nachahmen

/ˈnaːxˌʔaːmən/

verb B2

der (masc.) die (fem.) das (neut.)

Underline = a spelling pattern that usually signals that gender.

Forms

present: ahmt nach
past: ahmte nach
perfect: hat nachgeahmt

Meaning

to imitate

Built from nach (after) + ahmen (to mimic).
- Das Kind ahmt seinen Vater nach.
  
  The child imitates his father.
- Kinder ahmen gern ihre Eltern nach. Deshalb sollte man ein gutes Vorbild sein.
  
  Children like imitating their parents. That is why you should be a good role model.

Made of

nach after
ahmen to mimic

Similar words

imitieren

imitieren and nachahmen are close synonyms for "to imitate"; imitieren is neutral, nachahmen is native German and can carry a slightly negative "copying" connotation.

Similar in other languages

French

imiter

imiter is the French word for the same thing — both mean "to imitate."

Portuguese

imitar

imitar is the Portuguese word for the same thing — both mean "to imitate."

Practice

1 What does nachahmen mean?

2 Fill the gap: Das Kind ___ seinen Vater nach.

3 Which fingerprint chart matches nachahmen?

verbseparablecompound

Last updated 2026-09-25