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B1 verb 10 min de lecture

importieren

Exemples importieren en 30 secondes
Explication importieren in your Level:
At the A1 level, you only need to know that importieren means 'to import'. You might use it in very simple sentences about food or things you buy. For example, 'Deutschland importiert Bananen.' (Germany imports bananas). It is a regular verb, so it follows the standard pattern for most German verbs you are learning. You don't need to worry about complex economic theories yet. Just think of it as 'bringing something from another country into yours'. It is a useful word because it sounds very similar to the English word, making it easy to remember. Focus on the present tense for now: ich importiere, du importierst, er/sie/es importiert. You will mostly hear it when people talk about where products come from. Remember to use the preposition aus for the country of origin.
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At the A2 level, you can start using importieren to talk about more than just food. You might use it to describe where your clothes or electronics come from. You should also learn that this verb does not use the 'ge-' prefix in the past tense because it ends in '-ieren'. So, you say 'Ich habe Fotos importiert' (I have imported photos). This level also introduces the digital use of the word. You can talk about importing contacts on your phone or files on your computer. You should practice using it with the preposition aus (from) and in (into). For example: 'Ich importiere Daten aus einer Datei in das Programm.' This shows you are beginning to understand how to link different parts of a sentence together.
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At the B1 level, importieren becomes a key word for discussing business, the economy, and global issues. You should be able to explain the concept of importing and exporting in German. You will use it in more complex sentence structures, including subordinate clauses. For example: 'Es ist wichtig, dass wir weniger Plastik importieren.' You should also be aware of the noun form, der Import. At this stage, you can distinguish between importieren and its synonym einführen, noting that importieren is often more technical. You might also encounter it in the passive voice in news reports: 'Waren werden aus aller Welt importiert.' Being able to use this word fluently shows that you can handle professional and factual topics in German, which is a hallmark of the B1 level.
At the B2 level, you use importieren with precision in professional settings. You can discuss trade balances, import duties (Importzölle), and the environmental impact of importing goods from far away. You should be comfortable using the verb in all tenses, including the Präteritum (importierte) and the Konjunktiv II for hypothetical situations: 'Wenn wir mehr Öl importieren müssten, würden die Preise steigen.' You also understand the nuance of using importieren metaphorically, such as 'importing cultural values' or 'importing a crisis' from another country. Your vocabulary should include related compounds like Importbeschränkung (import restriction) or Importeur (importer). You are now able to participate in nuanced debates about globalization where this word is central.
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At the C1 level, your use of importieren is sophisticated and context-aware. You recognize its role in academic and specialized texts. You might use it to describe abstract concepts, such as 'importierte Inflation' or the 'Import von Fachkräften' (importing skilled labor). You are expected to use the word in complex passive constructions and with various modal verbs. You can also analyze the stylistic difference between importieren and more formal alternatives like beziehen or einführen in a business report. Your understanding extends to the legal and regulatory frameworks surrounding imports. You can write detailed essays or give presentations on international trade where importieren is used to convey precise economic mechanisms without sounding repetitive.
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At the C2 level, importieren is a tool you use with complete mastery and stylistic flair. You can use it in highly technical economic analyses, legal documents, or literary contexts. You understand the historical etymology and how its usage has evolved with technology. You can effortlessly switch between its literal sense in trade and its metaphorical sense in philosophy or sociology. You are comfortable using it in the most complex grammatical structures, such as Partizipialattribute (die aus dem Ausland importierten Waren). You also have a command of all related idioms and can even use the word ironically or creatively in speech. At this level, the word is not just a vocabulary item but a building block for articulating complex thoughts on global connectivity and systemic integration.
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Exemples

importieren en 30 secondes

  • Importieren means to bring goods, services, or digital data from an external source into your own country or software system.
  • It is a regular German verb ending in -ieren, which means it does not take the 'ge-' prefix in the past participle.
  • Commonly used in economic contexts for international trade and in IT for moving files or database records between programs.
  • The preposition 'aus' is used for the origin, and 'in' or 'nach' is used for the destination.

The German verb importieren is a fundamental term in both economic and technical contexts. At its core, it describes the process of bringing something from an external source into a defined internal space. In the world of commerce, this refers to the act of purchasing goods, services, or raw materials from a foreign country and bringing them across national borders for domestic sale or production. For instance, Germany might importieren coffee from Brazil or electronic components from Taiwan. The word carries a sense of formal trade and logistics, often involving customs, international regulations, and supply chains. It is the direct opposite of exportieren (to export).

