grillen
to grill
To cook food, especially meat or vegetables, on a grill over open embers or heat.
EXAMPLE
Am Wochenende wollen wir im Garten grillen.
At the weekend, we want to grill in the garden.
grillen
to grill / to brood
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
grillen
to brood
Colloquial for thinking intensely, often worriedly, or brooding over something.
EXAMPLE
Hör auf zu grillen und komm lieber mit uns raus.
Stop brooding and come outside with us instead.
Usage tips
Two meanings
The word 'grillen' has two very different meanings. Most of the time, it refers to preparing food on a grill. More rarely and colloquially, it means to think intensely and worriedly about something.
EXAMPLE
Lass uns am Wochenende am See grillen.
Let's grill by the lake this weekend.
Use without an object
When 'grillen' describes the social activity, it is often used without an object. The focus is then on the event itself, not on what exactly is being grilled.
EXAMPLE
Kommt ihr heute Abend zum Grillen vorbei?
Are you coming over for a barbecue this evening?
Typical collocations
Common combinations are 'im Garten grillen' (to grill in the garden), 'auf dem Balkon grillen' (to grill on the balcony), or directly with the food: 'Würstchen grillen' (to grill sausages), 'Gemüse grillen' (to grill vegetables), or 'Steaks grillen' (to grill steaks).
EXAMPLE
Wir haben gestern Abend leckeres Gemüse auf dem Balkon gegrillt.
We grilled delicious vegetables on the balcony yesterday evening.
Colloquial style
The meaning 'intensely think' is colloquial. It is mainly used in informal conversations among friends or family, often with a slightly negative or worried undertone.
EXAMPLE
Was grillst du schon wieder? Mach dir nicht so viele Sorgen.
What are you brooding over again? Don't worry so much.
Compare with
grillen vs braten
to fry / roast
Grillen and braten both refer to cooking and browning food. With Grillen, the food is placed on a grill over embers or another intense heat source; with braten, it is cooked in hot fat in a pan or in the oven. The decisive difference is therefore the method of preparation.
grillen
Am Abend grillt Jonas die Gemüsespieße draußen über der heißen Glut.
In the evening, Jonas grills the vegetable skewers outside over hot embers.
braten
Am Abend brät Jonas die Gemüsespieße drinnen in einer Pfanne mit heißem Öl.
In the evening, Jonas fries the vegetable skewers indoors in a pan with hot oil.
In real life
Loading video examples...