Polyglot Dictionary

speisen

/ˈʃpaɪ̯zn̩/

verb C1

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

Underline = a spelling pattern that usually signals that gender.

Part of the “to eat” register scale — this word sits at C1.

V Register Neutral Era Current Frequency Academic Domain General Tone Neutral

Forms

present (3rd sg.)
speist
past
speiste
perfect
hat gespeist

Meaning

  1. to dine (formal, literary)

    The word on restaurant signage ("Speisen und Getränke" — food and drinks) and in elevated speech; rarely used for an everyday family meal.

    • Möchten Sie hier speisen?

      Would you like to dine here?

    • Die Gäste speisten im großen Saal des Schlosses. Es gab ein festliches Menü.

      The guests dined in the great hall of the castle. There was a festive menu.

V Category Action Concreteness Concrete Agency Voluntary Duration Durative Transitivity Transitive

Similar words

essen

Same core meaning, opposite end of the register scale from futtern: speisen belongs in a restaurant review or a formal invitation, where essen would sound perfectly plain and futtern far too casual.

Practice

1 What does speisen mean?

2 Fill the gap: Möchten Sie hier ___?

3 Which fingerprint chart matches speisen?

See also

verbformalregister-scalefood

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