krümeln
to crumble
To break into small pieces or crumbs, leaving crumbs behind.
EXAMPLE
Das trockene Brot krümelt beim Schneiden stark.
The dry bread crumbles a lot when sliced.
krümeln
to crumble / scatter crumbs
krümeln – krümelte – hat gekrümelt
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Meanings
krümeln
to crumble
To break something into small pieces or crumbs.
EXAMPLE
Bitte krümel das Brot über die Suppe.
Please crumble the bread over the soup.
krümeln
to scatter crumbs
To drop crumbs while eating, making a mess.
EXAMPLE
Der Kleine krümelt beim Frühstück immer den ganzen Tisch voll.
The little one always scatters crumbs all over the table at breakfast.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry krümeln, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Present
| ich | krümle krümele |
|---|---|
| du | krümelst |
| er/sie/es | krümelt |
| wir | krümeln |
| ihr | krümelt |
| sie | krümeln |
Simple past
| ich | krümelte |
|---|---|
| du | krümeltest |
| er/sie/es | krümelte |
| wir | krümelten |
| ihr | krümeltet |
| sie | krümelten |
Perfect
with haben
| ich | habe gekrümelt |
|---|---|
| du | hast gekrümelt |
| er/sie/es | hat gekrümelt |
| wir | haben gekrümelt |
| ihr | habt gekrümelt |
| sie | haben gekrümelt |
Commands
| du | krümel! krümle!, krümele! |
|---|---|
| ihr | krümelt! |
| Sie | krümeln Sie! |
Past perfect
| ich | hatte gekrümelt |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gekrümelt |
| er/sie/es | hatte gekrümelt |
| wir | hatten gekrümelt |
| ihr | hattet gekrümelt |
| sie | hatten gekrümelt |
Future
| ich | werde krümeln |
|---|---|
| du | wirst krümeln |
| er/sie/es | wird krümeln |
| wir | werden krümeln |
| ihr | werdet krümeln |
| sie | werden krümeln |
Subjunctive I
| ich | krümele krümle |
|---|---|
| du | krümelst krümlest |
| er/sie/es | krümele krümle |
| wir | krümeln |
| ihr | krümelt krümlet |
| sie | krümeln |
Used for reported speech.
Subjunctive II
| ich | krümelte |
|---|---|
| du | krümeltest |
| er/sie/es | krümelte |
| wir | krümelten |
| ihr | krümeltet |
| sie | krümelten |
Used for wishes and “would”.
Other forms
| infinitive | krümeln |
|---|---|
| with zu | zu krümeln |
| present participle | krümelnd |
| past participle | gekrümelt |
Usage tips
Word family
The verb 'krümeln' (to crumble / scatter crumbs) contains the noun 'Krümel' (crumb). This can help you remember the verb together with its related noun.
EXAMPLE
Iss bitte über dem Teller, damit du nicht auf den Teppich krümelst.
Please eat over your plate so you don't scatter crumbs on the carpet.
Without an object
When a food sheds crumbs on its own, it is the subject of the sentence. In this use, 'krümeln' (to crumble) does not need an accusative object; expressions such as 'stark' (a lot), 'leicht' (easily), or 'beim Schneiden' (when slicing) are often added.
EXAMPLE
Diese Kekse krümeln stark, sobald man hineinbeißt.
These cookies crumble a lot as soon as you bite into them.
Object and destination
When deliberately breaking something into crumbs, the food is the accusative object. You can use 'über' (over) with the accusative to indicate what you are scattering the crumbs over.
EXAMPLE
Sie krümelt einen Keks über das Eis.
She crumbles a cookie over the ice cream.
In real life
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