verb

freuen

look forward · be happy

Ein Gefühl haben, das zeigt, dass man glücklich oder zufrieden ist, oft weil etwas Schönes passiert oder man etwas Gutes erwartet.

Definition & meaning

The verb freuen is a reflexive verb in German, primarily used as sich freuen. It expresses the emotion of joy or happiness. Depending on the context, it has two main meanings:

To be happy/glad about something: This refers to experiencing pleasure or delight regarding a situation, a gift, or a person. When it refers to something that has already happened or is currently happening, it is used with the preposition über (e.g., "Ich freue mich über das Geschenk").
To look forward to something: This refers to the anticipation of a future event. In this case, it is used with the preposition auf (e.g., "Ich freue mich auf den Urlaub").

Additionally, the non-reflexive form jemanden freuen means to please someone or make someone happy (e.g., "Es freut mich, dich zu sehen" - "It makes me happy to see you").

Grammar & Word origin

freuen is a regular weak verb. It is almost exclusively used reflexively (sich freuen) when expressing a person's own emotions.

Grammar: As a reflexive verb, it requires the reflexive pronoun (mich, dich, sich, uns, euch, sich).
Word origin: It derives from the Old High German word frewen, which is related to the Middle High German vröuwen. It shares the same Germanic root as the English word "frolic" and the German noun Freude (joy).