to act
Loading your saved state.
to act
To take action, become active, or proceed in a certain way. It often describes the manner in which a person, group, or organization acts in a situation.
Die Regierung muss in dieser Krise entschlossen agieren.
The government must act decisively in this crisis.
The verb 'agieren' (to act) belongs more to formal written language or elevated colloquial speech. It is often used in news, political discussions, or business contexts.
Das Unternehmen agiert weltweit und hat Niederlassungen in über 20 Ländern.
The company operates worldwide and has branches in over 20 countries.
'Agieren' (to act) comes from the Latin word 'agere' (to act, to do). You can recognize its relationship to words like 'Aktion' (action), 'aktiv' (active), or 'reagieren' (to react), all of which have to do with actions.
Anstatt nur zu reden, müssen wir jetzt aktiv werden und agieren.
Instead of just talking, we now have to become active and act.
In the meaning 'to act', 'agieren' often describes the manner of an action. Therefore, it is very frequently combined with an adverb that describes this behavior more precisely.
In der Verhandlung agierte sie sehr klug und diplomatisch.
In the negotiation, she acted very cleverly and diplomatically.
When someone has a specific role or function, the fixed structure 'agieren als' + nominative is used. The subject of the sentence is the person or group that performs the function.
Frau Dr. Meier agiert als Leiterin des Forschungsteams.
Dr. Meier acts as head of the research team.
The meaning 'to play a role' is easy to recognize from context. Words like 'Bühne' (stage), 'Film' (film), 'Theater' (theater), or 'Rolle' (role) make it clear that it is about acting.
Der junge Schauspieler agierte auf der Bühne mit großer Leidenschaft.
The young actor acted on stage with great passion.
to play
'spielen' and 'agieren' can both have to do with acting. When someone portrays a role in a film or play, you can say that the person 'eine Rolle spielt' (plays a role) or 'auf der Bühne agiert' (acts on stage). 'spielen' is the normal, simple word for this. 'agieren' often sounds more formal and tends to emphasize how someone acts or performs. Outside theater and film, 'agieren' usually means 'to act' or 'to behave in a situation', not 'to play a game'. That is why the words can be confused if you only think of 'Rolle' (role) or 'Schauspiel' (acting).
Auf der Bühne agiert der junge Schauspieler sehr ruhig und sicher.
On stage, the young actor performs very calmly and confidently.
Im neuen Film spielt Anna eine Ärztin.
In the new film, Anna plays a doctor.