maulen
to grumble
To complain about something in a dissatisfied, bad-tempered way.
EXAMPLE
Die Kinder maulen, weil sie noch nicht nach Hause gehen dürfen.
The children are grumbling because they aren't allowed to go home yet.
maulen
to grumble
maulen – maulte – hat gemault
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry maulen, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Present
| ich | maule |
|---|---|
| du | maulst |
| er/sie/es | mault |
| wir | maulen |
| ihr | mault |
| sie | maulen |
Simple past
| ich | maulte |
|---|---|
| du | maultest |
| er/sie/es | maulte |
| wir | maulten |
| ihr | maultet |
| sie | maulten |
Perfect
with haben
| ich | habe gemault |
|---|---|
| du | hast gemault |
| er/sie/es | hat gemault |
| wir | haben gemault |
| ihr | habt gemault |
| sie | haben gemault |
Commands
| du | maule! maul! |
|---|---|
| ihr | mault! |
| Sie | maulen Sie! |
Past perfect
| ich | hatte gemault |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gemault |
| er/sie/es | hatte gemault |
| wir | hatten gemault |
| ihr | hattet gemault |
| sie | hatten gemault |
Future
| ich | werde maulen |
|---|---|
| du | wirst maulen |
| er/sie/es | wird maulen |
| wir | werden maulen |
| ihr | werdet maulen |
| sie | werden maulen |
Subjunctive I
| ich | maule |
|---|---|
| du | maulest |
| er/sie/es | maule |
| wir | maulen |
| ihr | maulet |
| sie | maulen |
Used for reported speech.
Subjunctive II
| ich | maulte |
|---|---|
| du | maultest |
| er/sie/es | maulte |
| wir | maulten |
| ihr | maultet |
| sie | maulten |
Used for wishes and “would”.
Other forms
| infinitive | maulen |
|---|---|
| with zu | zu maulen |
| present participle | maulend |
| past participle | gemault |
Usage tips
Word family
The word 'maulen' (to grumble) contains 'Maul' (an animal's mouth). This connection helps you remember the often unfriendly tone of grumbling.
EXAMPLE
Er maulte so laut, dass wir ihn durch die geschlossene Tür hören konnten.
He grumbled so loudly that we could hear him through the closed door.
Correct preposition
You can introduce the reason for the dissatisfaction with 'über' (about) followed by the accusative. The pattern is 'über etwas maulen' (to grumble about something).
EXAMPLE
Die Gäste maulten über den schlechten Service.
The guests grumbled about the poor service.
Informal tone
'Maulen' (to grumble) is informal and often sounds disparaging. People who use this word often present someone's complaints as annoying or unreasonable.
EXAMPLE
Du maulst ständig, obwohl wir alle versuchen, dir zu helfen.
You're constantly grumbling, even though we're all trying to help you.
Compare with
maulen vs meckern
to complain / bleat
Meckern and maulen both mean to complain about something out of dissatisfaction. Meckern focuses more on the criticism or complaint, while maulen also conveys a sullen, often grumbling manner. Use meckern for general criticism and maulen when the bad mood is apparent.
maulen
Er mault über die langen Wartezeiten und verschränkt dabei die Arme.
He grumbles about the long waiting times and folds his arms as he does so.
meckern
Sie meckert über die langen Wartezeiten beim Arzt.
She complains about the long waiting times at the doctor's office.
In real life
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