brummen
to hum
To produce a deep, monotonous, vibrating sound, typical of machines, large insects, or bears.
EXAMPLE
Der alte Kühlschrank brummt ziemlich laut.
The old refrigerator is humming pretty loudly.
brummen
to hum / grumble / boom
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Meanings
brummen
to grumble
To speak indistinctly to oneself in a deep, often dissatisfied voice, or to mutter.
EXAMPLE
Er brummte nur eine unverständliche Antwort und widmete sich wieder seiner Zeitung.
He only grumbled an incomprehensible answer and turned back to his newspaper.
brummen
to boom
Colloquial for a very good economic situation; when a business or the economy is doing very well.
EXAMPLE
Dank des Weihnachtsgeschäfts brummt der Laden.
Thanks to the Christmas business, the store is booming.
der Kopf brummt
one's head is pounding
To have a dull, throbbing headache.
EXAMPLE
Nach der langen Nacht im Club brummte ihm der Schädel.
After the long night at the club, his head was pounding.
brummen
to serve time
Colloquial for serving a prison sentence.
EXAMPLE
Wegen des Überfalls musste er drei Jahre brummen.
Because of the robbery, he had to serve three years.
Usage tips
Onomatopoeia
'Brummen' (to hum) is an onomatopoeic word. The sound of the word imitates the deep, vibrating noise it describes.
EXAMPLE
Hörst du auch, wie der Transformator brummt?
Do you hear how the transformer is humming too?
Context clue
You can almost always recognize the meaning of 'brummen' from the subject of the sentence. Machines, engines, and large insects 'brummen' (hum/buzz) as a sound. People 'brummen' (grumble). Businesses and the economy 'brummen' (are booming/doing well).
EXAMPLE
Die Klimaanlage brummt leise im Hintergrund.
The air conditioning hums quietly in the background.
Sentence structure
When a person 'brummt' (grumbles), this can introduce a dissatisfied statement. Often a subordinate clause with 'dass' (that) follows, or what is said is put in quotation marks.
EXAMPLE
Er brummte, dass er keine Lust habe, aufzuräumen.
He grumbled that he didn't feel like tidying up.
Register
Saying that a business or the economy 'brummt' (is booming) is colloquial. It means that everything is very successful and a lot of revenue is being generated.
EXAMPLE
Seit der Eröffnung der neuen U-Bahn-Station brummt unser Café.
Since the opening of the new subway station, our café has been booming.
Fixed expression
The expression 'der Kopf brummt' (one's head is pounding) is a fixed phrase for a dull headache. The person who has the pain is often in the dative: 'Mir brummt der Kopf.' (My head is pounding.)
EXAMPLE
Ich habe zu wenig geschlafen, jetzt brummt mir der Kopf.
I didn't sleep enough; now my head is pounding.
Register
The meaning 'eine Gefängnisstrafe verbüßen' (to serve a prison sentence) is colloquial and belongs to jargon. You can add the length of the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Er musste für den Diebstahl zwei Jahre brummen.
He had to serve two years for the theft.
Compare with
brummen vs sitzen
to sit
Sitzen and brummen can both colloquially mean that someone is serving a prison sentence. In this context, they have the same core meaning; sitzen must not be understood as referring to an ordinary body position.
brummen
Wegen des Überfalls muss der Täter drei Jahre im Gefängnis brummen.
The perpetrator has to serve three years for the robbery.
sitzen
Wegen des Überfalls muss der Täter drei Jahre im Gefängnis sitzen.
The perpetrator has to serve three years in prison for the robbery.
In real life
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