backen
to bake
To cook foods such as bread, cake, cookies, or pizza with dry heat in an oven.
EXAMPLE
Ich liebe den Geruch, wenn meine Oma frisches Brot backt.
I love the smell when my grandma bakes fresh bread.
backen
to bake
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Meanings
etwas gebacken kriegen
to manage
Colloquial for managing, completing, or successfully getting something done. It is often used in the negative form to express inability.
EXAMPLE
Er kriegt es einfach nicht gebacken, sein Zimmer aufzuräumen.
He just can't manage to clean up his room.
backen
to stick hard
When a wet, powdery, or sticky mass becomes solid and sticks together through drying or pressure.
EXAMPLE
Der nasse Schnee ist über Nacht am Auto festgebacken.
The wet snow stuck hard to the car overnight.
Usage tips
Grammar trap
'Backen' (to bake) has two past-tense forms. The strong form ('er buk', 'hat gebacken') is the most common, especially with food. The weak form ('er backte', 'hat gebackt') is rarer, more regional, or used in technical contexts such as 'festbacken' (to stick hard).
EXAMPLE
Gestern buk ich einen Apfelkuchen.
Yesterday I baked an apple cake.
Typical collocations
In the context of food, 'backen' (to bake) is typically combined with 'Kuchen' (cake), 'Brot' (bread), 'Plätzchen' (cookies), or 'Pizza' (pizza).
EXAMPLE
Am Wochenende backen wir immer frische Brötchen.
On weekends we always bake fresh rolls.
Fixed expression
The colloquial expression 'etwas gebacken kriegen' means 'to manage something' or 'to get something done'. It is very often used negatively to express that someone can't manage to do something.
EXAMPLE
Ich kriege es heute einfach nicht gebacken, mich zu konzentrieren.
I just can't manage to concentrate today.
Use with a prefix
In the meaning 'to stick hard', 'backen' is often combined with a prefix such as 'fest-' or 'an-'. The verb is then 'festbacken' or 'anbacken' and is separable.
EXAMPLE
Der Käse ist auf dem Teller festgebacken.
The cheese has stuck hard to the plate.
Compare with
backen vs braten
to fry / roast
Backen and braten can both take place in the oven; the usual choice depends mainly on the food. Bread, cake, and other dough-based foods are gebacken, while meat such as a whole chicken is usually gebraten. The fact that oven heat is used alone therefore does not determine which verb to choose.
backen
Bei 200 Grad backt Lea im Ofen ein Brot.
Lea bakes a loaf of bread in the oven at 200 degrees.
braten
Bei 200 Grad brät Lea im Ofen ein ganzes Hähnchen mit etwas Öl.
Lea roasts a whole chicken with a little oil in the oven at 200 degrees.
In real life
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