knurren
to growl
An animal makes a deep, rough sound, usually as a sign of anger or threat.
EXAMPLE
Der Hund knurrt, sobald sich jemand dem Tor nähert.
The dog growls as soon as someone approaches the gate.
knurren
to growl
knurren – knurrte – hat geknurrt
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Meanings
knurren
to growl
The stomach or abdomen makes a deep, rumbling sound, usually because someone is hungry.
EXAMPLE
Mein Magen knurrt schon seit einer Stunde.
My stomach has been growling for an hour.
knurren
to growl
Someone speaks in a deep, rough, or unfriendly voice, showing their anger in the process.
EXAMPLE
„Lass mich in Ruhe“, knurrte er.
“Leave me alone,” he growled.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry knurren, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Present
| ich | knurre |
|---|---|
| du | knurrst |
| er/sie/es | knurrt |
| wir | knurren |
| ihr | knurrt |
| sie | knurren |
Simple past
| ich | knurrte |
|---|---|
| du | knurrtest |
| er/sie/es | knurrte |
| wir | knurrten |
| ihr | knurrtet |
| sie | knurrten |
Perfect
with haben
| ich | habe geknurrt |
|---|---|
| du | hast geknurrt |
| er/sie/es | hat geknurrt |
| wir | haben geknurrt |
| ihr | habt geknurrt |
| sie | haben geknurrt |
Commands
| du | knurre! knurr! |
|---|---|
| ihr | knurrt! |
| Sie | knurren Sie! |
Past perfect
| ich | hatte geknurrt |
|---|---|
| du | hattest geknurrt |
| er/sie/es | hatte geknurrt |
| wir | hatten geknurrt |
| ihr | hattet geknurrt |
| sie | hatten geknurrt |
Future
| ich | werde knurren |
|---|---|
| du | wirst knurren |
| er/sie/es | wird knurren |
| wir | werden knurren |
| ihr | werdet knurren |
| sie | werden knurren |
Subjunctive I
| ich | knurre |
|---|---|
| du | knurrest |
| er/sie/es | knurre |
| wir | knurren |
| ihr | knurret |
| sie | knurren |
Used for reported speech.
Subjunctive II
| ich | knurrte |
|---|---|
| du | knurrtest |
| er/sie/es | knurrte |
| wir | knurrten |
| ihr | knurrtet |
| sie | knurrten |
Used for wishes and “would”.
Other forms
| infinitive | knurren |
|---|---|
| with zu | zu knurren |
| present participle | knurrend |
| past participle | geknurrt |
Usage tips
Sentence pattern
'Knurren' (to growl) is usually used without a direct object in these meanings: the animal, stomach, or speaking person is the subject and produces the sound or utterance.
EXAMPLE
Aus dem Garten knurrte plötzlich der große Hund.
The large dog suddenly growled from the garden.
Typical collocations
With animals, 'knurren' (to growl) often occurs with adverbs such as 'leise' (quietly), 'drohend' (threateningly), or 'warnend' (warningly). A dog or another predator is especially often the subject.
EXAMPLE
Der Hund knurrte drohend hinter dem Zaun.
The dog growled threateningly behind the fence.
Body sound
When referring to a bodily sound, 'der Magen knurrt' (the stomach is growling) is a fixed and very common expression. An addition with 'vor Hunger' (from hunger) often explains why the sound occurs.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem langen Spaziergang knurrte ihr Magen vor Hunger.
After the long walk, her stomach growled with hunger.
Direct speech
When 'knurren' (to growl) describes human speech, it often appears as a speech verb accompanying direct speech or together with a quoted utterance. The verb shows that the person is speaking in a rough, angry voice.
EXAMPLE
„Das kommt überhaupt nicht infrage“, knurrte der ungeduldige Mann.
“That is completely out of the question,” the impatient man growled.
In real life
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