Wirtschaftlicher Kontext (Economic Context)
This is the primary use. It involves the movement of physical goods like cars, food, or oil. When a company decides to importieren, they are looking for resources that are cheaper, better, or simply unavailable in their home market.
Digitaler Kontext (Digital Context)
In modern German, the word has seamlessly transitioned into the digital realm. You can importieren data into a database, contacts into a phone, or photos into an editing software. Here, the 'foreign' location is another file format or a different software environment.

Wir müssen mehr Rohstoffe aus dem Ausland importieren, um die Produktion aufrechtzuerhalten.

Beyond these two main areas, the word can sometimes be used metaphorically in social or cultural discussions. One might speak of importing ideas, trends, or cultural practices. If a new fashion trend starts in Paris and becomes popular in Berlin, one could say the trend was importiert. However, in these cases, the word übernehmen (to adopt) or einführen (to introduce) is often more common. The term importieren remains most at home in formal reports, news broadcasts, and technical manuals. It implies a systematic, often professional, transfer of items or information. Understanding this word is essential for anyone navigating the German business world or using German-language software.

Können Sie bitte die CSV-Datei in das System importieren?

Grammatikalische Struktur
The verb usually takes a direct object (Akkusativ). You import something. Additionally, you often use the preposition aus (from) to indicate the source country or in (into) to indicate the destination system.

The global nature of the modern world makes importieren a high-frequency word. Whether discussing the trade deficit in a political debate or asking a colleague how to move data between spreadsheets, this verb is the precise tool for the job. It carries a certain weight of professionalism and clarity that synonyms might lack in specific contexts.

Deutschland importiert jährlich Millionen Tonnen an Obst und Gemüse.

Using importieren correctly requires an understanding of its typical sentence structures and the prepositions that accompany it. Since it is a transitive verb, it almost always requires an object—the thing being imported. The most common structure is: [Subject] + [conjugated form of importieren] + [Object in Accusative]. For example: 'Die Firma importiert Wein.' (The company imports wine.)

Origin and Destination
To specify where the goods come from, use aus followed by the Dative case. To specify where they are going, use nach (for countries without articles) or in (for countries with articles or for digital systems).
Example: 'Wir importieren Olivenöl aus Italien nach Deutschland.'

Ich habe alle meine Kontakte von meinem alten Handy auf das neue importiert.

In the Perfekt (present perfect) tense, which is the standard way to speak about the past in German, the verb becomes hat importiert. Note that because it ends in -ieren, it does not take the ge- prefix in the past participle. This is a crucial rule for many foreign-origin verbs in German (like studieren, telefonieren, organisieren). So, it is 'Er hat importiert', not 'Er hat geimportiert'.

Letztes Jahr importierte das Land deutlich weniger Erdgas als im Vorjahr.

The Passive Voice
In economic reports, the passive voice is very common.
Example: 'Viele Waren werden aus China importiert.' (Many goods are imported from China.) This shifts the focus from who is doing the importing to the goods themselves.

When using importieren in the context of software, the preposition in is standard. 'Daten in eine Excel-Tabelle importieren.' You might also see aus used for the file source: 'Daten aus einer Textdatei importieren.' The versatility of this verb allows it to bridge the gap between heavy industry and high-tech office work seamlessly.

Es ist oft günstiger, Kleidung zu importieren, als sie lokal zu produzieren.

Haben Sie die neuen Preislisten bereits in das System importiert?

You will encounter importieren in a variety of settings, ranging from the evening news to the IT department of a major corporation. In Germany, which is one of the world's leading trading nations, discussions about trade balances (Handelsbilanz) are a staple of political and economic discourse. News anchors on programs like Tagesschau frequently report on what the country is importing—be it energy from Norway, cars from Japan, or textiles from Southeast Asia.

In the Business Office
If you work in logistics, procurement, or sales, this word will be part of your daily vocabulary. Colleagues will discuss Importgenehmigungen (import permits) or the costs of importierte Waren. It is a word that signals professionalism and a global outlook.

Laut dem statistischen Bundesamt importiert Deutschland immer mehr Waren aus Schwellenländern.

In the tech world, importieren is the standard term used in software interfaces. If you change the language of your computer or smartphone to German, you will see 'Datei importieren' (Import file) in the menu of almost every application, from photo galleries to email clients and spreadsheet programs. It is so ubiquitous in this context that even non-technical people use it naturally when talking about moving their digital lives from one device to another.

Klicken Sie auf 'Datei', um Ihre alten E-Mails zu importieren.

Academic and Social Science
In universities, professors might talk about importierte Inflation—a phenomenon where rising prices in one country lead to rising prices in another because of trade. They might also discuss the Import von Ideen (import of ideas) during the Enlightenment or other historical periods.

