wärmen
to warm
To deliberately expose something to a heat source in order to raise its temperature.
EXAMPLE
Ich wärme mir schnell die Suppe von gestern in der Mikrowelle.
I'll quickly warm yesterday's soup in the microwave.
wärmen
to warm
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Meanings
sich wärmen
to warm oneself
To expose one's own body to a heat source in order not to be cold.
EXAMPLE
Die Katzen wärmen sich auf der sonnigen Fensterbank.
The cats are warming themselves on the sunny windowsill.
wärmen
to keep warm
As a property, to give off warmth and thereby protect against the cold.
EXAMPLE
Dieser Wollpullover wärmt auch bei Minusgraden noch sehr gut.
This wool sweater keeps you very warm even in sub-zero temperatures.
Usage tips
Word family
The verb 'wärmen' (to warm) belongs to the word family of 'warm' (adjective) and 'die Wärme' (warmth; noun). All these words refer to a pleasantly high temperature.
EXAMPLE
Die Frühlingssonne wärmt schon angenehm.
The spring sun is already pleasantly warm.
Three usage patterns
'Wärmen' (to warm) can be used in three ways: transitively (you warm something), reflexively (you warm yourself), or intransitively (something keeps warm by itself).
EXAMPLE
Kannst du bitte die Milch für das Baby wärmen?
Can you please warm the milk for the baby?
Typical collocations
When you deliberately heat something, typical objects are foods and drinks. Common combinations are 'eine Suppe wärmen' (to warm a soup), 'das Essen wärmen' (to warm the food), or 'seine Hände wärmen' (to warm one's hands).
EXAMPLE
Er wärmte seine kalten Hände an der heißen Tasse.
He warmed his cold hands on the hot cup.
Typical prepositions
When you warm yourself, the heat source is often given with the prepositions 'an' (+ dative) or 'in' (+ dative).
EXAMPLE
Die Wanderer wärmten sich am Lagerfeuer.
The hikers warmed themselves by the campfire.
Sentence structure
In this meaning, the subject of the sentence is the source of warmth, often a piece of clothing, a blanket, or the sun. The verb describes a property of that thing.
EXAMPLE
Ein guter Schlafsack wärmt auch in kalten Nächten.
A good sleeping bag keeps you warm even on cold nights.
Compare with
wärmen vs heizen
to heat / speed
Heizen usually refers to heating a room by operating a heating system. Wärmen, by contrast, focuses on the warmth given off and its effect in protecting against the cold. Whoever uses the heating system heizt the room; a heat source or an object can wärmen the room.
wärmen
Im Winter wärmt der kleine Ofen das Wohnzimmer.
In winter, the small stove warms the living room.
heizen
Im Winter heizen wir das Wohnzimmer mit der Zentralheizung.
In winter, we heat the living room with the central heating.
In real life
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