After we sent out our lesson on verbs containing raten as a root, one of our subscribers asked for a more specific clarification of the difference between raten and erraten, which are both often translated as "to guess." The difference is actually quite subtle. 

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The verb raten simply means "to guess," and it doesn't matter how likely the person is to know the correct answer. 

Rate mal, was das für eine Blüte ist.

Guess what kind of flower that is.

Caption 18, Deutsch mit Eylin: Mein Bücherregal und Präpositionen

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Wer kann raten, was da drin ist?

Who can guess what's in here?

Caption 6, Peppa Wutz: Einkaufen und mehr

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Bei dem Spiel „Teekesselchen“ stellt man ein Wort vor, mit verschiedenen Bedeutungen, und die anderen Spieler müssen raten.

In the game "Teapot," you present a word with various meanings, and the other players have to guess.

Captions 14-16, Teekesselchen: Wörter mit mehreren Bedeutungen

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The verb erraten has this meaning as well, but it may imply guessing the correct answer. So, sometimes its meaning is not just "to guess," but "to guess correctly."

Könnt ihr erraten, in welchem Land ich mich befinde?

Can you guess which country I'm in?

Caption 3, Yabla reist durch Europa: Genua und Portofino

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Ziel des Spiels ist es, zu erraten, wohin die Maus läuft.

The object of the game is to guess where the mouse will run to.

Caption 5, Mittelalterlicher Markt: Mäuseroulette

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You might also see raten or zu etwas raten in its other meaning of "to advise" or "to suggest." You will not see erraten used in this sense. Note that raten in this context is a verb that is followed by the dative case.

Experten raten im Gegensatz zum Gesetzgeber zu mindestens vier Millimeter.

In contrast to legislators, experts advise at least four millimeters.

Caption 25, Winterreifen: Wenn der erste Schnee naht

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Auch für dieses Verb rate ich dir, die Konjugation auswendig zu lernen.

For this verb, too, I advise you to memorize the conjugation.

Captions 38-39, Deutsch mit Eylin: Machen vs. tun

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Further Learning
Practice using raten ("to advise"), raten ("to guess"), and erraten ("to guess correctly") with help from examples you find on Yabla German. 

Part of learning the proper spelling of German words is memorizing any umlauts that they might contain. This is particularly important because certain words are identical except for the presence or absence of an umlaut. Let's have a look today at several verbs that need to be distinguished from one another. 

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Whereas the verb drücken means "to press" or "to hug," drucken means "to print."

Hey, Max, wir drucken es aus und hängen es ans schwarze Brett.

Hey, Max, we'll print it out and hang it on the blackboard.

Caption 25, Die Pfefferkörner: Gerüchteküche

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An Luzies Kamera muss man nur den Knopf hier drücken, und dann ist Ruhe.

On Luzie's camera, you just have to press the button here and then it's quiet.

Caption 26, Peppa Wutz: Einkaufen und mehr

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Similarly, rücken and rucken are also two different verbs, though they both refer to movement. While rücken means to move, approach, or advance, rucken without an umlaut means to jerk or move violently. 

Der Hochzeitstag rückte näher und sie beschlossen, einen langen Spaziergang draußen im Wald zu unternehmen.

The wedding day was approaching and they decided to take a long walk outside in the woods.

Captions 7-8, Märchen - Sagenhaft: Jorinde und Joringel

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The verb lauten is used when you talk about how things are worded, spelled, or stated, whereas the verb läuten means "to chime" or "to ring," and refers to the sound of bells. 

Natürlich. Wie lautet Ihre E-Mail-Adresse?

Of course. What is your email address?

Caption 64, Berufsleben: das Vorstellungsgespräch

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Dann verstecken sich alle in ihrem Zimmer, bis das Glöckchen läutet.

Then everyone hides in their room until the little bell rings.

Captions 30-31, Weihnachtsinterviews: Cettina in Linkenheim

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The verb füttern is used when you feed an animal or a small child. The verb futtern refers to eating food rather than giving someone food, and suggests a lack of manners or restraint in eating, similar to the English expression "pigging out."

Die Meisen lassen sich von uns sogar aus der Hand füttern.

The titmice can even be fed from our hands.

Caption 32, Die letzten Paradiese: Die Schönheit der Alpen 2

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Sie schafft Platz zu Hause und erfreut die Fans, die bald Burger unter der Bassgitarre futtern können.

She makes room at home and pleases the fans, who will soon be able to scarf down burgers under the bass guitar.

Captions 8-9, Christina Stürmer: ist reif fürs Museum

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The verbs zahlen and zählen may be the most frequently used verbs in this list. 

Wollen wir die Lösegeldforderung nicht abwarten und zahlen?

Don't we want to wait for the ransom demand and pay?

Caption 42, Die Pfefferkörner: Das Wunderkind

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Sie zählen die Stimmen nach dem Ende der Wahl.

They count the votes after the end of the election.

Caption 30, Bundesrepublik Deutschland: Einbürgerungstest

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Further Learning
You'll find many more examples of these verbs on Yabla German.

So many German verbs are constructed with the verb machen, but only a few are constructed with tun. The verbs machen and tun may have overlapping meanings, but the verbs we will look at here use tun exclusively. 

One phrase you learned early on was Es tut mir leid ("I'm sorry"). The verb leidtun can literally be translated as "to be sorry (for someone)."

Es tut mir leid, ich wusste das nicht!

I'm sorry, I didn't know that!

Caption 30, Nicos Weg - A2 - Folge 71: Meiner Meinung nach

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Frederick tat das leid, dass Piggeldy so schlottern musste.

Frederick was sorry that Piggeldy shivered in such a way.

Caption 19, Piggeldy und Frederick - Die Treppe

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The verbs guttun and wehtun can be seen as opposites, though wehtun is also used to refer to physical pain.

Was tut gut, was tut weh?

What does good, what causes pain?

Caption 6, Clueso - Neuanfang

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Oh, meine Hand tut weh!

Oh, my hand hurts!

Caption 21, Felix und Franzi - Das Training

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Der Bauch tut mir weh, der Kopf tut mir weh.

My stomach hurts, my head hurts.

Caption 45, Deutschkurs in Tübingen - Verben der 3. Kategorie

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The phrase tun als ob means to act like or to pretend.

Schorsch tut so, als wäre er ein Dinosaurier.

Schorsch is pretending to be a dinosaur.

Caption 49, Peppa Wutz - Einkaufen und mehr

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Und ich tue, als täte nichts weh.

And I act as though nothing hurts.

Caption 12, Andreas Bourani - Eisberg

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Und Sie tun hier so, als hätten Sie einen Doktortitel?

And you are pretending to have a doctorate here?

Caption 20, Das Lügenbüro - Die Bewerbung

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Further Learning
In addition to doing a search on Yabla German, write your own sentences to practice using these verbs and phrases in the present and past tense.