erfrieren
to freeze to death
To die from extreme cold.
EXAMPLE
Ohne Schutzkleidung wäre der Bergsteiger in dem Schneesturm erfroren.
Without protective clothing, the mountaineer would have frozen to death in the snowstorm.
erfrieren
to freeze to death
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
sich (etwas) erfrieren
to get frostbite
To suffer serious damage to body parts such as fingers or toes due to strong exposure to cold.
EXAMPLE
Er hat sich bei der Expedition fast die Zehen erfroren.
He almost got frostbite in his toes during the expedition.
erfrieren
to freeze
(Of plants) to die or suffer serious damage from frost.
EXAMPLE
Die jungen Obstbäume sind im späten Frost leider alle erfroren.
Unfortunately, the young fruit trees all froze in the late frost.
Usage tips
Inseparable prefix
The prefix 'er-' here indicates a result, often with a fatal outcome. Similar to 'erschießen' (to shoot dead; to die by being shot), 'erfrieren' means to die from freezing.
EXAMPLE
Die Bergsteiger sind im Schneesturm fast erfroren.
The mountaineers almost froze to death in the snowstorm.
Auxiliary verb 'sein'
When 'erfrieren' means to die from cold, the perfect tense is formed with 'sein' (to be). The reason is that it describes a change of state, from life to death.
EXAMPLE
Die Katze ist letzte Nacht draußen leider erfroren.
Sadly, the cat froze to death outside last night.
Reflexive construction
When referring to frostbite on body parts, the verb is used reflexively with the dative: 'sich (Dativ) etwas (Akkusativ) erfrieren' (to get frostbite on something). In this case, the perfect tense is formed with 'haben' (to have).
EXAMPLE
Ich habe mir beim Skifahren die Nase erfroren.
I got frostbite on my nose while skiing.
Context clue
You can distinguish the meanings by the sentence structure. If 'erfrieren' stands alone and is used with the auxiliary verb 'sein', it means 'to die'. If it is reflexive with 'haben' and a body part, it refers to a localized injury.
EXAMPLE
Der Mann ist erfroren.
The man froze to death.
Compare with
erfrieren vs frieren
to be cold / freeze
Both words can describe a person being exposed to severe cold. „Frieren“ refers to the feeling of being cold, while „erfrieren“ expresses the possible consequence of extreme cold, namely death. Use „frieren“ for discomfort caused by cold and „erfrieren“ when the danger or consequence is meant.
erfrieren
Der Wanderer könnte ohne seine Jacke in der Kälte erfrieren.
Without his jacket, the hiker could freeze to death in the cold.
frieren
Der Wanderer friert wegen des kalten Windes trotz seiner dicken Jacke.
The hiker is cold because of the chilly wind despite his thick jacket.
In real life
Loading video examples...