verb

ausmachen

turn off

Es bedeutet, etwas abzuschalten, zu beenden oder auch, sich mit jemandem über etwas zu einigen.

The verb ausmachen is a very versatile word in German with several distinct meanings depending on context:

To switch off / extinguish: Used for electrical devices, lights, or flames.
- Example: "Kannst du bitte das Licht ausmachen?" (Can you please switch off the light?)
To constitute / amount to / represent: Used to describe the total value or the defining characteristic of something.
- Example: "Das macht 20 Euro aus." (That amounts to 20 euros.)
- Example: "Was macht einen guten Lehrer aus?" (What constitutes a good teacher?)
To agree upon / arrange: Used when setting a time, place, or deal.
- Example: "Wir hatten ausgemacht, uns um acht zu treffen." (We had agreed to meet at eight.)
To mind / matter (usually in negative constructions): Used to express if something bothers someone.
- Example: "Macht es dir etwas aus, wenn ich das Fenster öffne?" (Do you mind if I open the window?)
To identify / spot: To manage to see or find something, often with difficulty.
- Example: "Er konnte den Täter in der Menge ausmachen." (He could spot the perpetrator in the crowd.)

The word is a separable verb (trennbares Verb). The prefix aus- detaches and moves to the end of the sentence in main clauses.

Grammar: It is a regular (weak) verb.
- Present: ich mache aus
- Past (Präteritum): ich machte aus
- Perfect: ich habe ausgemacht
Word origin: It is composed of the prefix aus- (out) and the verb machen (to make/do). The development of the various meanings stems from the literal sense of "making something go out" or "determining the essence of something by bringing it out into the open."