Schreiben, aufschreiben, abschreiben and unterschreiben
Schreiben means write; aufschreiben means write down or record; abschreiben commonly means copy a written text; unterschreiben means sign. Auf- and ab- separate in main clauses. Unterschreiben, in the everyday signing sense, stays together. These verbs describe the purpose of the writing rather than different writing tools.
| Word | Core meaning | Typical context | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|
| schreiben | write | messages and texts | schrieb; hat geschrieben |
| aufschreiben | write down | notes; information to remember | schreibt … auf; aufgeschrieben |
| abschreiben | copy out | copying from an existing text | schreibt … ab; abgeschrieben |
| unterschreiben | sign | forms; contracts | unterschreibt; unterschrieben |
schreiben
Meaning and usage: Schreiben is the broad verb for producing written language. Use it for emails, letters, texts and writing generally. A recipient can be expressed with a dative pronoun or an an-phrase.
Grammar: Not separable; schreibt–schrieb–hat geschrieben. Etwas schreiben; jemandem schreiben; an jemanden schreiben.
Ich schreibe meiner Vermieterin eine E-Mail.
I am writing an email to my landlady.
aufschreiben
Meaning and usage: Aufschreiben emphasizes recording information so you can keep or remember it. This may be a phone number, an idea, instructions or an appointment. The emphasis is putting something into writing; the verb does not specify how polished the resulting text is.
Grammar: Separable: schreibt auf–schrieb auf–hat aufgeschrieben. Usually an accusative object; sich etwas aufschreiben has a dative reflexive pronoun. Infinitive with zu: aufzuschreiben.
Schreib dir die neue Adresse bitte auf.
Please write down the new address for yourself.
abschreiben
Meaning and usage: Abschreiben means copying material from another written source. In school, it can mean copying someone else’s answers. In business, it also means writing off an asset; in other contexts, giving up on someone or something. These additional senses are separate uses.
Grammar: Separable: schreibt ab–schrieb ab–hat abgeschrieben. Etwas abschreiben; von jemandem abschreiben for copying their work.
Die Schüler schreiben den kurzen Dialog von der Tafel ab.
The pupils copy the short dialogue from the board.
unterschreiben
Meaning and usage: Unterschreiben means adding your signature or confirming a document by signing it. The action can be digital as well as handwritten. Figuratively, a speaker may say they cannot unterschreiben an opinion: they cannot endorse it.
Grammar: Inseparable in the signing sense: unterschreibt–unterschrieb–hat unterschrieben. An accusative document is common; no object is needed when it is understood. Infinitive: zu unterschreiben.
Bitte unterschreiben Sie den Antrag auf der letzten Seite.
Please sign the application on the last page.
Overlap and context
The same person may schreiben a letter, aufschreiben a useful address and unterschreiben the completed letter. Abschreiben supplies an existing source rather than simply information to remember. Unterschreiben is not formed like aufschreiben: prefix spelling alone does not tell you whether a German verb separates.
Common mistakes
- Avoid Ich unterschreibe den Vertrag unter. Signing is not separable.
- Aufschreiben does not normally replace schreiben for composing an email.
- Do not assume every abschreiben implies cheating; copying a board text is ordinary classroom work.
Memory aid: Write → schreiben; record → aufschreiben; copy → abschreiben; signature → unterschreiben.
Try it
You added your signature to the contract yesterday. Complete: Ich habe den Vertrag gestern ___.
Show the answer
unterschrieben
A completed signature uses the inseparable participle unterschrieben, without ge-.
Sources for meaning and usage
Frage vs. Anfrage vs. Nachfrage: meanings and usage in German
Frage is the general word for a question or an issue. Anfrage is a request for information directed to someone, often in an organized or business context. Nachfrage can mean an inquiry or a follow-up question; it also means commercial demand. These words overlap, but demand for a product is Nachfrage, not simply Frage or Anfrage.
| Word | Core meaning | Typical context | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frage | question; issue | asking or discussing a matter | die Frage; die Fragen |
| Anfrage | request for information | contacting a person or organization | die Anfrage; die Anfragen |
| Nachfrage | inquiry; follow-up; demand | clarification or market interest | die Nachfrage; die Nachfragen |
Frage
Meaning and usage: Use Frage for an ordinary spoken or written question. It also names an issue that needs discussion or a decision, so eine offene Frage need not refer to the wording of a question. Eine Frage stellen and eine Frage beantworten are useful everyday combinations.
