reduzieren
to reduce
To make something smaller or lower in its amount, scope, intensity, or value.
EXAMPLE
Wir müssen unsere Ausgaben reduzieren, um Geld zu sparen.
We need to reduce our expenses in order to save money.
reduzieren
to reduce
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Meanings
sich reduzieren
to decrease
To become less; to decrease in number or amount.
EXAMPLE
Die Zahl der Arbeitslosen hat sich im letzten Quartal leicht reduziert.
The number of unemployed people decreased slightly in the last quarter.
reduzieren
to reduce
In cooking, to thicken a liquid such as a sauce or stock by boiling it down and concentrating its flavor.
EXAMPLE
Lassen Sie die Rotweinsoße köcheln, um sie auf die Hälfte zu reduzieren.
Let the red wine sauce simmer to reduce it by half.
reduzieren
to reduce
In chemistry, to carry out a chemical reaction in which a substance gains electrons.
EXAMPLE
Im Hochofen wird Eisenerz zu Roheisen reduziert.
In the blast furnace, iron ore is reduced to pig iron.
Usage tips
Verbs ending in -ieren
Verbs that end in '-ieren' often come from Latin or French. Their past participle is formed regularly, but without 'ge-': reduzieren → hat reduziert.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe die Helligkeit des Bildschirms reduziert.
I reduced the brightness of the screen.
Prepositions 'um' and 'auf'
With 'reduzieren' (to reduce), the prepositions 'um' and 'auf' indicate different things. 'Um' states the difference, while 'auf' gives the final value.
EXAMPLE
Der Preis wurde um 20 Euro reduziert.
The price was reduced by 20 euros.
Transitive vs. reflexive
You can say 'etwas reduzieren' (to actively reduce something) or 'etwas reduziert sich' (something decreases on its own). The reflexive form emphasizes the process, not the actor.
EXAMPLE
Die Firma muss ihre Kosten reduzieren.
The company has to reduce its costs.
Context: cooking
In the context of cooking, 'reduzieren' (to reduce) means to thicken a liquid by boiling it and intensify its flavor. Typical objects are 'Soße' (sauce) or 'Fond' (stock).
EXAMPLE
Der Koch lässt die Bratensoße langsam reduzieren.
The chef lets the gravy reduce slowly.
Register: technical language
One meaning of 'reduzieren' (to reduce) belongs to the technical language of chemistry. It describes a chemical reaction in which a substance gains electrons.
EXAMPLE
Bei dieser Reaktion wird Kupferoxid zu Kupfer reduziert.
In this reaction, copper oxide is reduced to copper.
Compare with
abnehmeneinschränkensenkenabbauenverringernkürzenminimierenverkleinerneinsparenvermindernhalbierennachlassenmäßigendrosselnzurückfahrenherabsetzen
reduzieren vs abnehmen
to lose weight / decrease / take off
When talking about body weight, abnehmen directly means that a person loses weight and is normally used without an object. Reduzieren requires an object such as Gewicht. So you say that someone abnimmt, but that someone reduziert sein Gewicht.
reduzieren
Lea möchte bis zum Sommer ihr Gewicht reduzieren.
Lea wants to reduce her weight by the summer.
abnehmen
Lea möchte bis zum Sommer fünf Kilo abnehmen.
Lea wants to lose five kilos by the summer.
In real life
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