werden

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋɛrdə(n)/

• Audio

  (file)

Verb

werden

1. plural past indicative and subjunctive of worden

Anagrams

• werend

Etymology

From Middle High German wërden, from Old High German werdan, from Proto-Germanic *werþaną. Cognate with Dutch worden, Swedish varda, obsolete English worth (“to become”) and also with Latin vertere (“to turn”).

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ˈveːɐ̯dn̩/

Verb

werden (irregular, third-person singular simple present wird, past tense wurde, past participle geworden or worden, auxiliary sein)

1. (auxiliary, with an infinitive, past participle geworden) will; to be going (to do something); forms the future tense

   Ich werde nach Hause gehen.

   I will go home.

2. (auxiliary, with a past participle, past participle worden) to be done; forms the passive voice

   Das Buch wird gerade gelesen. (present tense)

   The book is being read.

   Er war geschlagen worden. (past perfect tense)

   He had been beaten.

3. (intransitive, past participle: “geworden”) to become; to get; to grow; to turn

   Es wird heißer.

   It's getting hotter.

Etymology

From Old Dutch werthan, from Proto-Germanic *werþaną.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwerdən/

Verb

werden

1. to become
2. to happen, to occur
3. to arise, to form

Further reading

• “werden (I)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• “werden (II)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, 1929

Etymology

From Old High German werdan, from Proto-Germanic *werþaną. Cognate with Dutch worden and obsolete English worth (“to become”).

Verb

wërden

1. to become

Etymology

From Old Saxon wērthan (“to become”), from Proto-Germanic *werþaną.

Pronunciation

• Stem vowel: ê²
  • (originally) IPA^(key): /wɛːrdən/ or IPA^(key): /wærdən/
  • While the combination /rd/ originally lengthened the vowel in Old Saxon, in several Middle Low German dialects it was treated like a geminate, or had actually become /r/, and in turn shortened long vowels occurring before it. Further, the vowel was shortened before /rt/ from final obstruent devoicing. Dialects then often begun to apply the more common vowel length across all forms.

Verb

wêrden or werden

1. to become
2. auxiliary verb used to form the passive