werfen
to throw
To hurl something through the air with a quick movement of the hand or arm.
EXAMPLE
Kannst du den Ball über das Netz werfen?
Can you throw the ball over the net?
werfen
to throw
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
einen Blick werfen auf
to take a look at
To look at something briefly and quickly.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe nur schnell einen Blick auf die Schlagzeilen geworfen.
I just quickly took a look at the headlines.
werfen
to give birth
For animals: to give birth to young.
EXAMPLE
Unsere Katze hat letzte Nacht fünf gesunde Kätzchen geworfen.
Our cat gave birth to five healthy kittens last night.
Schatten werfen
to cast a shadow
To create a shadow because one blocks the light.
EXAMPLE
Der große Baum im Garten wirft einen angenehmen Schatten auf die Terrasse.
The large tree in the garden casts a pleasant shadow on the terrace.
sich werfen
to throw oneself
To move, drop, or hurl oneself somewhere with momentum and often with strong emotion.
EXAMPLE
Nach der langen Reise warf sie sich erschöpft auf ihr Bett.
After the long journey, she threw herself onto her bed, exhausted.
Licht werfen auf
to shed light on
To clarify a matter or make it more understandable.
EXAMPLE
Die neuen Dokumente werfen ein völlig neues Licht auf die historischen Ereignisse.
The new documents shed a completely new light on the historical events.
Usage tips
Word family
'Werfen' (to throw) is the base verb for many important separable verbs. These include, for example, 'wegwerfen' (to throw away), 'vorwerfen' (to accuse someone), and 'hineinwerfen' (to throw something into something else).
EXAMPLE
Bitte wirf die leere Flasche nicht einfach auf die Straße.
Please don't just throw the empty bottle onto the street.
Fixed expression
The phrase 'einen Blick auf etwas werfen' (to take a look at something) is very common and means to look at something briefly. The object being looked at comes after 'auf' in the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Kannst du mal einen Blick auf meinen Text werfen und nach Fehlern suchen?
Can you take a look at my text and check for mistakes?
Context clue
In the meaning 'Junge zur Welt bringen' (to give birth to young), 'werfen' (to give birth) is used exclusively for animals. When you hear this expression, the context is always the animal world.
EXAMPLE
Die Hündin hat letzte Woche acht Welpen geworfen.
The dog gave birth to eight puppies last week.
Reflexive verb
As the reflexive verb 'sich werfen' (to throw oneself), it expresses a quick, often dramatic or emotional movement. The reflexive pronoun (mich, dich, sich, etc.) is obligatory here.
EXAMPLE
Die Kinder warfen sich lachend in den Schnee.
The children threw themselves into the snow, laughing.
Figurative meaning
The phrase 'Licht auf etwas werfen' (to shed light on something) is used figuratively. It means that new information makes a matter more understandable or clarifies it.
EXAMPLE
Der Zeuge konnte neues Licht auf den Fall werfen.
The witness was able to shed new light on the case.
Figurative meaning
'Einen Schatten werfen' (to cast a shadow) also has a figurative meaning. The phrase 'seine Schatten vorauswerfen' means that the negative signs or consequences of a future event can already be felt.
EXAMPLE
Die bevorstehende Wirtschaftskrise wirft bereits ihre Schatten voraus.
The impending economic crisis is already casting its shadow.
Compare with
werfen vs schauen
to look / watch
Schauen generally means consciously directing your eyes at something and, by itself, says nothing about how long you look. Werfen has this meaning only in the fixed expression einen Blick auf etwas werfen; this expression usually emphasizes taking a brief, quick look.
werfen
Ich werfe noch schnell einen Blick auf den Plan.
I’ll just take a quick look at the plan.
schauen
Ich schaue noch einmal genau auf den Plan.
I’m taking another careful look at the plan.
In real life
Loading video examples...