hassen
to hate
To feel a very strong negative emotion of hatred and deep dislike toward a person or thing.
EXAMPLE
Er hasst Ungerechtigkeit mehr als alles andere auf der Welt.
He hates injustice more than anything else in the world.
hassen
to hate
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Meanings
hassen
to hate
Colloquially and exaggeratingly, used for 'not liking something at all' or 'having a strong dislike for something.'
EXAMPLE
Ich hasse es, im Stau zu stehen.
I hate being stuck in traffic.
Usage tips
Sentence structure and usage patterns
'Hassen' is often used with a direct object in the accusative. The structure 'es hassen, etwas zu tun' (to hate doing something) or 'es hassen, wenn ...' (to hate it when ...) is also very common for describing an activity or situation that you don't like.
EXAMPLE
Ich hasse diese laute Musik.
I hate this loud music.
Word family
The verb 'hassen' (to hate) is directly connected to the noun 'der Hass' (hatred). When someone hates a person or thing, they feel hatred.
EXAMPLE
Sein Hass auf das System war in jedem seiner Worte spürbar.
His hatred of the system was noticeable in every one of his words.
Strong emotion
In this meaning, 'hassen' (to hate) is an extremely strong word. It describes deep emotional rejection and hostility and should be used carefully, especially when referring to people.
EXAMPLE
Die beiden Familien hassen sich seit Generationen.
The two families have hated each other for generations.
Context clue
When 'hassen' (to hate) refers to everyday things or activities (e.g. getting up early, spiders, waiting), it is usually a colloquial exaggeration and means 'not liking something at all.' The context makes it clear that it is not deep, genuine hatred.
EXAMPLE
Ich hasse Montage, weil die Woche dann wieder von vorne anfängt.
I hate Mondays because then the week starts all over again.
Compare with
hassen vs verachten
to despise / to defy
Hassen and verachten both express strong rejection of a person. “Hassen” mainly emphasizes the very strong negative feeling, while “verachten” additionally conveys contempt and looking down on someone. Choose “verachten” when this condescending attitude is important.
hassen
Nach dem Streit hasste er seinen ehemaligen Freund noch lange.
He hated his former friend for a long time after the argument.
verachten
Wegen seiner Lügen verachtete sie ihren ehemaligen Freund.
She despised her former friend because of his lies.
In real life
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