01
kaufen
to buy
To acquire something in exchange for payment of money.
example
Morgen gehe ich ein neues Fahrrad kaufen.
Tomorrow I'm going to buy a new bicycle.
kaufen
to buy
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Dative and accusative
'Kaufen' (to buy) is often used with two objects: the person for whom something is bought is in the dative, and the thing bought is in the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Er kauft seiner Freundin einen Ring.
He buys his girlfriend a ring.
Buying oneself something
The reflexive form 'sich (dative) etwas kaufen' (to buy oneself something) is very common and means that you buy something for yourself. It often emphasizes treating yourself or doing something nice for yourself.
EXAMPLE
Nach der harten Woche habe ich mir ein gutes Buch gekauft.
After the hard week, I bought myself a good book.
Context clue
You can recognize the figurative meaning 'bestechen' (to bribe) from the context. The object is then not a product, but a person in a position of power, e.g. a witness, an official, or a referee.
EXAMPLE
Man warf ihm vor, den Schiedsrichter gekauft zu haben.
He was accused of having bribed the referee.
Compare with
kaufen vs bekommen
to get / receive
'bekommen' and 'kaufen' can both have to do with owning something. The important difference is: 'kaufen' clearly says that you pay money. 'bekommen' only says that you receive or obtain something; it can be a gift, a delivery, the result of a search, or also something bought. So you can buy something and then get it afterward. Confusion can arise when you only want to express that you have something in the end. If paying is important, use 'kaufen'. If the way you got it is not important, 'bekommen' often fits.
kaufen
Für die neue Wohnung kauft Max heute einen kleinen Tisch.
Max is buying a small table for the new apartment today.
bekommen
Im Laden habe ich endlich die letzte freie Konzertkarte bekommen.
At the shop, I finally got the last available concert ticket.
In real life
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