nehmen
to take
To grasp something with your hands and bring it toward yourself.
EXAMPLE
Er nahm den Stift vom Tisch und begann zu schreiben.
He took the pen from the table and began to write.
nehmen
to take
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Meanings
nehmen
to have
To choose something from a selection, for example when eating or shopping.
EXAMPLE
Als Hauptgericht nehme ich den Fisch.
For the main course, I'll have the fish.
nehmen
to take
To use a means of transportation.
EXAMPLE
Sollen wir das Auto oder den Zug nehmen?
Should we take the car or the train?
nehmen
to take
To take in or consume medicine, food, or drinks.
EXAMPLE
Der Patient muss diese Tabletten dreimal täglich nehmen.
The patient has to take these tablets three times a day.
nehmen
to accept
To accept or take something, for example money or an apology.
EXAMPLE
Nehmen Sie auch Kreditkarten?
Do you accept credit cards?
etwas ernst nehmen
to take seriously
To consider something important and significant and act accordingly.
EXAMPLE
Du solltest die Ratschläge deines Arztes ernst nehmen.
You should take your doctor's advice seriously.
Abschied nehmen
to say goodbye
To say goodbye to someone or something.
EXAMPLE
Es war schwer, von unseren langjährigen Nachbarn Abschied zu nehmen.
It was hard to say goodbye to our longtime neighbors.
Rücksicht nehmen auf
to take into account
To consider another person's needs, feelings, or circumstances.
EXAMPLE
Im Krankenhaus muss man besondere Rücksicht auf die Patienten nehmen.
In the hospital, you have to take special account of the patients.
nehmen
to catch
To take someone prisoner or arrest someone.
EXAMPLE
Die Polizei konnte den Dieb auf frischer Tat nehmen.
The police were able to catch the thief in the act.
Usage tips
Vowel change in the present tense
'Nehmen' (to take) is a strong verb and changes its vowel in the 2nd and 3rd person singular in the present tense. The 'e' becomes an 'i': 'du nimmst', 'er/sie/es nimmt'.
EXAMPLE
Nimmst du den Bus oder die Bahn?
Are you taking the bus or the train?
Common mistake
Although 'nehmen' often means 'to take', you can't always use it. For example, you say 'ein Foto machen' (to take a photo; not 'nehmen') or 'einen Spaziergang machen' (to take a walk).
EXAMPLE
Könntest du bitte ein Foto von uns machen?
Could you please take a photo of us?
Basis for many verbs
'Nehmen' (to take) is the base verb for many important verbs with prefixes, such as 'annehmen' (to accept), 'teilnehmen' (to participate), or 'mitnehmen' (to take along).
EXAMPLE
Ich kann dich nach der Arbeit im Auto mitnehmen.
I can take you with me in the car after work.
Ordering in a restaurant
When ordering food or drinks in a restaurant or café, it is very common to use 'nehmen' (to have/take) to express your choice.
EXAMPLE
Ich nehme eine Pizza Margherita und einen Salat.
I'll have a pizza Margherita and a salad.
Using transportation
To express that you are using a means of transportation, 'nehmen' (to take) is very common. You can say 'den Bus nehmen' (to take the bus), 'die U-Bahn nehmen' (to take the subway), or 'das Taxi nehmen' (to take a taxi).
EXAMPLE
Wir müssen den nächsten Zug nehmen, um pünktlich zu sein.
We have to take the next train to be on time.
Taking medicine
In the context of medicine, 'nehmen' (to take) is the standard verb for taking medication. Typical combinations are 'Tabletten nehmen' (to take tablets/pills) or 'Medizin nehmen' (to take medicine).
EXAMPLE
Haben Sie Ihre Medikamente heute schon genommen?
Have you taken your medication today?
Sentence structure with 'ernst nehmen'
In the fixed expression 'etwas ernst nehmen' (to take something seriously), the object (the thing you take seriously) stands between 'ernst' and 'nehmen'.
EXAMPLE
Man sollte diese Warnung sehr ernst nehmen.
You should take this warning very seriously.
Fixed expression with 'von'
The expression 'Abschied nehmen' (to say goodbye) requires the preposition 'von' with the dative to say who or what you are saying goodbye to.
EXAMPLE
Es ist Zeit, von den alten Gewohnheiten Abschied zu nehmen.
It is time to say goodbye to the old habits.
Fixed expression with 'auf'
The expression 'Rücksicht nehmen' (to take into account / show consideration) is always used with the preposition 'auf' and the accusative to show who or what is being considered.
EXAMPLE
Als Autofahrer muss man immer Rücksicht auf Fahrradfahrer nehmen.
As a driver, you must always show consideration for cyclists.
Compare with
nehmen vs fahren
to drive / ride
Nehmen and fahren can both express that someone uses a means of transportation. With nehmen, the means of transportation appears directly as the object; with fahren, it is usually introduced with mit. The statement about the chosen journey remains the same.
nehmen
Ich nehme jeden Morgen den Bus zur Arbeit.
I take the bus to work every morning.
fahren
Ich fahre jeden Morgen mit dem Bus zur Arbeit.
I go to work by bus every morning.
In real life
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