anspielen
to pass to
In sports, especially ball games, to pass the ball to a teammate.
EXAMPLE
Der Verteidiger hat den Stürmer mit einem langen Pass angespielt.
The defender passed to the striker with a long pass.
anspielen
to pass to / allude to / play briefly
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Meanings
anspielen auf
to allude to
To make an indirect remark about something or someone; to hint at something without naming it directly.
EXAMPLE
Mit seiner Frage nach meinem Urlaub spielte er auf meine lange Abwesenheit an.
With his question about my vacation, he was alluding to my long absence.
anspielen
to play briefly
In music or theater, to play the beginning of a piece or scene, often only briefly as a rehearsal or as a signal.
EXAMPLE
Die Band spielte nur kurz den Refrain an, bevor das eigentliche Konzert begann.
The band only played the chorus briefly before the actual concert began.
Usage tips
Separable verb
'Anspielen' is a separable verb. The prefix 'an-' comes at the end in a main clause. In subordinate clauses or in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb stays together.
EXAMPLE
Er spielt seinen Teamkollegen an.
He passes to his teammate.
Fixed preposition
In the meaning 'auf etwas hindeuten' (to hint at something), 'anspielen' (to allude) is always used with the preposition 'auf' and the accusative. Without 'auf', the verb does not have this meaning.
EXAMPLE
Mit ihrer Bemerkung spielte sie auf ein altes Problem an.
With her remark, she was alluding to an old problem.
Context clues
You can recognize the meaning from the context: In sports, a person (accusative) is passed to. With an indirect remark, the preposition 'auf' appears. In a musical context, the object is often a song or an instrument.
EXAMPLE
Der Pianist spielte nur die ersten Takte an.
The pianist only played the first bars briefly.
Sentence structure in sports
In the sports meaning, the person who is supposed to receive the ball is always in the accusative. You 'play someone on' in German: 'jemanden anspielen' (to pass to someone).
EXAMPLE
Der Mittelfeldspieler spielte die Stürmerin präzise an.
The midfielder passed precisely to the female striker.
Compare with
anspielen vs andeuten
to hint at / to indicate
Both verbs describe an indirect message. „Andeuten“ is more general and can also refer to information that is only partly stated or to a gesture. „Anspielen auf“ directs the indirect hint specifically at a particular topic or person. Use „andeuten“ in general, and „anspielen auf“ when there is a clear reference.
anspielen
Mit seiner Bemerkung spielte er auf den Streit vom Vortag an.
With his remark, he alluded to the argument from the day before.
andeuten
Sie deutete an, dass sie mit dem Ergebnis nicht zufrieden war.
She hinted that she was not satisfied with the result.
In real life
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