verb

rechnen

calculate

Mit Zahlen arbeiten, zum Beispiel addieren oder subtrahieren.

Definition & meaning

rechnen is a German verb meaning to calculate or to do arithmetic.

It also has several related meanings:

to work out or calculate a result: Er rechnet die Kosten aus. — “He works out the costs.”
to expect or anticipate something, especially with mit: Wir rechnen mit Regen. — “We’re expecting rain.”
to count on or rely on someone or something in certain contexts: Du kannst auf mich rechnen. — “You can count on me.” This phrasing is less common than auf jemanden zählen .
In sich rechnen , it means to pay off or to be worthwhile: Die Investition rechnet sich. — “The investment pays off.”

Grammar & Word origin

rechnen is a regular, weak verb. Its principal forms are rechnen, rechnete, hat gerechnet. The present-tense form for er/sie/es is rechnet.

The verb comes from Old High German rechanōn, meaning “to reckon” or “to calculate.” It is related to die Rechnung (“bill,” “invoice,” or “calculation”) and der Rechner (“calculator” or “computer”).

Synonyms & antonyms

The best synonym depends on the meaning:

kalkulieren — “to calculate” or “to estimate,” often with costs, figures, or plans in mind. It can sound more technical or deliberate than rechnen.
berechnen — “to calculate” a specific value, amount, or result; often more precise and focused on the result.
ausrechnen — “to work out” or “figure out,” commonly used for finding an answer.
erwarten — “to expect.” It matches the anticipatory sense of mit etwas rechnen, but does not mean doing arithmetic.

There is no single direct antonym for rechnen. schätzen (“to estimate”) can contrast with calculating an exact result, but it is not a true opposite.

Common phrases & collocations

im Kopf rechnen — to do mental arithmetic
mit etwas rechnen — to expect or allow for something
mit jemandem rechnen — to expect someone, or to regard them as a possible factor
etwas zusammenrechnen — to add figures together
etwas nachrechnen — to check a calculation by doing it again
sich rechnen — to be worthwhile or financially worthwhile