01
schneien
to snow
The falling of snow from the clouds. It is usually used impersonally with “es” (it).
example
Morgen soll es den ganzen Tag schneien.
Tomorrow it’s supposed to snow all day.
schneien
to snow
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
01 / 02
Usage tips
Word family
The verb “schneien” belongs to the word family of “der Schnee” (snow). If you know the noun, you can easily work out the meaning of the verb.
EXAMPLE
Die Kinder hoffen, dass es an Weihnachten schneit.
The children hope that it snows at Christmas.
Impersonal verb
In the literal meaning “snow falls,” “schneien” is almost always used as an impersonal verb with the pronoun “es” (it) as the subject. You do not say “Der Himmel schneit” (the sky snows), but “Es schneit” (It is snowing).
EXAMPLE
Als wir aufwachten, hatte es die ganze Nacht geschneit.
When we woke up, it had snowed all night.
Colloquial use
The figurative meaning is colloquial. It is often used with the separable prefix “herein-” as “hereinschneien” (to drop in / come pouring in) to describe a spontaneous, unannounced appearance.
EXAMPLE
Gestern Abend sind plötzlich meine Nachbarn zum Kartenspielen hereingeschneit.
Yesterday evening my neighbors suddenly dropped in to play cards.
Compare with
schneien vs ankommen
to arrive
'ankommen' and 'schneien' can both have to do with something arriving. 'ankommen' is neutral and simply says that someone or something reaches a destination. 'schneien' is used colloquially and figuratively in this meaning. It often makes it sound as if people, letters, or bills arrive suddenly or in large numbers. Confusion is possible because both can describe an arrival. For a normal arrival, use 'ankommen'. 'schneien' only fits in informal, figurative situations.
schneien
Nach dem Urlaub schneiten plötzlich mehrere Rechnungen ins Haus.
After the vacation, several bills suddenly came pouring in.
ankommen
Der Zug kommt heute zehn Minuten später am Bahnhof an.
The train is arriving at the station ten minutes later today.
In real life
Loading video examples...