to imitate
Loading your saved state.
to imitate
To copy the behavior, voice, or movements of another person or an animal, often in a humorous way.
Der Komiker kann die Stimmen vieler berühmter Politiker perfekt imitieren.
The comedian can perfectly imitate the voices of many famous politicians.
to imitate
To make a product or material in such a way that it looks like another, usually more expensive or rarer, original.
Dieser Schmuck imitiert echte Diamanten, ist aber aus Glas gefertigt.
This jewelry imitates real diamonds, but it is made of glass.
'Imitieren' (to imitate) belongs to a large group of verbs that end in '-ieren'. These verbs are always regular, inseparable, and form the past participle with 'hat' and the ending '-t' ('hat imitiert').
Er hat die Stimme des Sängers perfekt imitiert.
He perfectly imitated the singer's voice.
The verb 'imitieren' (to imitate) is transitive and always needs a direct object in the accusative. You always imitate 'jemanden' (someone) or 'etwas' (something).
Der kleine Junge versucht, die Bewegungen seines Vaters zu imitieren.
The little boy is trying to imitate his father's movements.
The object of the verb makes the meaning clear. If the object is a person, an animal, a voice, or a gesture, it means 'nachahmen' (to mimic/imitate). If it is about a material or a product, it means 'nachbilden' (to reproduce/imitate).
Der Papagei kann verschiedene Geräusche imitieren.
The parrot can imitate various sounds.
When people or animals are being imitated, typical objects are 'eine Stimme' (a voice), 'ein Geräusch' (a sound), 'eine Geste' (a gesture), 'ein Akzent' (an accent), or 'das Verhalten' (the behavior).
Es ist schwer, seinen einzigartigen Stil zu imitieren.
It is hard to imitate his unique style.
to copy
Kopieren means reproducing a model as accurately as possible here. Imitieren is appropriate when another product or material is made only to look like the original. Use kopieren for an exact reproduction and imitieren for creating a similar effect with substitute material.
Der Hersteller imitiert mit Kunststoff das Aussehen der Marmorplatte.
The manufacturer uses plastic to imitate the appearance of the marble slab.
Der Hersteller kopiert das Muster der Marmorplatte bis ins Detail.
The manufacturer copies the marble slab's pattern down to the last detail.
