. ersetzt den Konjunktiv
noun: 1. Tat oder Tätigkeit
noun: 1. großer und schneller, als Speisefisch beliebter Meeresfisch; Thunnus
abbreviation: 1. tunesisch
abbreviation: 1. Tunesien 2. Tunesier
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 tun
- tut present singular third-person
- tat past
- getan participle past
- täte past subjunctive
- haben auxiliary
- tuend participle present
- tue first-person indicative present
- tuen first-person plural subjunctive
- tust indicative present second-person
- tuest second-person singular subjunctive
- tuet plural second-person subjunctive
- taten first-person indicative plural
- täten first-person plural subjunctive
- tatest indicative preterite second-person
- tatst indicative preterite second-person
- tatet indicative plural preterite
- tätest second-person singular subjunctive
- tätet plural second-person subjunctive
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to tun
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is tun in German?
tun appears 380 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).