01
hinken
to limp
To move unevenly and with difficulty because one leg is injured or shorter.
example
Seit seinem Skiunfall hinkt er auf dem linken Bein.
Since his skiing accident, he has been limping on his left leg.
hinken
to limp / lag
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Auxiliary verb in the perfect tense
Although 'hinken' (to limp) describes movement, the perfect tense is formed with 'haben' (to have) and not with 'sein' (to be). This is an important exception to the general rule for verbs of movement.
EXAMPLE
Nach seiner Knieoperation hat er wochenlang gehinkt.
After his knee operation, he limped for weeks.
Sentence structure for movement
To express which leg is affected, you use the preposition 'auf' followed by the dative. Alternatively, you can also use 'mit' and the dative.
EXAMPLE
Das alte Pferd hinkt auf dem linken Hinterbein.
The old horse is limping on its left hind leg.
Figurative use
In the figurative sense, 'hinken' (to lag) is often combined with the adverb 'hinterher' (behind). The expression 'hinterherhinken' means to lag behind compared to others.
EXAMPLE
Das Projekt hinkt dem Zeitplan deutlich hinterher.
The project is lagging well behind schedule.
Fixed expression
The idiom 'der Vergleich hinkt' (the comparison is flawed) is very common. It expresses that a comparison is inappropriate or logically flawed.
EXAMPLE
Du kannst die Kosten nicht einfach so gegenüberstellen, der Vergleich hinkt.
You can't simply compare the costs like that; the comparison is flawed.
Compare with
hinken vs passen
to fit / suit / pass
'passen' and 'hinken' are opposites in expressions with comparisons. A comparison 'passt' when it is coherent and the two things really help explain each other well. A comparison 'hinkt' when it is not quite accurate or is wrong in an important respect. The words can be confused because both say whether a comparison makes sense. But the difference is clear: 'Der Vergleich passt' (the comparison fits) is positive; 'der Vergleich hinkt' (the comparison is flawed) means that the comparison is problematic.
hinken
Der Vergleich hinkt, denn ein Kind lernt anders als ein Erwachsener.
The comparison is flawed, because a child learns differently from an adult.
passen
Der Vergleich mit einem Marathon passt gut, weil auch dieses Projekt viel Geduld braucht.
The comparison with a marathon works well because this project also requires a lot of patience.
In real life
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