verb

rumschleppen

lug around

Etwas oder jemanden mühsam von einem Ort zum anderen tragen oder mitnehmen.

Definition & meaning

The verb rumschleppen is a colloquial German term that primarily means to carry or lug something heavy or bulky around with you. It implies a sense of effort, inconvenience, or that the object is a burden.

There are three main ways this word is used:

Physical carrying: To lug an object around from place to place. For example, if you are carrying a heavy backpack all day while sightseeing, you are "rumschleppen" that bag.
Taking someone along: It can refer to bringing a person along to various places, often implying that the person is unwilling or that it is a hassle to have them with you (e.g., taking a younger sibling everywhere).
Figurative burden: It is often used to describe carrying an emotional or physical burden over a long period, such as a cold that won't go away or a secret that weighs on your mind.

Grammar & Word origin

The word rumschleppen is a separable verb (trennbares Verb). In a sentence, the prefix rum- moves to the end (e.g., "Ich schleppe die Tasche den ganzen Tag rum").

It is a compound consisting of two parts:

rum: A colloquial shortening of the prefix herum, which means "around" or "about."
schleppen: A verb meaning "to drag," "to haul," or "to lug" schleppen.

The combination literally translates to "dragging around." Because it uses the shortened rum- instead of the formal herum-, it is considered informal and is used mostly in spoken German.