to suffer
leiden – litt – hat gelitten
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to suffer from/under
To have physical or emotional pain because of an illness or a difficult situation. 'Leiden an' (to suffer from) is typically used for illnesses, while 'leiden unter' (to suffer under/from) refers to stressful circumstances.
Viele Menschen in der Stadt leiden unter dem ständigen Lärm.
Many people in the city suffer from the constant noise.
to not be able to stand
To absolutely not like someone or something; to have a strong dislike for someone or something.
Ich kann seine arrogante Art einfach nicht leiden.
I simply can't stand his arrogant manner.
to suffer
To generally have to endure pain, sorrow, or hardship.
Die Zivilbevölkerung musste im Krieg schrecklich leiden.
The civilian population had to suffer terribly during the war.
to suffer
To lose quality, value, or intensity; to be negatively affected by something.
Unter dem ständigen Stress hat seine Arbeitsleistung sehr gelitten.
His work performance suffered greatly under the constant stress.
| ich | leide |
|---|---|
| du | leidest |
| er/sie/es | leidet |
| wir | leiden |
| ihr | leidet |
| sie | leiden |
| ich | litt |
|---|---|
| du | littest littst |
| er/sie/es | litt |
| wir | litten |
| ihr | littet |
| sie | litten |
| ich | habe gelitten |
|---|---|
| du | hast gelitten |
| er/sie/es | hat gelitten |
| wir | haben gelitten |
| ihr | habt gelitten |
| sie | haben gelitten |
| du | leide! selten: leid!, leid! |
|---|---|
| ihr | leidet! |
| Sie | leiden Sie! |
| ich | hatte gelitten |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gelitten |
| er/sie/es | hatte gelitten |
| wir | hatten gelitten |
| ihr | hattet gelitten |
| sie | hatten gelitten |
| ich | werde leiden |
|---|---|
| du | wirst leiden |
| er/sie/es | wird leiden |
| wir | werden leiden |
| ihr | werdet leiden |
| sie | werden leiden |
| ich | leide |
|---|---|
| du | leidest |
| er/sie/es | leide |
| wir | leiden |
| ihr | leidet |
| sie | leiden |
Used for reported speech.
| ich | litte |
|---|---|
| du | littest |
| er/sie/es | litte |
| wir | litten |
| ihr | littet |
| sie | litten |
Used for wishes and “would”.
| infinitive | leiden |
|---|---|
| with zu | zu leiden |
| present participle | leidend |
| past participle | gelitten |
The verb 'leiden' (to suffer) forms the past irregularly and always uses the auxiliary verb 'haben' in the present perfect. The past participle form is 'gelitten'.
Er hat in seinem Leben viel gelitten.
He has suffered a lot in his life.
The preposition after 'leiden' (to suffer) is important. 'Leiden an' (+ dative) is almost always used for illnesses. 'Leiden unter' (+ dative) describes stressful circumstances or situations.
Sie leidet an einer seltenen Allergie.
She suffers from a rare allergy.
To express that you do not like someone or something, 'leiden' is used in the fixed expression 'nicht leiden können' (to not be able to stand). The negation 'nicht' and the modal verb 'können' are necessary here.
Ich kann diesen Geruch einfach nicht leiden.
I simply can't stand this smell.
When something loses quality, the cause is often given with the preposition 'unter' (+ dative). The subject is the thing that gets worse.
Die Freundschaft hat unter der langen Trennung gelitten.
The friendship suffered because of the long separation.
suffering
Both words refer to pain, sorrow, or hardship. „Leid“ refers more to the misfortune experienced or to suffering in a broader sense, while „leiden“ describes the state or process of enduring it. Use „Leid“ as a noun for what someone experiences and „leiden“ for the ongoing experience.
Die Familie leidet seit dem Unfall unter großer Trauer.
The family has been suffering from deep grief since the accident.
Das Leid der Familie nach dem Unfall war für alle sichtbar.
The family's suffering after the accident was visible to everyone.
