to vote / choose / dial
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to vote
To cast one's vote for a person or party in a political election or vote.
Ich weiß noch nicht, welche Partei ich bei der nächsten Bundestagswahl wählen werde.
I don't yet know which party I will vote for in the next federal election.
to choose
To decide on one option from several possibilities; to select something.
Für das Dessert können Sie zwischen Eis und Kuchen wählen.
For dessert, you can choose between ice cream and cake.
to dial
To enter a phone number on a telephone in order to establish a connection.
Um den Kundenservice zu erreichen, wählen Sie bitte die 1.
To reach customer service, please dial 1.
The verb 'wählen' (to vote / choose / dial) is closely related to the noun 'die Wahl' (the election / choice). 'Die Wahl' means both a political election and a choice or selection.
Die nächste Wahl findet in zwei Jahren statt.
The next election will take place in two years.
In a political context, 'wählen' (to vote) is almost always used with an accusative object. Typical combinations are 'eine Partei wählen' (to vote for a party), 'einen Kandidaten wählen' (to vote for a candidate), or 'das Parlament wählen' (to elect parliament).
Viele junge Leute gehen zum ersten Mal wählen.
Many young people are going to vote for the first time.
When deciding between options, you often use the structure 'zwischen etwas (Dativ) wählen' (to choose between something, dative) or 'aus etwas (Dativ) wählen' (to choose from something, dative).
Ich kann zwischen dem roten und dem blauen Kleid wählen.
I can choose between the red and the blue dress.
You can almost always recognize the meaning 'eine Telefonnummer eingeben' (to enter a phone number) from the combination with 'Nummer' (number) or a digit. You often hear this expression in automated announcements.
Bitte wählen Sie die Nummer des gewünschten Gesprächspartners.
Please dial the number of the person you would like to speak to.
to be right / to vote / to tune
Stimmen and wählen can both express casting a vote for a party in a political election. With stimmen, the side you choose is normally named with für or gegen, while wählen can take the party or person directly as its object. Both forms are correct, but their sentence structures are different.
Bei der Wahl wähle ich diese Partei.
In the election, I am voting for this party.
Bei der Wahl stimme ich für diese Partei.
In the election, I am voting for this party.
