German Word of the Day
brauchen
BRAU-chen • verb — 12th of Jul, 2026
Listen to pronunciation
Meaning: to need; to require
Examples
- Ich brauche Wasser.
(I need water.) - Brauchen Sie Hilfe?
(Do you need help?) - Wir brauchen mehr Zeit, um das Projekt fertigzustellen.
(We need more time to finish the project.)
Synonyms
Click a synonym to see how it compares to brauchen.
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 or requirement. It is commonly used in everyday requests and statements (e.g., 'Ich brauche das'). Note the difference with 'müssen': 'müssen' indicates obligation ('I must'), while 'brauchen' indicates need ('I need'). In negative sentences you can say 'brauche nicht' or use the construction 'brauche ... nicht zu + infinitive' (e.g., 'Du brauchst das nicht zu tun' = 'You don't need to do that').
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