German Word of the Day
brauchen
BRAU-chen • verb — 11th of May, 2026
Listen to pronunciation
Meaning: to need; to require
Examples
- Ich brauche einen Regenschirm.
(I need an umbrella.) - Wir brauchen mehr Zeit für das Projekt.
(We need more time for the project.) - Du brauchst warme Kleidung im Winter.
(You need warm clothing in winter.)
Synonyms
- benötigen
- nötig haben
Conjugation
| Person | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | brauche | brauchte |
| du | brauchst | brauchtest |
| er/sie/es | braucht | brauchte |
| wir | brauchen | brauchten |
| ihr | braucht | brauchtet |
| sie/Sie | brauchen | brauchten |
See all 6 tenses of brauchen →
Use brauchen to express necessity for things or actions. For verbs, negative necessity is often formed as „brauchen ... nicht zu + Infinitiv“ (e.g. „Du brauchst nicht zu kommen" = "You don't have to come"). Benötigen is more formal; „nötig haben" is colloquial.
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