01
sich wälzen
to roll around
To roll or turn one's body back and forth on a surface. This can happen because of restlessness, pain, or pleasure.
example
Das Pferd wälzte sich genüsslich im Sand.
The horse rolled around contentedly in the sand.
wälzen
to roll / ponder / shift
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Basic meaning
The basic idea of 'wälzen' is heavy, slow turning or rolling. This image connects all the meanings: the rolling of a body, of a tree trunk, or the mental 'rolling around' of problems.
EXAMPLE
Er wälzte den schweren Stein mühsam zur Seite.
He laboriously rolled the heavy stone to the side.
Reflexive use
In the meaning 'to roll back and forth', the verb is always reflexive. The reflexive pronoun (sich, mich, dich, etc.) is a fixed part of the expression here.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe mich die ganze Nacht unruhig im Bett gewälzt.
I tossed and turned restlessly in bed all night.
Typical collocations
In the figurative sense of thinking, 'wälzen' is almost always used with abstract nouns such as 'Probleme' (problems), 'Gedanken' (thoughts), or 'Sorgen' (worries) as the object.
EXAMPLE
Statt zu schlafen, wälzte sie stundenlang ihre Probleme.
Instead of sleeping, she pondered her problems for hours.
Sentence structure with preposition
When responsibility or costs are transferred to someone else, the structure is 'etwas auf jemanden (Akkusativ) wälzen' (to shift something onto someone). The preposition 'auf' with the accusative is crucial here.
EXAMPLE
Der Chef wälzt die unangenehme Aufgabe auf seine Mitarbeiter ab.
The boss shifts the unpleasant task onto his employees.
Colloquial style
The expression 'Bücher wälzen' (to pore over books) is colloquial and is often used with a slightly ironic tone. It implies that one has to study very thick, heavy, or dry specialist literature.
EXAMPLE
Für die Prüfung musste ich das ganze Wochenende dicke Bücher wälzen.
For the exam, I had to pore over thick books all weekend.
Compare with
wälzen vs übertragen
to transmit / transfer
'übertragen' and 'wälzen' can both mean that responsibility, blame, or costs end up with another person. 'übertragen' is more neutral: a task or responsibility is passed on officially or matter-of-factly. 'wälzen auf', by contrast, sounds negative. It means that someone pushes something unpleasant onto others, often unfairly. The words can be confused because in both cases something moves from one person to another. If the transfer is normal or planned, 'übertragen' fits. If it feels like passing something off onto someone else, 'wälzen auf' fits.
wälzen
Die Firma wälzt die zusätzlichen Kosten auf die Kunden ab.
The company shifts the additional costs onto its customers.
übertragen
Vor dem Termin überträgt der Chef die Aufgabe an seine Kollegin.
Before the appointment, the boss transfers the task to his colleague.
In real life
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