HomeGermanGlossary › to turn (an object)

German vocabulary · Beginner

How do you say "to turn (an object)" in German?

umdrehen

Noun

In German, "to turn (an object)" is umdrehen.

Listen to the pronunciation:

Free German learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games

Pronunciation

OOM-dray-en. Three syllables, 'um' (oom), 'dreh' (dray), 'en'.

Grammar notes

Regular weak verb, separable prefix. Past tense: drehte um, past participle: umgedreht. Takes the accusative object.

Example sentence

Ich drehe das Rad um.

I turn the wheel around.

Test your German knowledge in our free browser games.

How to remember umdrehen

Um means 'around', drehen means 'to turn'. Turning something around reverses its direction.

Related words

Browse all German words in the glossary.

See more verbs.

See more verbs.

See more verbs.

Questions about umdrehen

How do you say "to turn (an object)" in German?

In German, "to turn (an object)" is umdrehen. It is a noun.

How is umdrehen written in German?

umdrehen is written using the standard German script.

How is umdrehen used in a sentence?

Use umdrehen as you would use the equivalent noun in English. For example: Ich drehe das Rad um. (I turn the wheel around.).

Where can I practice German words for free?

You can play free German minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the German glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"To turn (an object)" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the German language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation.

Noun Town language-learning game on PC, Mac and VR
The full experience

Noun Town on PC, Mac & VR

These browser games are just a taste. The full Noun Town is a bigger, deeper 3D world: explore a living town, talk to its characters and learn thousands of words in immersive VR, Mixed Reality, or on your computer. It's an award-winning game with 590+ reviews on Steam and 12 languages to learn.

See the full game ▶

Spot an error? Email us at contact@noun.town