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Kalle meint, das Wasser ist zu kalt. Kalle thinks the water is too cold.

verb · A1

meinen

[ˈmaɪ̯nən]

to think, to mean

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Synonyms
denken

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Other Examples

Grammar

Present
er/sie/es meint What happens now or usually.
Simple past (Präteritum)
er/sie/es meinte The past in stories and in writing; in speech mostly with sein, haben and the modal verbs.
Perfect (Perfekt)
er/sie/es hat gemeint The past in conversation. Verbs of movement or change take "ist", most others "hat".

Conjugation

The verb in every person; under each table, when German uses it.

Indikativ
Person Präsens Präteritum Perfekt
ich meinemeintehabe gemeint
du meinstmeintesthast gemeint
er/sie/es meintmeintehat gemeint
wir meinenmeintenhaben gemeint
ihr meintmeintethabt gemeint
sie/Sie meinenmeintenhaben gemeint
Präsens
What happens now or usually; with a time word also the future.
Präteritum
The past in stories and in writing; in speech mostly with sein, haben and the modal verbs.
Perfekt
The past in conversation.
More Tenses and Moods
Indikativ
Person Plusquamperfekt Futur I Futur II
ich hatte gemeintwerde meinenwerde gemeint haben
du hattest gemeintwirst meinenwirst gemeint haben
er/sie/es hatte gemeintwird meinenwird gemeint haben
wir hatten gemeintwerden meinenwerden gemeint haben
ihr hattet gemeintwerdet meinenwerdet gemeint haben
sie/Sie hatten gemeintwerden meinenwerden gemeint haben
Plusquamperfekt
What had happened before another moment in the past.
Futur I
Plans, promises and guesses about the future; often the Präsens is enough.
Futur II
What will be finished by a moment in the future, or a guess about the past.
Person Konjunktiv II
ich meinte
du meintest
er/sie/es meinte
wir meinten
ihr meintet
sie/Sie meinten
Konjunktiv II
Wishes, polite requests and what isn't real.

The same as the Präteritum, so German mostly says "würde" + infinitive instead: ich würde meinen.

Person Imperativ
du mein!
ihr meint!
Sie meinen Sie!
Imperativ
Requests and instructions to du, ihr and Sie.

How the Word Is Built

mein root en ending

-en
the ending of the infinitive, the form of a verb in the dictionary.

Word family

In Otti's situations: Frau Hilde tells stories

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