quaken
to croak / quack
Of frogs or ducks: to make their characteristic 'quak' sound (a croak or quack), usually several times in quick succession.
EXAMPLE
Im Teich quaken die Frösche die ganze Nacht.
The frogs in the pond croak all night.
quaken
to croak / quack
quaken – quakte – hat gequakt
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Meanings
quaken
to croak
To speak in a harsh, unpleasant, or monotonous voice.
EXAMPLE
Der alte Lautsprecher quakte die Nachrichten ins Zimmer.
The old loudspeaker croaked out the news into the room.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry quaken, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Present
| ich | quake |
|---|---|
| du | quakst |
| er/sie/es | quakt |
| wir | quaken |
| ihr | quakt |
| sie | quaken |
Simple past
| ich | quakte |
|---|---|
| du | quaktest |
| er/sie/es | quakte |
| wir | quakten |
| ihr | quaktet |
| sie | quakten |
Perfect
with haben
| ich | habe gequakt |
|---|---|
| du | hast gequakt |
| er/sie/es | hat gequakt |
| wir | haben gequakt |
| ihr | habt gequakt |
| sie | haben gequakt |
Commands
| du | quake! quak! |
|---|---|
| ihr | quakt! |
| Sie | quaken Sie! |
Past perfect
| ich | hatte gequakt |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gequakt |
| er/sie/es | hatte gequakt |
| wir | hatten gequakt |
| ihr | hattet gequakt |
| sie | hatten gequakt |
Future
| ich | werde quaken |
|---|---|
| du | wirst quaken |
| er/sie/es | wird quaken |
| wir | werden quaken |
| ihr | werdet quaken |
| sie | werden quaken |
Subjunctive I
| ich | quake |
|---|---|
| du | quakest |
| er/sie/es | quake |
| wir | quaken |
| ihr | quaket |
| sie | quaken |
Used for reported speech.
Subjunctive II
| ich | quakte |
|---|---|
| du | quaktest |
| er/sie/es | quakte |
| wir | quakten |
| ihr | quaktet |
| sie | quakten |
Used for wishes and “would”.
Other forms
| infinitive | quaken |
|---|---|
| with zu | zu quaken |
| present participle | quakend |
| past participle | gequakt |
Usage tips
Onomatopoeia
The stem 'quak-' imitates the characteristic sound of a frog or duck. This makes the word particularly vivid, and it readily lends itself to figurative use to describe an unpleasant voice.
EXAMPLE
Aus dem Schilf quakte es laut zurück.
A loud croak came back from the reeds.
Typical usage
In this sense, 'quaken' (to croak / quack) frequently has frogs or ducks as its subject and appears with expressions of place such as 'im Teich' (in the pond), 'am See' (by the lake), or 'im Schilf' (in the reeds). Expressions that add emphasis, such as 'laut' (loudly) or 'die ganze Nacht' (all night), are also typical.
EXAMPLE
Am See quakten die Frösche bis spät in die Nacht.
The frogs by the lake croaked until late into the night.
Disparaging tone
When used for human speech or a voice, 'quaken' (to croak) is figurative and usually disparaging: it describes a voice as unpleasant, harsh, or monotonous. The quality of the voice is often specified as well.
EXAMPLE
Er quakte mit heiserer Stimme seine Beschwerden vor sich hin.
He croaked his complaints to himself in a hoarse voice.
In real life
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