All German word comparisons · Back to the topic overview
Meaning, sentence patterns and examples
| Word | Core meaning | Typical context | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|
| melden | report; contact | news, incidents, getting in touch | meldet; hat gemeldet |
| anmelden | register; announce | courses, residence, accounts | Separable; hat angemeldet |
| abmelden | deregister; sign out | ending registration or a session | Separable; hat abgemeldet |
| ummelden | change registration | address or registration details | Separable; hat umgemeldet |
melden
Meaning and usage: An incident can be reported to an authority. Reflexive sich melden means getting in touch, making yourself known or volunteering; at school it can mean raising your hand.
Grammar: Etwas/jemanden melden takes accusative. A recipient can be dative. Sich melden has an accusative reflexive pronoun; bei + dative identifies a contact.
Sie meldet den Schaden der Versicherung.
She reports the damage to the insurance company.
Ich melde mich morgen bei dir.
I will get in touch with you tomorrow.
anmelden
Meaning and usage: Register a person for an activity or register an item with an institution. Digital interfaces may also use anmelden for signing in.
Grammar: Jemanden/etwas anmelden; reflexive sich anmelden. Zu + dative or für + accusative can introduce an activity. Main-clause form: meldet an.
Ich melde mich für den Abendkurs an.
I am signing up for the evening course.
abmelden
Meaning and usage: Remove a registration or notify an organization that someone is leaving. In an account menu, sich abmelden normally means signing out.
Grammar: Jemanden/etwas abmelden; reflexive sich abmelden. Main-clause form: meldet ab.
Nach der Arbeit melde ich mich vom Konto ab.
After work I sign out of the account.
ummelden
Meaning and usage: Change an existing registration, for example when a registered address or vehicle holder changes. The new administrative situation supplies the precise meaning.
Grammar: Jemanden/etwas ummelden; reflexive sich ummelden. Main-clause form: meldet um; perfect hat umgemeldet.
Nach dem Umzug möchte ich mich ummelden.
After the move I would like to change my address registration.
Overlap and context
Registration terminology depends on the institution or interface. Anmelden can mean registering for the first time or signing in to an existing account. Abmelden can end a session without deleting the account. These examples explain language, not the legal procedure or deadline for any specific registration.
Common mistakes
- For your own registration, include the reflexive pronoun: ich melde mich an.
- Do not use melden alone when you specifically mean registering for a course.
- Separate the prefixed verbs in main clauses, but keep them together in infinitives and participles.
Memory aid: Melden reports; an starts registration, ab ends it, um changes it.
Try it
Which fits changing your existing registration after moving: anmelden, abmelden or ummelden?
Show the answer
ummelden
The emphasis is a change to registration. The actual forms an institution requires depend on the situation.