German Word of the Day
telefonieren
te-le-fo-NIE-ren • verb — 3rd of Jul, 2026
Listen to pronunciation
Meaning: to talk on the phone; to telephone
Examples
- Ich telefoniere später mit meiner Mutter.
(I'll phone my mother later.) - Hast du gestern mit ihm telefoniert?
(Did you talk to him on the phone yesterday?) - Wir müssen noch mit dem Kunden telefonieren.
(We still need to phone the customer.)
Synonyms
Click a synonym to see how it compares to telefonieren.
Conjugation
| Person | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | telefoniere | telefonierte |
| du | telefonierst | telefoniertest |
| er/sie/es | telefoniert | telefonierte |
| wir | telefonieren | telefonierten |
| ihr | telefoniert | telefoniertet |
| sie/Sie | telefonieren | telefonierten |
See all 6 tenses of telefonieren →
Use 'telefonieren' to describe the act of speaking on the phone (it is often used intransitively: 'mit jemandem telefonieren'). If you want to emphasize placing a call to someone, use the transitive verb 'anrufen' (e.g., 'Ich rufe dich an'). 'Telefonieren' highlights the conversation itself.
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