datieren
to date
To put a date on a document, letter, or work of art in order to record the time of its creation.
EXAMPLE
Bitte vergiss nicht, den Vertrag zu unterschreiben und zu datieren.
Please don't forget to sign and date the contract.
datieren
to date
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Meanings
datieren
to date
To determine the age or time of origin of something, especially archaeological or geological finds.
EXAMPLE
Die Archäologen konnten den Knochenfund auf die frühe Bronzezeit datieren.
The archaeologists were able to date the bone find to the early Bronze Age.
datieren aus/auf
to date from/to
To come from a particular time or to have originated in a particular time.
EXAMPLE
Das alte Manuskript datiert aus dem 15. Jahrhundert.
The old manuscript dates from the 15th century.
Usage tips
Word family
The verb 'datieren' (to date) is derived directly from the noun 'das Datum' (date). It describes the action connected with a date: either setting a date or determining the date of something.
EXAMPLE
Der Experte konnte das Gemälde genau datieren.
The expert was able to date the painting precisely.
Sentence structure with prepositions
The use of prepositions depends on the sentence construction. When a person determines the age, it is 'etwas auf [Akkusativ] datieren' (to date something to [accusative]). When an object comes from a time, it is 'etwas datiert aus [Dativ]' (something dates from [dative]).
EXAMPLE
Forscher datieren die Ruinen auf das 12. Jahrhundert.
Researchers date the ruins to the 12th century.
Register
'Datieren' (to date) is a rather formal word that is often found in written language, scientific texts, or official documents. It is used less often in everyday conversation.
EXAMPLE
Alle offiziellen Dokumente müssen datiert und unterschrieben werden.
All official documents must be dated and signed.
Context clue: active vs. passive
In this meaning, the verb is active: a person or institution (e.g., archaeologists, experts) is the subject that performs the action of dating. By contrast, in the meaning 'stammen aus' (to come from/date from), the object itself is the subject of the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Ein Team von Geologen datiert die Gesteinsschicht auf ein Alter von zwei Millionen Jahren.
A team of geologists dates the rock layer to an age of two million years.
Compare with
datieren vs stammen
to originate
Stammen and datieren can both indicate the period a work comes from. Stammen is the general, neutral form. Datieren aus assigns the work more formally to a particular period of origin and is especially common in technical descriptions.
datieren
Nach Einschätzung der Fachleute datiert das Gemälde aus dem 18. Jahrhundert.
According to the experts, the painting dates from the eighteenth century.
stammen
Das Gemälde stammt aus dem 18. Jahrhundert.
The painting dates from the eighteenth century.
In real life
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