bleiben vs verweilen
German word comparison
Listen to bleiben
Listen to verweilen
| bleiben | verweilen |
|---|---|
BLEI-ben verb | fɛɐ̯ˈvaɪlən verb |
| to stay; to remain (in a place or state) | to linger; to stay for a while, often with the nuance of taking time or enjoying the stay |
How they differ
Verweilen implies lingering or spending time deliberately and often has a temporal nuance (stay a while), while bleiben simply indicates staying without that temporal or experiential nuance.
When to use each
When to use bleiben: Prefer bleiben when you simply want to say someone stays or remains, without implying duration or a mood.
When to use verweilen: Prefer verweilen when you want to express lingering, taking one's time, or enjoying the stay—often stylistically elevated or literary.
Side-by-side examples
- Wir bleiben noch eine Stunde im Café.
(We'll stay in the café for another hour.) - Wir verweilen noch eine Stunde im Café.
(We linger in the café for another hour.)
Register & nuance: Verweilen is more literary or formal and less common in casual spoken German; it carries a slightly poetic or reflective tone.