schnattern

Definition & meaning

schnattern is a German verb with several related meanings:

1. To chatter, gabble, or talk noisily
   It often describes speaking continuously, quickly, and sometimes without much substance. It can sound slightly critical or humorous.

   • Die Kinder schnattern die ganze Zeit. — “The children are chattering all the time.”
   • Sie schnatterten über ihre Erlebnisse. — “They chattered about their experiences.”

2. To quack or cackle
   It is used for the characteristic sounds made by ducks and geese.

   • Die Enten schnattern am Teich. — “The ducks are quacking by the pond.”

3. To chatter from cold
   In the expression mit den Zähnen schnattern, it means “to chatter one’s teeth.”

   • Er schnatterte mit den Zähnen vor Kälte. — “His teeth were chattering from the cold.”

The tone can be neutral when describing animals, but when describing people it often suggests loud, rapid, or incessant talking.

Grammar & Word origin

• Infinitive: schnattern
• Verb type: regular, weak verb
• Present tense: ich schnattere, du schnatterst, er/sie schnattert
• Simple past: schnatterte
• Past participle: geschnattert
• Auxiliary verb: haben — Sie hat den ganzen Abend geschnattert.

The word is onomatopoeic: its sound imitates the repetitive noise made by ducks and geese. The related noun is das Schnattern “chattering, quacking.”

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

• quasseln ↗ — to chatter or prattle; more strongly focused on talking a lot, often without saying anything important.
• plappern ↗ — to babble or prattle; often suggests childish, careless, or indiscreet speech.
• plaudern ↗ — to chat; more neutral and friendly than schnattern.
• reden ↗ — to talk; the general, neutral word without the noisy or excessive implication.
• quaken ↗ — to croak or quack; specifically describes the sound of frogs or ducks rather than human chatter.
• gackern ↗ — to cackle; commonly used for hens and sometimes figuratively for people speaking in a shrill or excited way.

Antonyms

There is no exact opposite in every sense. Depending on the context, possible antonyms are:

• schweigen ↗ — to remain silent; the clearest opposite of talking or chattering.
• still sein [?](vocabuo://word/still sein) — to be quiet; contrasts with making continuous noise.
• zuhören ↗ — to listen; contrasts with talking incessantly.

Common phrases & collocations

• die ganze Zeit schnattern [?](vocabuo://word/die ganze Zeit schnattern) — to chatter the whole time
• laut schnattern [?](vocabuo://word/laut schnattern) — to chatter or quack loudly
• miteinander schnattern [?](vocabuo://word/miteinander schnattern) — to chatter with one another
• wie eine Ente schnattern [?](vocabuo://word/wie eine Ente schnattern) — to chatter or speak with a duck-like sound
• mit den Zähnen schnattern [?](vocabuo://word/mit den Zähnen schnattern) — to chatter one’s teeth from cold or fear