01
studieren
to study
To be enrolled at a university or college in order to earn an academic degree in a particular field.
example
Meine Schwester studiert Medizin in Heidelberg.
My sister is studying medicine in Heidelberg.
studieren
to study
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Meanings
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Usage tips
False friend
'Studieren' means to be enrolled at a university or college. It is not the same as the English 'to study' in every context. When you are studying for an exam or doing homework, German uses the verb 'lernen' (to learn/study).
EXAMPLE
Er studiert Informatik an der Technischen Universität.
He studies computer science at the Technical University.
Word family
The verb 'studieren' (to study) is the basis for a whole word family related to university. These include 'das Studium' (the course of study), 'der Student' and 'die Studentin' (the person who studies), as well as 'die Studie' (a scientific study).
EXAMPLE
Sein Studium hat insgesamt fünf Jahre gedauert.
His degree program took five years in total.
Sentence structure without an article
When saying which subject you study, normally no article is used. You say 'ich studiere Jura' (I study law), not 'ich studiere die Jura'.
EXAMPLE
Sie möchte nächstes Jahr Psychologie studieren.
She would like to study psychology next year.
Context clue
When 'studieren' has a concrete object that is not an academic subject, it means 'to look at closely' or 'to analyze'. You can recognize this meaning because the object is something that can be examined visually or textually.
EXAMPLE
Er studierte aufmerksam die Gesichter der Leute in der U-Bahn.
He carefully examined the faces of the people on the subway.
Compare with
studieren vs lesen
to read
'lesen' and 'studieren' can both have to do with texts and understanding. 'lesen' means taking in a written text and understanding its content. 'studieren' can mean studying a subject at a university or college. But it can also mean reading or examining something very closely. The words can be confused when books or documents are involved: you normally read a novel. You can study a contract or plan if you examine it very carefully.
studieren
Meine Kollegin hat heute die Bewerbungsunterlagen genau studiert.
My colleague studied the application documents carefully today.
lesen
Am Bahnhof liest du die Anzeige, weil dein Zug Verspätung hat.
At the station, you read the display because your train is delayed.
In real life
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