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All German word comparisons · Back to the topic overview
Meaning, sentence patterns and examples
| Word | Core meaning | Typical context | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|
| fühlen | feel or sense | sensations and emotional state | fühlte; hat gefühlt; sich fühlen |
| füllen | fill | containers, spaces and contents | füllte; hat gefüllt; mit + dative |
| führen | lead or guide | people, organizations and results | führte; hat geführt; zu + dative |
fühlen
Meaning and usage: Use fühlen for a sensation you perceive or a state you experience. You may feel heat, or feel tired using the reflexive frame sich fühlen. The word does not mean placing something into a container.
Grammar: Weak verb: fühlte, hat gefühlt. Etwas fühlen takes accusative. In Ich fühle mich müde, mich is reflexive accusative; the adjective has no ending. Do not omit mich in this state-description frame.
Ich fühle mich nach dem Spaziergang besser.
I feel better after the walk.
Ich fühle die Wärme der Sonne.
I feel the warmth of the sun.
füllen
Meaning and usage: Use füllen when you put something into a container or occupy a space. The container need not become completely full: halb füllen specifies a partial amount. Sich füllen describes a container or room becoming filled.
Grammar: Weak verb: füllte, hat gefüllt. The container is accusative; mit + dative names the contents. Alternatively, the contents can be accusative with an in + accusative destination: Wasser in die Flasche füllen.
Ich fülle die Flasche mit Wasser.
I am filling the bottle with water.
Der Saal füllt sich langsam.
The hall is slowly filling up.
führen
Meaning and usage: Use führen for guiding people or managing an organization. In zu etwas führen, it can express a result rather than physical leadership. The same verb also appears in established phrases such as ein Gespräch führen, meaning have or conduct a conversation.
Grammar: Weak verb: führte, hat geführt. A guided person or managed business is accusative. A destination uses an appropriate preposition; zu + dative can name either a destination or a result.
Die Mitarbeiterin führt uns zum Ausgang.
The employee is guiding us to the exit.
Das Missverständnis führte zu einer Verzögerung.
The misunderstanding led to a delay.
Overlap and context
These words are sound and spelling neighbors, not interchangeable synonyms. An adjective after sich fühlen describes the subject; mit after füllen often introduces what goes inside; zu after führen can identify an endpoint. These patterns are useful listening clues. Pronunciation varies between speakers, especially for r, so use reliable recordings rather than relying on English phonetic approximations.
Common mistakes
- Say Ich fühle mich wohl, not Ich fülle mich wohl.
- Keep the double l in füllen and the h in fühlen.
- Do not assume führen always describes physically showing someone a route.
Memory aid: Connect each verb with a picture: a feeling face, a filling bottle and a guide leading a group. The pictures distinguish meaning while the full sentence teaches its grammar.
Try it
Complete with the verb for putting water inside: Ich ___ das Glas mit Wasser.
Show the answer
fülle
The glass is the container and mit Wasser names its contents. Fühle would concern sensing, while führe would concern guiding or leading.