meckern
to complain
In colloquial language, to complain about something in a nagging or dissatisfied way.
EXAMPLE
Anstatt zu helfen, meckert er nur über die viele Arbeit.
Instead of helping, he just complains about all the work.
meckern
to complain / bleat
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Meanings
meckern
to bleat
To make the typical sound that a goat makes.
EXAMPLE
Wir hörten die Ziegen auf der Weide schon von Weitem meckern.
We could hear the goats bleating in the pasture from far away.
Usage tips
Context clue
The meaning depends on the subject. When a person 'meckert' (complains), they are complaining. When a goat 'meckert' (bleats), it makes its typical sound.
EXAMPLE
Mein Nachbar meckert ständig über den Lärm.
My neighbor constantly complains about the noise.
Sentence structure with 'über'
When someone complains about something, 'meckern' (to complain) is used with the preposition 'über' and the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Sie meckert immer über das Essen in der Kantine.
She always complains about the food in the cafeteria.
Register: colloquial
The word 'meckern' (to complain) in the sense of 'sich beschweren' (to complain) is colloquial. It sounds nagging and is unsuitable for formal situations or a polite complaint.
EXAMPLE
Hör auf zu meckern und hilf mir lieber!
Stop complaining and help me instead!
Onomatopoeic word
In the meaning of the goat sound, 'meckern' (to bleat) is an onomatopoeic word. The sound of the word imitates the sound it describes.
EXAMPLE
Auf dem Bauernhof konnte man die Ziegen laut meckern hören.
On the farm, you could hear the goats bleating loudly.
Compare with
meckern vs beschweren
to complain / to weigh down
Both words can express dissatisfaction with poor service. „Sich beschweren“ is neutral and also works when addressing the responsible person or office, whereas „meckern“ is colloquial and often sounds disparaging, suggesting repeated or petty complaining. „Sich beschweren“ is therefore more suitable for a factual report.
meckern
Er meckert seit dem Morgen über die lange Wartezeit.
He has been complaining about the long wait since this morning.
beschweren
Ich beschwere mich beim Kundenservice über die lange Wartezeit.
I am complaining to customer service about the long wait.
In real life
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