to chat
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to chat
To communicate in writing with one or more people in real time over the internet or a computer network.
Wir können später noch kurz chatten, um die Details zu besprechen.
We can chat briefly later to discuss the details.
The verb 'chatten' comes from English ('to chat') and is conjugated as a regular verb in German. The endings are the same as with verbs like 'arbeiten' (to work): ich chatte, du chattest, er/sie/es chattet.
Er chattet jeden Abend mit seinen Freunden.
He chats with his friends every evening.
The perfect tense of 'chatten' is always formed with the auxiliary verb 'haben' (to have), not with 'sein' (to be). The past participle is 'gechattet'.
Wir haben gestern stundenlang gechattet.
We chatted for hours yesterday.
When you say who you are talking with, you use 'mit' + dative. When you name the topic, you use 'über' + accusative.
Ich chatte oft mit meinen Freunden aus dem Ausland.
I often chat with my friends from abroad.
to write
'schreiben' and 'chatten' can both mean communicating with someone in writing. 'schreiben' is more general and works for letters, emails, messenger messages, or individual messages. 'chatten' means having a written conversation over the internet, usually directly and with quick replies. Learners may confuse the words because when you chat, you write messages. The difference is: 'schreiben' can be a single message, while 'chatten' is more like a back-and-forth conversation.
Abends chatten wir oft mit unserer Cousine, die in Spanien lebt.
In the evenings, we often chat with our cousin, who lives in Spain.
Samir schreibt heute seinem Freund, weil er ihn lange nicht gesehen hat.
Samir is messaging his friend today because he has not seen him for a long time.