Grammar: Feminine: die Frage, plural die Fragen. Jemandem eine Frage stellen has a dative recipient and an accusative question. Nach + dative can name the subject of an inquiry: die Frage nach dem Preis.
Darf ich Ihnen eine Frage stellen?
May I ask you a question?
Anfrage
Meaning and usage: Use Anfrage for a request sent or put to someone for information, availability, or an offer. It is common in customer service, administration and professional correspondence, but it can also be made by telephone. Written and formal are frequent contexts, not grammatical requirements.
Grammar: Feminine: die Anfrage, plural die Anfragen. Eine Anfrage an jemanden richten uses an + accusative for the recipient. Zu + dative can identify the topic; eine Anfrage beantworten places the request in accusative.
Wir haben eine Anfrage zur Verfügbarkeit des Raums geschickt.
We sent an inquiry about the room's availability.
Nachfrage
Meaning and usage: Use Nachfrage for checking or asking further, including a follow-up when an answer is insufficient. It can also be a general inquiry, so a previous question is not mandatory. In economics or shopping discussions it refers to buyers' interest or willingness to purchase something.
Grammar: Feminine: die Nachfrage, plural die Nachfragen. Individual follow-up questions are countable. Commercial demand is usually singular: die Nachfrage nach + dative. The meaning comes from the surrounding sentence, not from the article.
Nach der Erklärung hatte ich noch eine Nachfrage.
After the explanation, I still had a follow-up question.
Die Nachfrage nach kleinen Wohnungen steigt.
Demand for small apartments is increasing.
Overlap and context
Eine Anfrage may contain several Fragen. If you need clarification, you can ask eine Frage or eine Nachfrage; the latter highlights asking further. In a service email, Anfrage and Nachfrage may both work, but a phrase such as Nachfrage nach Wohnungen probably concerns demand if paired with steigen or sinken. Do not infer market demand from a bare occurrence of the word without reading the context.
Common mistakes
- Do not insist that every Anfrage must be written; telephone inquiries are also possible.
- Do not translate commercial Nachfrage as a follow-up question.
- Use jemandem eine Frage stellen, with a dative person; the question itself is accusative.
Memory aid: A Frage asks; an Anfrage requests information from someone; a Nachfrage asks further or expresses demand. Check the surrounding verbs to identify the intended sense.
Try it
Complete: Die ___ nach diesem Produkt ist höher als erwartet.
Show the answer
Nachfrage
The sentence describes commercial demand. Anfrage would refer to a particular inquiry or request for information.
Sources for meaning and usage
Nachricht vs. Botschaft vs. Mitteilung: meanings and usage in German
Nachricht is a broad word for news or a message. Mitteilung emphasizes information being communicated, often as a notice or announcement. Botschaft can mean a significant message or underlying message, but it also means an embassy. All three can communicate information; the intended function and register help you choose, rather than a strict text-versus-speech distinction.
| Word | Core meaning | Typical context | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nachricht | news; message | personal communication or new information | die Nachricht; die Nachrichten |
| Botschaft | significant message; embassy | a conveyed message or diplomatic institution | die Botschaft; die Botschaften |
| Mitteilung | communication; notice | informing someone, often officially | die Mitteilung; die Mitteilungen |
Nachricht
Meaning and usage: Use Nachricht for a text or other message from a person, and for information about a recent fact or event. The plural die Nachrichten can refer to a news program or news coverage. In personal communication, eine Nachricht does not have to arrive by phone; the surrounding words identify the medium.
Grammar: Feminine: die Nachricht, plural die Nachrichten. Jemandem eine Nachricht schicken takes a dative recipient and an accusative message. In Nachricht von jemandem erhalten, von takes dative. Broadcast news uses the plural die Nachrichten.
Ich habe dir gestern eine Nachricht geschickt.
I sent you a message yesterday.
Abends hören wir die Nachrichten.
We listen to the news in the evening.
Botschaft
Meaning and usage: Use Botschaft when a communication is presented as important or meaningful, often in elevated or public language. It can foreground what someone wants an audience to take away. The independent diplomatic sense means an embassy or its building; location and administrative context normally make this interpretation clear.
Grammar: Feminine: die Botschaft, plural die Botschaften. Eine Botschaft übermitteln has an accusative object. Bei der Botschaft einen Termin vereinbaren uses bei + dative for the diplomatic institution. Do not rely on the article to distinguish these meanings, because both are feminine.
