heraus
out
Expresses movement from inside to outside, often toward the speaker. It is used to show that someone or something is leaving a place.
EXAMPLE
Komm bitte aus dem kalten Wasser heraus!
Please come out of the cold water!
heraus
out
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Meanings
aus ... heraus
out of ...
Used as part of a prepositional construction to emphasize the origin or motivation of an action. It describes the state or situation out of which something happens.
EXAMPLE
Er handelte aus reiner Neugier heraus.
He acted out of pure curiosity.
heraus mit ...!
out with ...!
A colloquial, often forceful demand to say or hand over something that has been held back until now.
EXAMPLE
Heraus mit der Sprache, was ist passiert?
Out with it—what happened?
Usage tips
Word structure
The word is made up of 'her' and 'aus'. 'Her' describes movement toward the speaker, while 'aus' indicates movement from inside to outside. So 'heraus' literally means 'out of something toward me'.
EXAMPLE
Sie rief mir aus dem Haus zu: „Komm doch mal kurz heraus!“
She called to me from the house: 'Come out here for a moment!'
Colloquial form
In spoken language and informal texts, 'heraus' is almost always shortened to 'raus'. This short form is very common and sounds more natural in everyday speech.
EXAMPLE
Gehen wir raus an die frische Luft?
Shall we go out into the fresh air?
Use as a verb prefix
'Heraus' is often the separable prefix of verbs such as 'herauskommen' (to come out), 'herausschauen' (to look out), or 'herausfinden' (to find out). In a main clause, the prefix stands at the end.
EXAMPLE
Endlich kam die Sonne hinter den Wolken heraus.
Finally, the sun came out from behind the clouds.
Expressing motivation
The construction 'aus [noun] heraus' is used to emphasize the reason or motivation for an action. The noun is always in the dative.
EXAMPLE
Sie hat ihm aus reiner Freundlichkeit heraus geholfen.
She helped him out of pure kindness.
Fixed expression
The demand 'Heraus mit ...!' (out with ...!) is a fixed expression used to forcefully ask someone to say or hand over something. The best-known form is 'Heraus mit der Sprache!' (out with it!) when someone hesitates to tell something.
EXAMPLE
Na los, heraus mit dem Geheimnis!
Come on, out with the secret!
Compare with
heraus vs raus
out
Raus and heraus both describe movement from inside to outside. „Raus“ is the colloquial short form and is usually neutral, while „heraus“ can emphasize movement toward the speaker more strongly. Use „raus“ in casual everyday situations; „heraus“ is especially appropriate when someone is coming toward the speaker.
heraus
Ich stehe vor der Tür, also komm bitte heraus.
I'm standing outside the door, so please come out.
raus
Geh bitte raus, damit die anderen im Zimmer in Ruhe arbeiten können.
Please go outside so the others can work in peace in the room.
In real life
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