springen
to jump
To push oneself off the ground or another surface with one's legs and move through the air for a brief moment.
EXAMPLE
Die Kinder springen vor Freude in die Luft.
The children jump into the air for joy.
springen
to jump
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Meanings
springen
to jump up
To move very quickly, suddenly, or hurriedly.
EXAMPLE
Als der Wecker klingelte, sprang sie sofort aus dem Bett.
When the alarm clock rang, she immediately jumped out of bed.
springen
to crack
Of brittle materials such as glass or porcelain: to develop a crack or break, often due to stress or a change in temperature.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe heißes Wasser in das kalte Glas gegossen und es ist sofort gesprungen.
I poured hot water into the cold glass, and it cracked immediately.
springen
to jump / skip
To skip over or leave something out in a sequence.
EXAMPLE
Da wir wenig Zeit haben, springen wir direkt zum letzten Tagesordnungspunkt.
Since we have little time, we'll jump straight to the last item on the agenda.
Usage tips
Perfect tense with 'sein'
As a verb of movement or change of state, 'springen' (to jump/crack) always forms the perfect tense with the auxiliary verb 'sein' (to be). This applies to all meanings of the word.
EXAMPLE
Die Katze ist auf den Schrank gesprungen.
The cat jumped onto the cupboard.
Context: material breaks
When the subject is a brittle material such as glass, porcelain, or a wall, 'springen' means that it gets a crack or breaks. In this case, the verb is intransitive.
EXAMPLE
Die alte Vase ist gesprungen, als ich sie bewegt habe.
The old vase cracked when I moved it.
Correct preposition
In the meaning of 'sich abstoßen' (to push oneself off), 'springen' is often combined with prepositions that indicate direction. Typical examples are 'in' (accusative), 'über' (accusative), or 'von' (dative).
EXAMPLE
Er ist mutig vom Fünfmeterbrett gesprungen.
He bravely jumped from the five-meter diving board.
Quick movement
To express a sudden, quick movement, 'springen' is often used in fixed expressions. Common combinations are 'aus dem Bett springen' (to jump out of bed) or 'ins Auto springen' (to jump into the car).
EXAMPLE
Als der Bus kam, sprang sie schnell auf und rannte zur Haltestelle.
When the bus came, she quickly jumped up and ran to the stop.
Leaving something out
When 'springen' means to leave something out in a sequence, it is often used with the preposition 'zu' + dative to indicate the new target. It describes a direct change.
EXAMPLE
Der Professor ist von Kapitel 2 direkt zu Kapitel 5 gesprungen.
The professor jumped directly from chapter 2 to chapter 5.
Compare with
springen vs auslassen
to omit / leave out
Springen and auslassen can both mean that something is not considered in a sequence. Springen tends to describe skipping over something within a process, while auslassen directly refers to the deliberate omission of something. Use springen when moving over a point and auslassen when making a deliberate decision.
springen
Beim Lesen können Sie den schwierigen Abschnitt springen und später zurückkehren.
When reading, you can skip the difficult section and come back to it later.
auslassen
Beim Lesen können Sie den schwierigen Abschnitt auslassen, wenn Sie wenig Zeit haben.
When reading, you can leave out the difficult section if you are short on time.
In real life
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