Ihre Rede vermittelte eine Botschaft der Hoffnung.
Her speech conveyed a message of hope.
Ich habe einen Termin bei der Botschaft.
I have an appointment at the embassy.
Mitteilung
Meaning and usage: Use Mitteilung for something communicated so that someone knows about it. It is common with official, written or internal notices, though an oral Mitteilung is possible. The focus is giving information; it need not suggest the emotional or symbolic importance that Botschaft can carry.
Grammar: Feminine: die Mitteilung, plural die Mitteilungen. Jemandem eine Mitteilung machen uses dative for the recipient and accusative for the information item. Über + accusative can state its subject. Eine Mitteilung veröffentlichen means publish a notice or communication.
Die Schule hat eine Mitteilung über die neuen Öffnungszeiten veröffentlicht.
The school published a notice about the new opening hours.
Overlap and context
A school notice can be called a Nachricht or a Mitteilung, depending on how you frame it. Botschaft may also communicate factual information, but it commonly gives the message greater significance. These are tendencies, not guarantees of length, medium or emotional content. When Botschaft appears with visa, appointment or address information, first consider the embassy sense before translating it as a message.
Common mistakes
- Do not translate every Botschaft as message; die deutsche Botschaft can mean the German embassy.
- Do not assume Mitteilung is always written or Nachricht always a phone text.
- Use die Nachrichten for broadcast news; eine Nachricht is one message or item of information.
Memory aid: Nachricht brings news or a message; Mitteilung informs; Botschaft conveys a significant message—or names an embassy. Always check what the sentence is doing.
Try it
Complete: Für das Visum habe ich einen Termin bei der deutschen ___.
Show the answer
Botschaft
This is the diplomatic institution. The other two nouns do not name an embassy.
Sources for meaning and usage
Information or Auskunft? General details and answers to an inquiry
Information is a broad word for details or knowledge communicated about something. Auskunft especially describes information given in response to an inquiry, or the desk or service that supplies it. The terms overlap: an Auskunft is a kind of information, and Information can also name an information desk. The situation and established phrases matter more than a strict factual-versus-practical division.
| Word | Core meaning | Typical context | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information | information; detail; information service | reports, websites, facts, desks | die Information; die Informationen |
| Auskunft | answer to an inquiry; information service | asking someone or a desk for details | die Auskunft; die Auskünfte |
Information
Meaning and usage: Use Information for a communicated detail or for information about a topic. Websites and reports commonly offer Informationen in the plural. The noun can also refer to the process of informing, or to an information desk; the relevant sense comes from context.
Grammar: Feminine: die Information, plural die Informationen. Unlike ordinary English 'information,' the German noun can be countable. The informing-process sense has no plural. About a topic is über + accusative; zu + dative also occurs.
Auf der Website stehen Informationen über den Kurs.
The website contains information about the course.
Diese Information ist für uns neu.
This piece of information is new to us.
Auskunft
Meaning and usage: Use Auskunft when someone provides an explanatory answer or details in response to a question. It can also name the service or desk that gives those answers. It is common with verbs for requesting or supplying information.
Grammar: Feminine: die Auskunft, plural die Auskünfte for individual answers or details. The information-service sense is used without a plural in the dictionary. Useful combinations are Auskunft geben/erteilen, Auskunft einholen and jemanden um Auskunft bitten.
Die Mitarbeiterin gibt mir Auskunft über die Abfahrtszeiten.
The staff member gives me information about the departure times.
Ich frage bei der Auskunft nach.
I ask at the information desk.
Overlap and context
Both nouns can fit an inquiry about a course or timetable. Information does not have to be written, and Auskunft does not have to come from an official authority. Bei der Information and bei der Auskunft can both refer to a desk. Choose the institution's own name when you are identifying a particular service.
Common mistakes
- German permits eine Information and mehrere Informationen; do not import English's uncountable-only pattern.
- Write the plural Auskünfte with an umlaut.
- Do not assume Auskunft always means a building or desk; it can be the answer itself.
Memory aid: Information names the details; Auskunft often names the answer you ask for.
Try it
Complete the usual phrase for supplying an answer: Die Rezeption kann Ihnen ___ erteilen.
Show the answer
Auskunft
Auskunft erteilen is an established phrase for providing requested information. Informationen geben is another ordinary pattern.