Even in casual conversation, you might hear someone say: 'Ich habe dieses Gewürz extra aus Marokko importiert.' While 'mitgebracht' (brought along) would be more common if they carried it in their suitcase, using importiert adds a touch of humor or emphasizes the 'foreignness' and effort involved in getting the item. It paints a picture of a world connected by goods, data, and experiences.

Der Importeur bestätigte, dass die Waren bereits im Hafen importiert wurden.

One of the most frequent mistakes English speakers make when learning importieren is related to its conjugation in the past tense. Because it is a cognate of the English 'to import', learners often try to apply German prefix rules that don't belong. The most common error is saying 'geimportiert'. As mentioned earlier, verbs ending in -ieren never take the ge- prefix. Always remember: 'Ich habe importiert'.

Confusing with 'Einführen'
While importieren and einführen both mean 'to import' or 'to introduce', they are not always interchangeable. Importieren is strictly for trade or data. Einführen is broader; you can einführen a new law, a new person to a group, or a medical instrument into a body. Using importieren for a new law would sound very strange to a native speaker.

Falsch: Wir haben die neuen Regeln importiert.
Richtig: Wir haben die neuen Regeln eingeführt.

Another mistake involves the choice of prepositions. Some learners use von instead of aus when talking about the country of origin. While 'von Italien' might be understood, 'aus Italien' is the correct idiomatic choice for trade and origin. Similarly, for digital imports, ensure you use in for the destination. 'Daten in das Programm importieren', not 'zu dem Programm'.

Falsch: Ich habe die Kontakte geimportiert.
Richtig: Ich habe die Kontakte importiert.

Word Order in Subordinate Clauses
In German, the verb goes to the end in a subordinate clause. Learners often forget this with longer words.
Example: 'Ich weiß nicht, ob er die Daten importiert.' (Not: '...ob er importiert die Daten.')

Finally, be careful with the stress. The stress in importieren is on the 'ie' syllable: im-por-TIE-ren. Placing the stress on the first syllable, as in English, makes the word sound very unnatural in German. Proper pronunciation is key to being understood in a business meeting where trade specifics are discussed.

Es ist wichtig, dass wir nur hochwertige Produkte importieren.

German has several words that overlap with importieren. Choosing the right one depends on the level of formality and the specific context. While importieren is the most technical and precise for trade, other verbs might be more appropriate in everyday speech or for different types of 'bringing in'.

einführen vs. importieren
These are often synonyms in trade. However, einführen is a separable verb (er führt ein) and sounds slightly more 'Germanic'. It is also much broader, used for introducing laws, customs, or inserting objects. Importieren is preferred in modern business and IT.
beziehen vs. importieren
Beziehen means 'to obtain' or 'to source'. A company might beziehen its parts from a supplier. If that supplier is abroad, they are importing them, but beziehen focuses more on the relationship with the supplier rather than the act of crossing the border.

Wir beziehen unsere Rohstoffe direkt vom Hersteller in Brasilien.

In a digital context, you might hear laden (to load) or hochladen (to upload). While importieren implies a conversion or a structured entry into a system, laden is more general. If you are just opening a file, you öffnen or laden it. If you are integrating data from another source into your current project, you importieren it.

Die Regierung möchte neue Umweltstandards einführen, nicht importieren.

herbeischaffen vs. importieren
Herbeischaffen is much more informal and implies a bit of a struggle to get something. 'Wir müssen das Geld irgendwie herbeischaffen' (We have to get the money somehow). It doesn't have the international trade connotation of importieren.

Understanding these distinctions helps you sound more like a native speaker. While you could technically use importieren for many things, knowing when to switch to beziehen or einführen shows a higher level of language mastery. In the end, importieren remains your go-to word for anything involving international commerce or data integration.

Können wir die Daten auch aus einer Cloud importieren?

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Exemples par niveau

1

Wir importieren Kaffee.

We import coffee.

Simple present tense: subject + verb + object.

2

Importierst du Obst?

Do you import fruit?

Question form: verb moves to the first position.

3

Deutschland importiert Autos.

Germany imports cars.

Third person singular ending in -t.

4

Ich importiere meine Fotos.

I am importing my photos.

Digital context usage.

5

Sie importieren Wein aus Frankreich.

They import wine from France.

Use of 'aus' for origin.

6

Wir importieren kein Fleisch.

We don't import meat.

Negation with 'kein'.

7

Was importiert ihr?

What are you (plural) importing?

W-question with 'was'.

8

Das Land importiert Gas.

The country imports gas.

Simple subject-verb-object.

1

Er hat die Kontakte importiert.

He imported the contacts.

Perfekt tense: no 'ge-' prefix.

2

Wir müssen mehr Reis importieren.

We must import more rice.

Modal verb 'müssen' + infinitive at the end.

