schneiden
to cut
To divide or work on something with a sharp object such as a knife or scissors.
EXAMPLE
Er schneidet das Gemüse für den Salat.
He is cutting the vegetables for the salad.
schneiden
to cut
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Meanings
sich schneiden
to cut oneself
To accidentally wound oneself with a sharp object.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe mich beim Rasieren geschnitten.
I cut myself while shaving.
schneiden
to cut
To shorten or shape a person's hair.
EXAMPLE
Der Friseur hat mir die Haare zu kurz geschnitten.
The hairdresser cut my hair too short.
schneiden
to edit
To edit film or audio material by selecting, arranging, and joining parts together.
EXAMPLE
Es dauert oft Wochen, einen ganzen Spielfilm zu schneiden.
It often takes weeks to edit an entire feature film.
jemanden schneiden
to snub someone
To intentionally ignore a person and act as if you do not see or know them.
EXAMPLE
Seit unserem Streit schneidet sie mich auf der Straße.
Since our argument, she has been snubbing me on the street.
sich schneiden
to intersect
In geometry: when two or more lines or surfaces meet and cross at a point or along a line.
EXAMPLE
Die beiden Geraden schneiden sich im Koordinatenursprung.
The two straight lines intersect at the origin of the coordinate system.
eine Grimasse schneiden
to make a face
To twist one's face in a funny or ugly way.
EXAMPLE
Das Kind streckte die Zunge heraus und schnitt eine Grimasse.
The child stuck out his tongue and made a face.
Usage tips
Reflexive or not?
Using 'schneiden' with or without a reflexive pronoun changes the meaning. 'Etwas schneiden' means to cut an object into pieces. 'Sich schneiden' means to accidentally injure oneself.
EXAMPLE
Bitte schneide die Zwiebel in kleine Würfel.
Please cut the onion into small cubes.
Type of cutting
To describe how something is cut, you often use a prepositional construction. Typical patterns are 'in Scheiben schneiden' (to cut into slices), 'in Würfel schneiden' (to cut into cubes), or 'in Stücke schneiden' (to cut into pieces).
EXAMPLE
Für das Gratin müssen wir die Kartoffeln in dünne Scheiben schneiden.
For the gratin, we have to cut the potatoes into thin slices.
Sentence structure for injuries
When you cut yourself on a specific body part, that body part is often given with 'in' + accusative. The reflexive pronoun then appears in the dative.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe mich geschnitten.
I cut myself.
Dative construction
When you cut someone's hair, the person whose hair is being cut is in the dative. The direct object is 'die Haare' (the hair).
EXAMPLE
Kannst du mir bitte die Haare schneiden?
Can you cut my hair, please?
Context clue
In combination with words like 'Film' (film), 'Video' (video), or 'Ton' (audio/sound), 'schneiden' always means 'to edit' or 'to cut' media.
EXAMPLE
Die Regisseurin schneidet ihren neuen Film gerade selbst.
The director is currently editing her new film herself.
Figurative meaning
In the meaning 'to ignore someone', the verb is transitive and needs a person as a direct accusative object. It describes an active, deliberate action.
EXAMPLE
Nach unserem Streit schneidet er mich komplett.
After our argument, he is completely snubbing me.
Geometry context clue
The reflexive form 'sich schneiden' is used in mathematics and geometry to describe the point of intersection of lines or surfaces.
EXAMPLE
Zwei parallele Linien schneiden sich nie.
Two parallel lines never intersect.
Fixed expression
The verb 'schneiden' is part of the fixed expression 'eine Grimasse schneiden' (to make a face). Here it has nothing to do with cutting something into pieces, but means 'machen' (to make) or 'ziehen' (to pull).
EXAMPLE
Der Clown schnitt eine lustige Grimasse, um die Kinder zum Lachen zu bringen.
The clown made a funny face to make the children laugh.
Compare with
ignorierenkürzenmontierenkreuzenzuschneidenwürfelnbeschneidenscherenmähenschnitzenritzenstutzenaufschneidenzerschneideneditierenausschneidentrimmen
schneiden vs ignorieren
to ignore
Both verbs can mean deliberately paying no attention to someone. „Jemanden schneiden“ specifically refers to deliberately snubbing someone socially, as if you did not recognize the person, while „ignorieren“ is more general. „Schneiden“ is therefore often appropriate when demonstratively avoiding someone you know.
schneiden
Auf der Feier schnitt er seinen früheren Freund und sah demonstrativ weg.
At the party, he snubbed his former friend and demonstratively looked away.
ignorieren
Während der Diskussion ignorierte sie den Hinweis ihres Kollegen.
During the discussion, she ignored her colleague's suggestion.
In real life
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