All German word comparisons · Back to the topic overview
Meaning, sentence patterns and examples
| Word | Core meaning | Typical context | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|
| enden | end; come to an end | Events, periods and routes | Weak: endet, endete, hat geendet; no separable prefix. Intransitive in the main sense taught here. Sein is also colloquially used for a temporal ending, but haben is the dependable general form. |
| beenden | bring to an end | Ending an event or completing an activity | Inseparable be-. Weak: beendet, beendete, hat beendet. Requires an accusative object in this ordinary use: etwas beenden. |
| aufhören | stop; cease | Actions, habits and ongoing events | Separable auf-: hört auf, hörte auf, hat aufgehört. Use mit + dative noun, a zu-infinitive, or no complement when the activity is clear. |
enden
Meaning and usage: Enden presents the end of something without requiring an actor who causes it. Meetings can end at a time, a road can end at a boundary and a story can end happily. A mit phrase can describe its closing element. The verb also has more specialized uses, so the ordinary event pattern is the starting point.
Grammar: Weak: endet, endete, hat geendet; no separable prefix. Intransitive in the main sense taught here. Sein is also colloquially used for a temporal ending, but haben is the dependable general form.
Der Workshop endet um sechzehn Uhr.
The workshop ends at four o’clock.
Der Weg endet an einem See.
The path ends at a lake.
beenden
Meaning and usage: Beenden focuses on an actor or cause making something end. It may describe successful completion or a premature stop; the verb alone does not guarantee success. Ein Gespräch beenden can be neutral, polite or abrupt depending on context.
Grammar: Inseparable be-. Weak: beendet, beendete, hat beendet. Requires an accusative object in this ordinary use: etwas beenden.
Die Leiterin beendet die Sitzung.
The chairperson ends the meeting.
Wir haben die Arbeit früher als geplant beendet.
We finished the work earlier than planned.
aufhören
Meaning and usage: Aufhören describes not continuing. A person can stop working temporarily or stop a habit permanently; surrounding information tells you which. It also works with rain or an unpleasant noise as the subject. It does not take the stopped activity as a bare accusative object.
Grammar: Separable auf-: hört auf, hörte auf, hat aufgehört. Use mit + dative noun, a zu-infinitive, or no complement when the activity is clear.
Ich höre jetzt auf zu lernen.
I will stop studying now.
Sie hat mit dem Rauchen aufgehört.
She has stopped smoking.
Overlap and context
Der Lärm endet and Der Lärm hört auf both describe cessation, but the second is a natural everyday choice for a noise stopping. Ich beende die Arbeit and Ich höre auf zu arbeiten need not mean the same thing: ending the work may imply completing or terminating it, while stopping working can simply mean taking a break.
Common mistakes
- Do not say Ich beende without an understood object when you mean I stop: Ich höre auf fits better.
- After aufhören use mit dem Lernen or zu lernen, not das Lernen as a bare object.
Memory aid: The event ends; a person ends the event; a person stops doing it. First identify the subject, then check whether your verb needs an object.
Try it
Complete: Der Film ___ um zehn Uhr.
Show the answer
endet
The film is the event coming to an end; nobody is named as the actor ending it.