verb

erleben

experience

Etwas direkt mit den eigenen Sinnen oder Gefühlen wahrnehmen und dabei dabei sein.

erleben means “to experience,” “to live through,” or “to witness” something personally.

It can be used in several related ways:

To experience something
- Ich habe einen schönen Urlaub erlebt. — “I had a wonderful holiday.”
- This refers to personally having an experience, often one that is memorable or significant.
To go through something
- Sie hat viele schwierige Zeiten erlebt. — “She has been through many difficult periods.”
- This is often used for important, intense, or difficult events.
To witness or see something happen
- Wir haben ein spannendes Spiel erlebt. — “We witnessed an exciting match.”
- The emphasis is on being present and experiencing an event directly.
To experience a change or development
- Die Stadt erlebt einen starken Wandel. — “The city is undergoing major change.”
- Here, the subject itself is undergoing or experiencing a development.

Infinitive: erleben
Third-person singular: er erlebt
Simple past: er erlebte
Past participle: erlebt
Perfect tense: hat erlebt
It is a regular, transitive verb, usually followed by an accusative object:
- etwas erleben — “to experience something”
The prefix er- is inseparable, so the verb does not split in a main clause:
- Ich erlebe etwas Schönes. — “I am experiencing something wonderful.”
It is formed from er- and leben (), literally suggesting “to live through” something.

The related noun is das Erlebnis (, meaning “experience” or “event,” especially one that is memorable or emotionally significant.

erfahren — “to learn” or “to find out”; unlike erleben, it often emphasizes gaining information rather than personally living through an event.
durchmachen — “to go through” something; usually used for difficult, exhausting, or intense experiences.
mitbekommen — “to notice,” “to hear about,” or “to witness”; it can imply a less direct or less emotionally involved experience.
genießen — “to enjoy”; this is narrower than erleben because it specifically expresses a positive experience.
erleiden — “to suffer” or “to undergo”; this is generally restricted to unpleasant experiences.

There is no single exact antonym for erleben, but depending on the context, possible opposites include:

verpassen — “to miss”; used when someone fails to experience or attend an event.
vermeiden — “to avoid”; used when someone deliberately prevents an experience from happening.
entgehen — “to escape someone’s notice” or “to pass someone by”; used when someone does not perceive or experience something.

etwas Schönes erleben — to experience something beautiful or enjoyable
etwas Ungewöhnliches erleben — to experience something unusual
eine Überraschung erleben — to get a surprise
eine Enttäuschung erleben — to experience a disappointment
schwere Zeiten erleben [?](vocabuo://word schwere%20Zeiten%20erleben) — to go through difficult times
hautnah erleben — to experience something at close hand
viel erleben — to have many experiences or adventures
etwas zum ersten Mal erleben — to experience something for the first time