SHARE
COPY LINK

GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Beharren

If learning German feels too tough and you just want to give up, this helpful little verb should help you stay on track.

German word of the day
Photo: Francesco Ungaro / Unsplash + Nicolas Raymond / flickr

Why do I need to know beharren

This elegant verb is bound to come in useful when you’re describing something you’ve been working hard at or are struggling with, and you can also use it to give your German friends an inspiring little pep talk. 

When you’re describing the traits of friends, family, colleagues or even yourself, you may also want to include its noun form: (die) Beharrlichkeit. 

What does it mean?

Beharren (be·ha·ren) essentially means ‘to persevere’. In other words, to stick at something even when the going gets tough. It’s the quality we all need when trying to learn a new skill or speak a new language: when you’re struggling through a difficult patch and feel like you’ll never succeed, perseverance – or Beharrlichkeit – is key.

Though persevering generally has positive connotations, it can also depend slightly on the context. In fact, beharren can also be used to describe someone stubbornly sticking to an idea or project, even when it no longer makes sense. In this context, you could translate beharren as ‘to persist’ – or even ‘to insist’ – and anyone who’s ever been locked in conversation with someone who won’t back down may feel slightly less positive about this character trait.

You may admire the Beharrlichkeit of a colleague who managed to train for a marathon after recovering from a serious illness, or the student who gets brilliant grades in their degree while suffering from a learning difficulty. But when your two-year-old is learning the true meaning of beharren and refuses to go to bed before watching more cartoons, the virtue of persistence may start to seem like a curse. 

Is there any history behind it? 

Absolutely. The word beharren is believed to have originated in the word harren – an old-fashioned verb that means ‘to wait patiently or longingly’. Harren became more widespread in the medieval period and was often used by the theologian Martin Luther in his writings.

Nowadays, you’ll generally only hear the word as part of other verbs with prefixes, including ausharren, which means ‘to endure’, and beharren

Use it like this: 

Er hat auf seinem Standpunkt beharrtet.

He insisted on his point of view.

Es ist mir sehr wichtig, in meiner Bildung zu beharren. 

It’s very important to me to persevere in my education.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Dudelsack

This hilarious sounding German word describes something quintessentially Scottish.

German word of the day: Dudelsack

Why do I need to know Dudelsack?

In the run-up to the German v Scotland opening match of Euro 2024, there were a lot of these gracing the streets of Munich. More importantly, why wouldn’t you want to know a word like Dudelsack?

Just say the word aloud and it will brighten your day. 

What does it mean?

Dudelsack (pronounced like this) is one of those German words that’s both charmingly literal and somewhat onomatopoeic, describing a big bag or sack that makes a ‘doodling’ kind of noise: in other words, the bagpipes.

As well as sounding like the noise this traditional Scottish instrument makes, dudeln also translates as ‘to drone’, and anyone who’s heard the bagpipes will know that this is also a fairly accurate description of how they sound. 

READ ALSO: 10 German words with hilarious literal translations

As Scotland geared up to play Germany in the opening match of Euro 2024 in Munich, many sacks were doodled in the Bavarian capital. 

Seeing parades of kilts and hearing the distinctive wail of the Dudelsack against the backdrop of Munich’s gothic town hall isn’t something you experience every day, and we’re sure it’s an experience the people of Munich also won’t forget for a while. 

Use it like this: 

Hör mal auf, Dudelsack zu spielen! Es geht mir auf die Nerven.

Stop playing the bagpipes! It’s getting on my nerves.  

Weißt du, wie der Dudelsack klingt? Man hört ihn überall in Schottland.

Do you know what the bagpipes sound like? You can hear them everywhere in Scotland. 

SHOW COMMENTS