abgeben
to hand in
To hand something over to someone or leave it at a particular place; to submit.
EXAMPLE
Die Studierenden müssen ihre Hausarbeiten bis Freitag abgeben.
The students have to hand in their term papers by Friday.
abgeben
to hand in / give off
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
abgeben
to give off
To emit or release something, for example heat, light, a smell, or a sound.
EXAMPLE
Der Motor gibt bei hoher Drehzahl eine seltsame Wärme ab.
At high RPM, the engine gives off a strange heat.
eine Stimme abgeben
to cast a vote
To make one's decision known in an election or vote; to vote.
EXAMPLE
Jeder wahlberechtigte Bürger kann seine Stimme abgeben.
Every eligible citizen can cast their vote.
abgeben
to share
To give part of something to others; to share something.
EXAMPLE
Würdest du mir von deinem Kuchen etwas abgeben?
Would you share some of your cake with me?
abgeben
to sell / give away
To sell or give something away, often at a low price or for free.
EXAMPLE
Ich möchte mein altes Fahrrad günstig abgeben.
I want to sell my old bicycle cheaply.
abgeben
to pass
In sports, to pass the ball to a teammate.
EXAMPLE
Er hätte den Ball früher abgeben müssen, anstatt selbst zu schießen.
He should have passed the ball earlier instead of shooting himself.
Usage tips
Separable verb
'Abgeben' (to hand in/give off) is a separable verb. The prefix 'ab-' goes at the end in a main clause. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb stays together.
EXAMPLE
Ich gebe das Formular morgen beim Amt ab.
I will hand in the form at the office tomorrow.
Verb structure
The verb consists of the prefix 'ab-' and the base verb 'geben' (to give). The prefix 'ab-' often has the meaning of 'away', 'down', or 'completed', which can be recognized in most meanings of 'abgeben' (to hand in/give off).
EXAMPLE
Kannst du mir bitte die Fernbedienung abgeben?
Can you please hand me the remote control?
Typical collocations
In the context of submitting something, 'abgeben' (to hand in) is often used with official documents or assignments. Typical combinations are: 'eine Hausarbeit abgeben' (to hand in a term paper), 'einen Antrag abgeben' (to submit an application), 'Unterlagen abgeben' (to hand in documents), or 'eine Steuererklärung abgeben' (to file a tax return).
EXAMPLE
Bis wann müssen wir den Antrag für das Stipendium abgeben?
By when do we have to submit the application for the scholarship?
Context: physics & nature
In the meaning 'to emit', the subject is often a technical device or a natural object. It is usually about physical or chemical processes.
EXAMPLE
Der alte Ofen gibt nicht mehr viel Wärme ab.
The old stove doesn't give off much heat anymore.
Fixed expression
In a political context, 'seine Stimme abgeben' (to cast one's vote) is a fixed expression. It is almost always used in this form to describe the act of voting.
EXAMPLE
Bei der letzten Wahl haben über 70 Prozent der Bürger ihre Stimme abgegeben.
In the last election, over 70 percent of citizens cast their vote.
Sentence structure with dative
When you share part of something, the person who receives something is in the dative. The thing being shared often appears with the preposition 'von' (of/from).
EXAMPLE
Gibst du mir bitte etwas von deiner Schokolade ab?
Will you please share some of your chocolate with me?
Typical collocations
When selling or giving something away, 'abgeben' (to sell/give away) is often combined with adverbs like 'günstig' (cheaply), 'billig' (cheaply), or 'kostenlos' (for free).
EXAMPLE
Er hat seine alten Möbel an Studierende abgegeben.
He gave his old furniture to students.
Sentence structure in sports
In a sports context, the ball (accusative object) is passed to a teammate (preposition 'an' + accusative).
EXAMPLE
Der Stürmer hätte den Ball an seinen Mitspieler abgeben sollen.
The striker should have passed the ball to his teammate.
Compare with
passenteilenübergebenüberlassenaufgebeneinreichenausstrahlenfreilassenabliefernabtretenfreisetzenhergebenhingeben
abgeben vs passen
to fit / suit / pass
In sports, passen and abgeben can refer to the same act of passing the ball on. Passen emphasizes the deliberate pass to a teammate. Abgeben focuses more on the fact that a player does not keep the ball but plays it on.
abgeben
Unter starkem Druck gibt die Spielerin den Ball sofort an ihre Mitspielerin ab.
Under heavy pressure, the player immediately passes the ball to her teammate.
passen
Die Spielerin passt den Ball gezielt zu ihrer freien Mitspielerin.
The player deliberately passes the ball to her teammate, who is unmarked.
In real life
Loading video examples...