01
gefroren
frozen
Changed into a solid state through cold, especially from water to ice.
example
Der See ist im Winter komplett gefroren.
The lake is completely frozen in winter.
gefroren
frozen
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Participle as adjective
'Gefroren' (frozen) is the past participle of the verb 'gefrieren' (to freeze). It is very often used like a normal adjective to describe a state.
EXAMPLE
Die Scheiben des Autos waren am Morgen gefroren.
The car windows were frozen in the morning.
Common mistake
Be careful not to use 'gefroren sein' (to be frozen) if you only want to say that you are cold. The sentence 'Ich bin gefroren' means that your body has turned into ice. Instead, say 'Ich friere' (I'm freezing) or 'Mir ist kalt' (I'm cold).
EXAMPLE
Seine Finger waren nach einer Stunde im Schnee fast gefroren.
His fingers were almost frozen after an hour in the snow.
Use with 'sein'
As an adjective, 'gefroren' (frozen) is almost always used with the verb 'sein' (to be) to describe the state of something.
EXAMPLE
Das Wasser in der Leitung ist gefroren.
The water in the pipe is frozen.
Typical collocations
In the meaning 'turned to ice', 'gefroren' (frozen) is often combined with things in nature, such as 'der gefrorene See' (the frozen lake), 'der gefrorene Boden' (the frozen ground), or 'gefrorene Pfützen' (frozen puddles).
EXAMPLE
Die Kinder liefen Schlittschuh auf dem gefrorenen See.
The children ice-skated on the frozen lake.
Context clue: food
When 'gefroren' (frozen) comes before a food item, it usually means 'deep-frozen'. Typical examples are frozen vegetables, frozen fish, or frozen pizza.
EXAMPLE
Für das Abendessen taue ich gefrorenen Lachs auf.
For dinner, I'm thawing frozen salmon.
Compare with
gefroren vs frisch
fresh
'frisch' and 'gefroren' can form a contrast when talking about food. 'frisch' means that a food has not been preserved and was harvested, produced, or prepared recently. 'gefroren' means that a food has been frozen so that it keeps longer. Both can be edible and good, but they describe different states. 'frisch' fits, for example, with vegetables from the market. 'gefroren' fits with food from the freezer.
gefroren
Am Montag kauft Sofia gefrorene Erbsen für die Suppe.
On Monday, Sofia buys frozen peas for the soup.
frisch
Tom nimmt frischen Fisch vom Markt, weil er heute kochen möchte.
Tom gets fresh fish from the market because he wants to cook today.
In real life
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