zwinkern
to wink
To briefly close and open one eye, usually as a sign of familiarity, agreement, joking, or flirting.
EXAMPLE
Er zwinkerte ihr zu, als niemand hinsah.
He winked at her when no one was looking.
zwinkern
to wink / to blink
zwinkern – zwinkerte – hat gezwinkert
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Meanings
zwinkern
to blink
To move the eyelids repeatedly and briefly, for example because of bright sunlight, dust, or irritation.
EXAMPLE
Wegen des starken Lichts musste sie ständig zwinkern.
She had to keep blinking because of the strong light.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry zwinkern, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Present
| ich | zwinkere zwinkre |
|---|---|
| du | zwinkerst |
| er/sie/es | zwinkert |
| wir | zwinkern |
| ihr | zwinkert |
| sie | zwinkern |
Simple past
| ich | zwinkerte |
|---|---|
| du | zwinkertest |
| er/sie/es | zwinkerte |
| wir | zwinkerten |
| ihr | zwinkertet |
| sie | zwinkerten |
Perfect
with haben
| ich | habe gezwinkert |
|---|---|
| du | hast gezwinkert |
| er/sie/es | hat gezwinkert |
| wir | haben gezwinkert |
| ihr | habt gezwinkert |
| sie | haben gezwinkert |
Commands
| du | zwinkere! zwinker!, zwinkre! |
|---|---|
| ihr | zwinkert! |
| Sie | zwinkern Sie! |
Past perfect
| ich | hatte gezwinkert |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gezwinkert |
| er/sie/es | hatte gezwinkert |
| wir | hatten gezwinkert |
| ihr | hattet gezwinkert |
| sie | hatten gezwinkert |
Future
| ich | werde zwinkern |
|---|---|
| du | wirst zwinkern |
| er/sie/es | wird zwinkern |
| wir | werden zwinkern |
| ihr | werdet zwinkern |
| sie | werden zwinkern |
Subjunctive I
| ich | zwinkere zwinkre |
|---|---|
| du | zwinkerst |
| er/sie/es | zwinkere zwinkre |
| wir | zwinkern |
| ihr | zwinkert |
| sie | zwinkern |
Used for reported speech.
Subjunctive II
| ich | zwinkerte |
|---|---|
| du | zwinkertest |
| er/sie/es | zwinkerte |
| wir | zwinkerten |
| ihr | zwinkertet |
| sie | zwinkerten |
Used for wishes and “would”.
Other forms
| infinitive | zwinkern |
|---|---|
| with zu | zu zwinkern |
| present participle | zwinkernd |
| past participle | gezwinkert |
Usage tips
Context clue
For a social gesture, 'zwinkern' (to wink) is often used with a person in the dative and with 'zu'. With a physical reaction, phrases such as 'wegen des Lichts' (because of the light) or 'ständig' (constantly) show that it is about repeated eye movements.
EXAMPLE
Sie zwinkerte ihrem Kollegen zu, um ihn zum Lachen zu bringen.
She winked at her colleague to make him laugh.
Er zwinkerte ständig, weil seine Kontaktlinse drückte.
He kept blinking because his contact lens was pressing against his eye.
Dative construction
For a deliberate gesture, the construction 'jemandem zuzwinkern' (to wink at someone) is often used. In a main clause, 'zu' appears at the end of the sentence; in the infinitive, 'zu' comes before 'zwinkern'.
EXAMPLE
Er zwinkerte seiner Schwester verschwörerisch zu.
He winked conspiratorially at his sister.
Sie wollte dem Kellner unauffällig zuzwinkern.
She wanted to wink discreetly at the waiter.
Typical collocations
For a physical reaction, 'zwinkern' (to blink) is often accompanied by words such as 'ständig' (constantly), 'immer wieder' (again and again), or 'wegen der Sonne' (because of the sun). Such phrases usually indicate a repeated movement and an external irritant.
EXAMPLE
Wegen des Staubs im Auge musste sie immer wieder zwinkern.
Because of the dust in her eye, she had to keep blinking.
In real life
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