German Making & Building Vocabulary
This set covers the German verbs for physically making things and the more abstract ones for producing or generating them. Bauen is your general-purpose word for building anything from a shed to a career, while konstruieren and montieren get specific about engineering something and putting parts together. Watch out for erstellen: it looks like it should mean "build" but it's actually the standard verb for creating documents, reports, or websites, not physical objects.
Learn these 15 words
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All 15 words
- bauenA2
build, construct
hat gebaut — The craftsman builds a new house.
- hämmernA2
to hammer
Der Handwerker hämmert den Nagel ein. — The craftsman hammers in the nail.
to screw
Wir schrauben das Regal an die Wand. — We screw the shelf to the wall.
- bewegenB1
move
Ich kann mich vor Schmerzen kaum noch bewegen. — I can barely move because of pain.
- drehenB1
turn, rotate
Drehen Sie zum Einschalten den Schalter nach rechts. — Turn the switch to the right to turn it on.
to erect, to build
Die Arbeiter errichten ein neues Gebäude. — The workers erect a new building.
to create, to draw up
Wir erstellen einen detaillierten Plan für das Projekt. — We are creating a detailed plan for the project.
to design, to create
Der Designer gestaltet ein neues Logo. — The designer creates a new logo.
to construct
Ingenieure konstruieren eine neue Brücke. — Engineers are constructing a new bridge.
to assemble, to install
Der Techniker montiert die neue Maschine. — The technician assembles the new machine.
to produce
Das Werk produziert täglich tausend Autos. — The factory produces a thousand cars daily.
- absenkenB2
to lower / sink
Wir müssen das Regal absenken. — We need to lower the shelf.
- türmenB2
to pile up / pile
Steine türmen sich auf. — Stones pile up.
- aufrauenC1
to roughen (up)
Wir rauen die Oberfläche auf. — We roughen up the surface.
to weave in / work in
Sie flechtet Blumen ins Haar ein. — She weaves flowers into her hair.
How to learn this set
Several words here share the ge- prefix pattern in their participles (gebaut, gestaltet, gedreht), so drill those forms together rather than separately. Notice also how specific German gets with hand-tool verbs: hämmern, schrauben, kerben, and ausfeilen each name one exact motion, where English might just say "work on it." Pair each of these tool verbs with its tool (Hammer, Schraube, Feile) when you drill them, since the noun usually gives away the verb's meaning. For türmen and absenken, picture the opposite motions (piling up vs. lowering) to lock them in as a pair.
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Frequently asked questions
Was ist der Unterschied zwischen bauen and konstruieren?
Bauen is the everyday word for building anything from a house to a sandcastle. Konstruieren is narrower and more technical, used for engineering something with a plan, like a bridge or a machine.
Ist erstellen dasselbe wie bauen?
No. Erstellen is used for producing documents, reports, websites, or plans, not physical structures. You erstellen a PDF or a Rechnung, but you bauen a house.
Was bedeutet umkrempeln?
Literally it means to turn up your sleeves or roll something inside out, but it's used figuratively to mean overhaul or shake up, as in ein System umkrempeln (to overhaul a system).
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