abdriften
to drift away
To move away from a previous location or course because of a current, the wind, or another force.
EXAMPLE
Das Boot driftete langsam vom Ufer ab.
The boat slowly drifted away from the shore.
abdriften
to drift
abdriften – driftete ab – ist abgedriftet
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Meanings
abdriften
to drift into
To gradually move into a different, often problematic state or area of life.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Schulabbruch driftete er immer mehr in die Kriminalität ab.
After dropping out of school, he drifted further and further into crime.
abdriften
to drift off topic
To move away from the main topic in a conversation, presentation, or text.
EXAMPLE
Die Diskussion driftete schnell in persönliche Streitigkeiten ab.
The discussion quickly drifted off topic into personal arguments.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry abdriften, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Present
| ich | drifte ab |
|---|---|
| du | driftest ab |
| er/sie/es | driftet ab |
| wir | driften ab |
| ihr | driftet ab |
| sie | driften ab |
Simple past
| ich | driftete ab |
|---|---|
| du | driftetest ab |
| er/sie/es | driftete ab |
| wir | drifteten ab |
| ihr | driftetet ab |
| sie | drifteten ab |
Perfect
with sein
| ich | bin abgedriftet |
|---|---|
| du | bist abgedriftet |
| er/sie/es | ist abgedriftet |
| wir | sind abgedriftet |
| ihr | seid abgedriftet |
| sie | sind abgedriftet |
Commands
| du | drift ab! drifte ab! |
|---|---|
| ihr | driftet ab! |
| Sie | driften Sie ab! |
Past perfect
| ich | war abgedriftet |
|---|---|
| du | warst abgedriftet |
| er/sie/es | war abgedriftet |
| wir | waren abgedriftet |
| ihr | wart abgedriftet |
| sie | waren abgedriftet |
Future
| ich | werde abdriften |
|---|---|
| du | wirst abdriften |
| er/sie/es | wird abdriften |
| wir | werden abdriften |
| ihr | werdet abdriften |
| sie | werden abdriften |
Subjunctive I
| ich | drifte ab |
|---|---|
| du | driftest ab |
| er/sie/es | drifte ab |
| wir | driften ab |
| ihr | driftet ab |
| sie | driften ab |
Used for reported speech.
Subjunctive II
| ich | driftete ab |
|---|---|
| du | driftetest ab |
| er/sie/es | driftete ab |
| wir | drifteten ab |
| ihr | driftetet ab |
| sie | drifteten ab |
Used for wishes and “would”.
Other forms
| infinitive | abdriften |
|---|---|
| with zu | abzudriften |
| present participle | abdriftend |
| past participle | abgedriftet |
Usage tips
Separable verb
'Abdriften' (to drift) consists of 'ab' and 'driften' and is separable. In a main clause, 'ab' comes at the end; in a subordinate clause, the verb stays together. In the infinitive with 'zu', 'zu' goes between the two parts.
EXAMPLE
Unser Gespräch driftet immer wieder ab.
Our conversation keeps drifting off topic.
Sie unterbrach ihn, weil er vom Thema abdriftete.
She interrupted him because he was drifting off topic.
Wir versuchen, nicht zu weit vom Thema abzudriften.
We try not to drift too far off topic.
Perfect tense with sein
'Abdriften' (to drift) forms the perfect tense with 'sein' (to be). This also applies to its figurative use for conversations or personal developments.
EXAMPLE
Das Gespräch ist völlig vom ursprünglichen Thema abgedriftet.
The conversation has drifted completely away from the original topic.
Development with in
The state or area of life someone drifts into is often expressed with 'in' followed by the accusative. Typical collocations are 'in die Kriminalität abdriften' (to drift into crime) and 'in die Bedeutungslosigkeit abdriften' (to drift into insignificance).
EXAMPLE
Die einst erfolgreiche Partei droht in die Bedeutungslosigkeit abzudriften.
The once-successful party is in danger of drifting into insignificance.
Expressing topic changes
Use 'von' followed by the dative to name the topic being left behind; 'vom Thema abdriften' (to drift off topic) is especially common. Use 'in' followed by the accusative to indicate the direction the conversation takes.
EXAMPLE
Bei der Besprechung drifteten wir mehrfach vom Thema ab.
During the meeting, we drifted off topic several times.
Das Gespräch driftete schließlich in eine Debatte über Geld ab.
The conversation eventually drifted into a debate about money.
In real life
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