All German word comparisons · Back to the topic overview
Meaning, sentence patterns and examples
| Word | Core meaning | Typical context | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|
| füllen | fill | containers, rooms, time | Accusative object; mit + dative |
| erfüllen | fulfil; meet | wishes, duties, requirements | Inseparable; hat erfüllt |
| ausfüllen | fill out; occupy completely | forms, gaps, time | Separable; hat ausgefüllt |
füllen
Meaning and usage: Use füllen when you put a substance or contents into something. It can also describe filling a room or a period of time. The focus is not necessarily on a document or on meeting a requirement.
Grammar: Regular: füllt, füllte, hat gefüllt. Etwas mit etwas füllen uses an accusative container and mit + dative contents. The contents can instead be the object in a pattern such as Wasser in eine Flasche füllen. Reflexive sich füllen describes becoming full.
Ich fülle die Flasche mit Wasser.
I fill the bottle with water.
Der Saal füllt sich langsam.
The hall is slowly filling up.
erfüllen
Meaning and usage: Use erfüllen for satisfying requirements, keeping an obligation, or making a wish come true. It also has a more literary physical or emotional 'fill' sense, so it is not limited to abstract objects.
Grammar: Regular and inseparable: erfüllt, erfüllte, hat erfüllt. Typical objects are einen Wunsch, eine Pflicht or eine Bedingung. Reflexive sich erfüllen means coming true; the wish becomes the subject.
Die Wohnung erfüllt unsere Anforderungen.
The apartment meets our requirements.
Ihr Wunsch hat sich erfüllt.
Her wish has come true.
ausfüllen
Meaning and usage: For documents, this means entering the requested information. In other contexts it can mean occupying an entire space, bridging a gap or filling a period with activities.
Grammar: Regular and separable: füllt aus, füllte aus, hat ausgefüllt. A form is an accusative object; an optional mit + dative phrase supplies its contents.
Bitte füllen Sie das Formular online aus.
Please fill out the form online.
Overlap and context
Füllen and ausfüllen overlap for spaces: the latter can emphasize occupying the available space or closing a gap. Erfüllen can also describe a room filled with sound or smoke in elevated writing. Learn the ordinary combinations first; do not turn them into absolute rules that erase these additional senses.
Common mistakes
- The usual verb for entering details on a form is ausfüllen, not erfüllen.
- A requirement is erfüllt, rather than physically gefüllt.
- Keep aus at the main-clause end: sie füllt den Antrag aus.
Memory aid: Fill a bottle, fulfil a condition, fill out a form.
Try it
Complete: Für die Bewerbung muss ich diesen Fragebogen ___.
Show the answer
ausfüllen
A questionnaire needs the requested entries. Erfüllen would fit a condition imposed by the application, rather than the document itself.