21 December 2025
How do you give a gift in German?
English can use “to give someone a gift” or “to gift.”
In German, however, the verb schenken is used quite commonly to indicate giving a gift. Once you memorize that word, the noun for “gift” is easy to remember: it is Geschenk (n.).
Don’t Get Confused
Important note: The German word Gift (n.), on the other hand, means “poison”! So if you can’t remember the German word for “gift”, this is one time that the English substitute won’t help.
Examples
Ich schenke dir zum Geburtstag 50 Euro. I am giving you 50 euros for your birthday.Er hat mir ein Pferd geschenkt. He gave me a horse (as a gift).Das ist ein tolles Geschenk! That’s a great gift/present!Er hat mir ein Gift geschenkt. He gave me a poison (as a present).
Related Words
Relatedly, the word for “to give away” is verschenken. Somewhat more distantly related, the word einschenken is used to express pouring someone a drink.
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