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What do you need (brauchen)?

The German verb brauchen can be translated in a number of ways, including "to need," "to be required," "to make use of," "to take," and "to use," and has some additional idiomatic usages. See some of the these subtle differences in context in these Yabla videos:

 

Wir brauchen jetzt zwei Millionäre.

We now need two millionaires.

Caption 11, Deutschkurs in Blaubeuren - Der Relativsatz

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BANNER PLACEHOLDER

 

Es braucht Erklärungen, um die Brutalität und Banalität des Unrechts zu verstehen.

Explanations are required to grasp the brutality and banality of this injustice.

Caption 19, DDR zum Anfassen - Ganz tief im Westen

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Von wegen körperloser Sport,

So much for non-contact sports,

hätt' ich meinen Helm doch gebraucht.

I still could've made use of my helmet after all.

Caption 46, Ultimate Frisbee - Oli erklärt das Spiel

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Der Teig hat doch eine ganze Stunde gebraucht, um fertig zu werden.

The batter did indeed take a whole hour to be ready.

Caption 17, Weihnachtsplätzchen backen - mit Diane und vielen kleinen Helfern

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Wo werden denn heute noch Katapulte gebraucht?

Where are catapults still used today?

Caption 12, Bretten - Das Peter-und-Paul-Fest

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Here are a couple of examples of idiomatic usage of brauchen too:

 

Du brauchst mir die nächsten zehn Tage nicht unter die Augen [sic: zu] kommen.

For the next ten days, you don't need to come under my eyes [idiom: I don't want to see you].

Caption 12, Fußball und die Frauenwelt - Das Foul

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Alle naslang brauchst du das.

You need that all noses long [idiom: repeatedly in short intervals].

Caption 18, Otto Waalkes - Die verflixte Rechenaufgabe

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BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Further Learning:

For many more examples of brauchen and details of its conjugation, see the Yabla video Konjugation - Das Verb „brauchen“.

Vocabulary

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