reiben
to rub
To move something back and forth with pressure on a surface.
EXAMPLE
Er rieb sich die kalten Hände, um sie zu wärmen.
He rubbed his cold hands to warm them.
reiben
to rub / grate
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Meanings
reiben
to grate
To shred food into small pieces or strips using a grater.
EXAMPLE
Für den Kuchen müssen wir noch die Karotten reiben.
For the cake, we still need to grate the carrots.
sich an etwas/jemandem reiben
to clash with
To come into conflict with someone or something, or to feel constantly challenged by a person or situation.
EXAMPLE
Er ist ein kritischer Geist, der sich gerne an den Meinungen anderer reibt.
He is a critical mind who likes to clash with other people's opinions.
Usage tips
Context clues
You can recognize the meaning of 'reiben' (to rub/grate) from the context. If it is about body parts, it means 'to move back and forth.' With food in the kitchen, it means 'to shred/grate.' The preposition 'an' (on/against) with a person or idea points to a conflict.
EXAMPLE
Sie rieb die Creme sanft in die Haut ein.
She gently rubbed the cream into the skin.
Reflexive with dative
When you rub a part of your own body, the verb is often used reflexively. The person is in the dative (wem? — to/for whom?) and the body part is in the accusative (was? — what?).
EXAMPLE
Ich reibe mir die müden Augen.
I rub my tired eyes.
Participle as adjective
The past participle 'gerieben' is very often used like an adjective before a noun to describe grated food.
EXAMPLE
Auf die Pasta kommt zum Schluss noch geriebener Parmesan.
At the end, grated Parmesan goes on the pasta.
Fixed expression
In the figurative meaning 'to come into conflict,' 'reiben' (to clash) is always used reflexively with the preposition 'an' and the dative. The fixed expression is 'sich an jemandem/etwas reiben' (to clash with someone/something).
EXAMPLE
Der Künstler rieb sich in seinen Werken immer wieder an der Gesellschaft.
In his works, the artist repeatedly clashed with society.
Compare with
reiben vs wischen
to wipe / to swipe
When cleaning a surface, both words can fit. Reiben emphasizes pressure and movement back and forth, while wischen focuses more on moving over the surface and removing dirt or moisture. Use reiben for a stubborn stain and wischen for a quick cleaning.
reiben
Sie rieb den festsitzenden Fleck mit einem Tuch und viel Druck.
She rubbed the stubborn stain with a cloth and a lot of pressure.
wischen
Sie wischte den kleinen Fleck mit einem Tuch vom Tisch.
She wiped the small stain off the table with a cloth.
In real life
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