reichen
to hand
To give something to someone with your hand, often over a short distance.
EXAMPLE
Könntest du mir bitte das Salz reichen?
Could you please hand me the salt?
reichen
to hand / to suffice
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Meanings
reichen
to suffice
To be enough; to be available in sufficient quantity or quality.
EXAMPLE
Das Geld wird nicht für den ganzen Urlaub reichen.
The money won’t suffice for the whole vacation.
reichen
to reach
To extend to a certain point or area.
EXAMPLE
Das Seil muss bis zum Boden reichen.
The rope has to reach down to the floor.
es reicht
that’s enough
A colloquial expression used to say that you have had enough of something and want it to stop.
EXAMPLE
So, jetzt reicht es aber mit dem Lärm!
Right, that’s enough of the noise now!
Usage tips
Context clues
The sentence structure helps distinguish the meanings. A dative person points to 'geben' (to give), the preposition 'für' (for) to 'genug sein' (to be enough), and 'bis' (to / until) to 'sich erstrecken' (to extend).
EXAMPLE
Reich mir bitte den Zucker.
Please hand me the sugar.
Dative construction
In the meaning 'geben' (to give), the person receiving something is always in the dative. The object being given is in the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Der Kellner reichte uns die Speisekarte.
The waiter handed us the menu.
Use with 'für'
To express what something is enough for, the preposition 'für' (for) followed by the accusative is used. However, the verb can also stand without a complement.
EXAMPLE
Meine Energie reicht heute nicht mehr für Sport.
My energy no longer suffices for sports today.
Use with 'bis'
To describe the extent or range of something, 'reichen' (to reach) is often used with the preposition 'bis' (to / until) or the combination 'von ... bis' (from ... to).
EXAMPLE
Der Wald reicht bis an den Fluss.
The forest reaches all the way to the river.
Colloquial exclamation
The expression 'Es reicht!' (That’s enough!) is an emotional exclamation that expresses impatience or anger. It means something like 'Stop it!' or 'I’ve had enough!'.
EXAMPLE
Ruhe jetzt, es reicht! Ich möchte schlafen.
Quiet now, that’s enough! I want to sleep.
Compare with
reichen vs geben
to give
Geben and reichen can both mean that someone hands an object to another person. Geben generally emphasizes the transfer or change of possession, while reichen emphasizes extending the object over a short distance. Use geben for the general action and reichen when the movement toward the other person is important.
reichen
Ich reiche meiner Schwester den Schlüssel über den Tisch.
I hand my sister the key across the table.
geben
Ich gebe meiner Schwester den Schlüssel für die Wohnung.
I give my sister the key to the apartment.
In real life
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