rieseln
to trickle
To fall or move slowly and steadily in small, loose particles.
EXAMPLE
Feiner Sand rieselte durch seine Finger.
Fine sand trickled through his fingers.
rieseln
to trickle
rieseln – rieselte – hat gerieselt
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Meanings
rieseln
to trickle
To flow or seep slowly as a liquid or in very small amounts.
EXAMPLE
Das Wasser rieselte leise über die Steine.
The water trickled quietly over the stones.
jemandem den Rücken hinunterrieseln
to send shivers
For a cold or unpleasant feeling to spread down someone's back, usually from fear or dread.
EXAMPLE
Bei diesem Geräusch rieselte es mir kalt den Rücken hinunter.
That sound sent cold shivers down my spine.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry rieseln, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Present
| er/sie/es | rieselt |
|---|---|
| sie | rieseln |
Simple past
| er/sie/es | rieselte |
|---|---|
| sie | rieselten |
Perfect
with haben or sein
| er/sie/es | hat gerieselt ist gerieselt |
|---|---|
| sie | haben gerieselt sind gerieselt |
Commands
| du | riesel! |
|---|---|
| ihr | rieselt! |
Past perfect
| er/sie/es | hatte gerieselt war gerieselt |
|---|---|
| sie | hatten gerieselt waren gerieselt |
Future
| er/sie/es | wird rieseln |
|---|---|
| sie | werden rieseln |
Subjunctive I
| er/sie/es | riesele riesle |
|---|---|
| sie | rieseln |
Used for reported speech.
Subjunctive II
| er/sie/es | rieselte |
|---|---|
| sie | rieselten |
Used for wishes and “would”.
Other forms
| infinitive | rieseln |
|---|---|
| with zu | zu rieseln |
| present participle | rieselnd |
| past participle | gerieselt |
Usage tips
Typical collocations
In this sense, 'rieseln' (to trickle) is often used with fine, loose materials such as sand, snow, dust, or leaves. The sentence often also specifies where the particles fall or what they pass through.
EXAMPLE
Trockene Blätter rieselten vom Baum auf den Weg.
Dry leaves trickled down from the tree onto the path.
Liquids
With liquids, 'rieseln' (to trickle) usually describes a very gentle, quiet movement over a surface or through small gaps. Phrases with 'über' (over), 'durch' (through), or 'aus' (out of) are typical.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Regen rieselte Wasser durch die Ritzen der Mauer.
After the rain, water trickled through the cracks in the wall.
Fixed construction
In this expression, the person experiencing the feeling is in the dative, and 'den Rücken' (the back) is in the accusative: 'Jemandem rieselt es den Rücken hinunter' (Something sends shivers down someone's spine). Words such as 'kalt' (cold) or 'eiskalt' (ice-cold) often intensify the unpleasant feeling.
EXAMPLE
Als sie ihren Namen im dunklen Flur hörte, rieselte es ihr eiskalt den Rücken hinunter.
When she heard her name in the dark hallway, it sent icy shivers down her spine.
In real life
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