ruckeln
to jolt
To move in jerks rather than smoothly, so that a movement consists of short jolts.
EXAMPLE
Der alte Bus ruckelt bei jeder Kurve.
The old bus jolts whenever it goes around a bend.
ruckeln
to jolt / stutter
ruckeln – ruckelte – hat geruckelt
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Meanings
ruckeln
to stutter
To fail to play smoothly in a technical playback and repeatedly stop and start with brief interruptions.
EXAMPLE
Das Video ruckelt, obwohl die Internetverbindung stabil ist.
The video is stuttering even though the internet connection is stable.
an etwas ruckeln
to tug at something
To pull at or move something repeatedly with short, forceful movements.
EXAMPLE
Er ruckelte an der klemmenden Tür, bis sie aufging.
He tugged at the jammed door until it opened.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry ruckeln, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Present
| ich | ruckle ruckele |
|---|---|
| du | ruckelst |
| er/sie/es | ruckelt |
| wir | ruckeln |
| ihr | ruckelt |
| sie | ruckeln |
Simple past
| ich | ruckelte |
|---|---|
| du | ruckeltest |
| er/sie/es | ruckelte |
| wir | ruckelten |
| ihr | ruckeltet |
| sie | ruckelten |
Perfect
with haben
| ich | habe geruckelt |
|---|---|
| du | hast geruckelt |
| er/sie/es | hat geruckelt |
| wir | haben geruckelt |
| ihr | habt geruckelt |
| sie | haben geruckelt |
Commands
| du | ruckle! ruckele!, ruckel! |
|---|---|
| ihr | ruckelt! |
| Sie | ruckeln Sie! |
Past perfect
| ich | hatte geruckelt |
|---|---|
| du | hattest geruckelt |
| er/sie/es | hatte geruckelt |
| wir | hatten geruckelt |
| ihr | hattet geruckelt |
| sie | hatten geruckelt |
Future
| ich | werde ruckeln |
|---|---|
| du | wirst ruckeln |
| er/sie/es | wird ruckeln |
| wir | werden ruckeln |
| ihr | werdet ruckeln |
| sie | werden ruckeln |
Subjunctive I
| ich | ruckele ruckle |
|---|---|
| du | ruckelst rucklest |
| er/sie/es | ruckele ruckle |
| wir | ruckeln |
| ihr | ruckelt rucklet |
| sie | ruckeln |
Used for reported speech.
Subjunctive II
| ich | ruckelte |
|---|---|
| du | ruckeltest |
| er/sie/es | ruckelte |
| wir | ruckelten |
| ihr | ruckeltet |
| sie | ruckelten |
Used for wishes and “would”.
Other forms
| infinitive | ruckeln |
|---|---|
| with zu | zu ruckeln |
| present participle | ruckelnd |
| past participle | geruckelt |
Usage tips
Context clue
When a vehicle or device is the subject of „ruckeln“ (to jolt / stutter), the word describes uneven movement or playback. The construction „an etwas ruckeln“ (to tug at something) describes a person pulling at or moving an object.
EXAMPLE
Der Zug ruckelte plötzlich beim Anfahren.
The train suddenly jolted as it started moving.
Mira ruckelte ungeduldig am Reißverschluss ihrer Jacke.
Mira impatiently tugged at her jacket zipper.
Typical collocations
With vehicles and other moving things, „ruckeln“ (to jolt) is often used with expressions describing the movement, such as „beim Anfahren“ (when starting), „in den Kurven“ (around bends), or „über holprige Straßen“ (over bumpy roads). The verb is often used without an accusative object.
EXAMPLE
Das Taxi ruckelte beim Anfahren und blieb dann stehen.
The taxi jolted as it started moving and then stopped.
Technical context
In its technical meaning, „ruckeln“ (to stutter) is especially common with videos, films, games, and animations. Typical expressions mention the reason or situation, such as a weak connection or high image quality.
EXAMPLE
Der Film ruckelt, sobald ich ihn in hoher Auflösung abspiele.
The film starts stuttering as soon as I play it in high resolution.
Dative after an
In the phrase „an etwas ruckeln“ (to tug at something), the object after „an“ takes the dative. With a specific object, forms such as „an der Tür“ (at the door), „am Griff“ (at the handle), or „an dem Seil“ (at the rope) are used.
EXAMPLE
Der Junge ruckelte am Griff der schweren Schublade.
The boy tugged at the handle of the heavy drawer.
In real life
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