01
streichen
to paint
To cover a surface, especially a wall, with paint.
example
Am Wochenende wollen wir das Wohnzimmer gelb streichen.
At the weekend, we want to paint the living room yellow.
streichen
to paint / to cancel
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Auxiliary verb: haben or sein
Normally, 'streichen' forms the perfect tense with 'haben'. One exception is the meaning 'umherziehen' (to roam): when an animal moves around, the perfect tense is formed with 'sein'.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe die Wand blau gestrichen.
I painted the wall blue.
Core meaning: movement
Many meanings of 'streichen' share a common basic idea: a smooth movement over a surface. This idea connects painting a wall, spreading butter, and gently touching the skin.
EXAMPLE
Er strich die Farbe gleichmäßig auf die Leinwand.
He spread the paint evenly on the canvas.
Typical collocations
In the meaning 'entfernen' (to remove) or 'annullieren' (to cancel), 'streichen' is often combined with plans, appointments, or lists. Typical phrases are: 'einen Flug streichen' (to cancel a flight), 'einen Termin streichen' (to cancel an appointment), or 'einen Namen von der Liste streichen' (to cross a name off the list).
EXAMPLE
Wegen Krankheit musste ich meinen Zahnarzttermin streichen.
Because of illness, I had to cancel my dentist appointment.
Often in the passive
When something is canceled, the sentence is very often in the passive. The thing that is canceled is then the subject of the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Das Konzert wurde wegen des schlechten Wetters gestrichen.
The concert was canceled because of the bad weather.
Sentence structure with dative
When you gently touch someone, the person is in the dative. The preposition 'über' then introduces the body part or surface being touched.
EXAMPLE
Er strich seiner Freundin sanft über die Wange.
He gently stroked his girlfriend's cheek.
Fixed expression
'Die Segel streichen' (to surrender / to give up) is a fixed idiom. It comes from seafaring and figuratively means that you give up a fight, a plan, or an undertaking.
EXAMPLE
Nach stundenlanger Diskussion strich er schließlich die Segel und stimmte zu.
After hours of discussion, he finally gave up and agreed.
Compare with
streichen vs fahren
to drive / ride
'über etwas fahren' and 'streichen' can both mean that a hand or an object moves over a surface. 'fahren' is more neutral here: it mainly describes the movement across a surface. 'streichen' sounds softer and often gentler or more affectionate, especially when you move your hand over hair, fur, or skin. The words can be confused because the movement is similar. If only the direction is important, 'fahren' fits; if the touch is gentle, 'streichen' fits better.
streichen
Die Ärztin streicht dem Kind beruhigend über den Arm.
The doctor soothingly strokes the child's arm.
fahren
Karim fährt mit dem Finger über die Karte und sucht den Weg.
Karim runs his finger over the map and looks for the route.
In real life
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