brennen
to burn
To be destroyed by fire or to be in flames.
EXAMPLE
Das alte Lagerhaus brennt lichterloh.
The old warehouse is burning fiercely.
brennen
to burn
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
brennen
to burn
To cause a sharp, stinging, or hot feeling on the skin, in the eyes, or in the throat.
EXAMPLE
Das Desinfektionsmittel brennt in der Wunde.
The disinfectant burns in the wound.
für etwas brennen
to burn for something
To feel a very strong passion or enthusiasm for something or someone.
EXAMPLE
Sie brennt für den Tierschutz und investiert ihre ganze Freizeit dafür.
She burns for animal welfare and invests all her free time in it.
brennen
to burn
To give off light or heat; to be switched on. Refers to lamps, candles, or the sun.
EXAMPLE
Lass bitte das Licht im Flur brennen.
Please leave the light in the hallway burning.
brennen
to distill
To produce alcohol through distillation.
EXAMPLE
Der Bauer brennt aus seinen Äpfeln einen hervorragenden Schnaps.
The farmer distills an excellent schnapps from his apples.
brennen
to burn
To copy data onto an optical storage medium such as a CD or DVD.
EXAMPLE
Kannst du mir die Urlaubsfotos auf eine CD brennen?
Can you burn the vacation photos onto a CD for me?
Usage tips
Transitive or intransitive
'Brennen' (to burn) can be used with or without an accusative object, which often determines the meaning. Without an object, it usually means that something is in flames or is shining. With an object, it means that someone is actively distilling something or copying data.
EXAMPLE
Die Kerze brennt. (intransitiv)
The candle is burning. (intransitive)
Auxiliary verb 'haben'
Although 'brennen' (to burn) in this meaning describes a kind of change of state, the perfect tense is always formed with 'haben' (to have), not with 'sein' (to be).
EXAMPLE
Das ganze Haus hat letzte Nacht gebrannt.
The whole house burned last night.
Physical sensations
When 'brennen' (to burn) describes a feeling, a body part is often the subject of the sentence. The cause can also be the subject.
EXAMPLE
Meine Augen brennen vom vielen Lesen.
My eyes burn from reading so much.
Fixed preposition 'für'
The figurative meaning 'to be passionate' always requires the preposition 'für' followed by the accusative. You always 'burn for' a cause, an idea, or a person.
EXAMPLE
Der junge Forscher brennt für sein Projekt.
The young researcher burns for his project.
Sentence structure for distilling
In this meaning, 'brennen' (to distill) is transitive and needs an accusative object, e.g. 'Schnaps' (schnapps). The source material is often given with the preposition 'aus' (+ dative).
EXAMPLE
In dieser Region brennt man Alkohol aus Kirschen.
In this region, people distill alcohol from cherries.
Sentence structure for data
When copying data, 'brennen' (to burn) is transitive. The data is the accusative object, and the storage medium is named with the preposition 'auf' (+ accusative).
EXAMPLE
Ich muss die Präsentation noch auf eine DVD brennen.
I still have to burn the presentation onto a DVD.
Compare with
brennen vs verbrennen
to burn
Brennen and verbrennen can both express that something is destroyed by fire or is in flames. Brennen focuses more on the state or process, while verbrennen emphasizes the consumption or the result of the destruction. Brennen is usually the better choice for a visible flame, while verbrennen focuses on something being used up.
brennen
Das Holz brennt im Ofen und wärmt das Zimmer.
The wood is burning in the stove and warming the room.
verbrennen
Das Holz verbrennt im Ofen langsam zu Asche.
The wood is slowly burning to ash in the stove.
In real life
Loading video examples...