01
lügen
to lie
To deliberately make a statement that one knows is not true.
example
Er hat über sein Alter gelogen, um den Job zu bekommen.
He lied about his age to get the job.
lügen
to lie
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Use in the perfect tense
The verb 'lügen' (to lie) is irregular and forms the past with the auxiliary verb 'haben' (to have). The past participle form is 'gelogen' (lied).
EXAMPLE
Sie hat noch nie in ihrem Leben gelogen.
She has never lied in her life.
Sentence structure
To say what someone is lying about, you often use the preposition 'über' (about) with the accusative or a subordinate clause with 'dass' (that).
EXAMPLE
Er lügt über seine berufliche Erfahrung.
He is lying about his professional experience.
Fixed expression
The idiom 'sich in die Tasche lügen' (to kid oneself) is reflexive. The reflexive pronoun 'sich' must be adapted to the subject, e.g. 'ich lüge mich' (I kid myself), 'du lügst dich' (you kid yourself).
EXAMPLE
Ich glaube, du lügst dich da selbst in die Tasche.
I think you're just kidding yourself there.
Fixed expression
In the idiom 'das Blaue vom Himmel lügen' (to tell tall tales), the part 'das Blaue vom Himmel' is a fixed component and functions as the accusative object.
EXAMPLE
Um das Produkt zu verkaufen, hat er den Kunden das Blaue vom Himmel gelogen.
To sell the product, he told the customers tall tales.
Compare with
lügen vs erzählen
to tell
'erzählen' and 'lügen' can both refer to statements that someone makes. Normally, 'erzählen' is neutral: you pass on a story or a piece of information. 'lügen' is not neutral; it means that someone deliberately says something false. There is a risk of confusion especially in colloquial uses like 'erzähl doch nichts' (don't talk nonsense) or 'was erzählst du da?' (what are you talking about?). In those cases, 'erzählen' can mean that you do not believe a statement. Still, 'lügen' is much more direct and stronger because it names a deliberate untruth.
lügen
Bei der Bewerbung darf man nicht lügen.
You must not lie in a job application.
erzählen
Erzähl mir bitte ehrlich, was nach dem Gespräch passiert ist.
Please tell me honestly what happened after the conversation.
In real life
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