wispern
to whisper
To speak very quietly so that other people can barely hear the words.
EXAMPLE
Die beiden Kinder wispern im hinteren Teil des Klassenzimmers.
The two children are whispering at the back of the classroom.
wispern
to whisper
wispern – wisperte – hat gewispert
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
wispern
to whisper
To make a quiet, rustling or murmuring sound, especially of leaves or grass.
EXAMPLE
Im Wind wispern die Blätter der alten Bäume.
The leaves of the old trees whisper in the wind.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry wispern, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Present
| ich | wispere wispre |
|---|---|
| du | wisperst |
| er/sie/es | wispert |
| wir | wispern |
| ihr | wispert |
| sie | wispern |
Simple past
| ich | wisperte |
|---|---|
| du | wispertest |
| er/sie/es | wisperte |
| wir | wisperten |
| ihr | wispertet |
| sie | wisperten |
Perfect
with haben
| ich | habe gewispert |
|---|---|
| du | hast gewispert |
| er/sie/es | hat gewispert |
| wir | haben gewispert |
| ihr | habt gewispert |
| sie | haben gewispert |
Commands
| du | wisper! wispere!, wispre! |
|---|---|
| ihr | wispert! |
| Sie | wispern Sie! |
Past perfect
| ich | hatte gewispert |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gewispert |
| er/sie/es | hatte gewispert |
| wir | hatten gewispert |
| ihr | hattet gewispert |
| sie | hatten gewispert |
Future
| ich | werde wispern |
|---|---|
| du | wirst wispern |
| er/sie/es | wird wispern |
| wir | werden wispern |
| ihr | werdet wispern |
| sie | werden wispern |
Subjunctive I
| ich | wispere wispre |
|---|---|
| du | wisperst |
| er/sie/es | wispere wispre |
| wir | wispern |
| ihr | wispert |
| sie | wispern |
Used for reported speech.
Subjunctive II
| ich | wisperte |
|---|---|
| du | wispertest |
| er/sie/es | wisperte |
| wir | wisperten |
| ihr | wispertet |
| sie | wisperten |
Used for wishes and “would”.
Other forms
| infinitive | wispern |
|---|---|
| with zu | zu wispern |
| present participle | wispernd |
| past participle | gewispert |
Usage tips
Literary style
'Wispern' (to whisper) often has a literary or poetic feel in standard German and is especially used in narrative texts. It frequently describes a very quiet human voice or a delicate sound in nature.
EXAMPLE
Im alten Märchen wispern die Stimmen aus dem dunklen Wald.
In the old fairy tale, voices whisper from the dark forest.
Whisper in someone's ear
When speaking quietly, the expression 'jemandem etwas ins Ohr wispern' (to whisper something into someone's ear) is often used. The person is in the dative, while the content is usually in the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Sie wisperte ihrem Bruder eine wichtige Nachricht ins Ohr.
She whispered an important message into her brother's ear.
Typical collocations
In the meaning of speaking quietly, 'wispern' (to whisper) often combines with 'Worte' (words), 'eine Antwort' (an answer), or 'einen Namen' (a name). Adverbs such as 'kaum hörbar' (barely audibly) and 'leise' (quietly) also often go with it.
EXAMPLE
Der Junge wisperte kaum hörbar den Namen seiner Mutter.
The boy barely audibly whispered his mother's name.
Sounds in nature
The meaning involving a quiet sound in nature can often be recognized from words such as 'Blätter' (leaves), 'Gras' (grass), 'Wind' (wind), or 'Bäume' (trees). In such sentences, 'wispern' (to whisper) is usually used figuratively.
EXAMPLE
Im Abendwind wispern die hohen Gräser am Wegesrand.
In the evening wind, the tall grasses by the side of the path whisper.
In real life
Loading video examples...