3

Importieren Sie die Daten jetzt?

Are you importing the data now?

Formal 'Sie' address.

4

Sie importierte Kleidung aus China.

She imported clothes from China.

Präteritum (simple past) form.

5

Können wir diese Datei importieren?

Can we import this file?

Modal verb 'können'.

6

Die Firma hat Tee importiert.

The company imported tea.

Perfekt tense with 'haben'.

7

Warum importiert ihr so viel?

Why do you (plural) import so much?

Question with 'warum'.

8

Ich will Musik importieren.

I want to import music.

Modal verb 'wollen'.

1

Es ist teuer, Öl zu importieren.

It is expensive to import oil.

Infinitive clause with 'zu'.

2

Wenn wir weniger importieren, sparen wir Geld.

If we import less, we save money.

Conditional sentence with 'wenn'.

3

Die Waren werden per Schiff importiert.

The goods are imported by ship.

Passive voice: 'werden' + past participle.

4

Er fragt, ob wir die Liste importieren können.

He is asking if we can import the list.

Indirect question with 'ob'.

5

Wir haben erfolgreich alle Daten importiert.

We have successfully imported all data.

Adverb 'erfolgreich' modifying the action.

6

Das Unternehmen plant, Rohstoffe zu importieren.

The company plans to import raw materials.

Infinitive construction with 'planen'.

7

Trotz der Krise importieren sie weiter.

Despite the crisis, they continue to import.

Preposition 'trotz' + Genitive.

8

Welche Produkte importiert Deutschland am meisten?

Which products does Germany import the most?

Question with 'welche' and superlative.

1

Die Regierung hat beschlossen, den Import zu beschränken.

The government has decided to restrict the import.

Using the noun 'der Import' alongside the verb context.

2

Wir importieren keine Waren, die nicht zertifiziert sind.

We do not import goods that are not certified.

Relative clause 'die nicht zertifiziert sind'.

3

Es wurde viel weniger Weizen importiert als erwartet.

Much less wheat was imported than expected.

Passive voice in the Präteritum.

4

Durch das Importieren von Billigwaren leidet die lokale Wirtschaft.

By importing cheap goods, the local economy suffers.

Gerund-like use of the infinitive as a noun.

5

Hätten wir früher importiert, wäre es günstiger gewesen.

If we had imported earlier, it would have been cheaper.

Konjunktiv II (Past unreal conditional).

6

Die Software erlaubt es, verschiedene Formate zu importieren.

The software allows importing various formats.

Infinitive clause with 'erlauben'.

7

Man muss genau prüfen, was man importiert.

One must check carefully what one imports.

Indefinite pronoun 'man'.

8

Obwohl die Zölle stiegen, importierte die Firma weiter.

Although the duties rose, the company continued to import.

Concessive clause with 'obwohl'.

1

Die Abhängigkeit von importierten Energieträgern ist problematisch.

The dependence on imported energy sources is problematic.

Participle used as an adjective (importierten).

2

Es gilt abzuwägen, ob wir Wissen oder nur Produkte importieren wollen.

It is necessary to weigh whether we want to import knowledge or just products.

Abstract usage of the verb.

3

Die importierte Inflation belastet die Kaufkraft der Bürger.

Imported inflation is straining the purchasing power of citizens.

Technical economic term.

4

Sollten wir weiterhin so viel importieren, gerät die Handelsbilanz ins Wanken.

Should we continue to import so much, the trade balance will falter.

Conditional structure using 'sollten'.

5

Das Programm ist darauf ausgelegt, große Datenmengen effizient zu importieren.

The program is designed to efficiently import large amounts of data.

Prepositional object 'darauf' + infinitive clause.

6

Man kann nicht einfach fremde Rechtsnormen importieren.

One cannot simply import foreign legal norms.

Metaphorical usage in a legal context.

7

Die aus Fernost importierten Textilien sind oft von minderer Qualität.

The textiles imported from the Far East are often of inferior quality.

Extended participial attribute.

8

Es wird oft kritisiert, dass wir Probleme aus anderen Ländern importieren.

It is often criticized that we import problems from other countries.

Passive voice with an 'es' placeholder.

1

Die schiere Masse an importierten Gütern überfordert die hiesige Infrastruktur.

The sheer mass of imported goods overwhelms the local infrastructure.

Sophisticated vocabulary (schiere Masse, hiesige).

2

In einer globalisierten Welt lässt sich kaum vermeiden, auch kulturelle Konflikte zu importieren.

In a globalized world, it is hard to avoid also importing cultural conflicts.

Reflexive passive with 'lässt sich'.

3

Die Notwendigkeit, seltene Erden zu importieren, schafft geopolitische Abhängigkeiten.

The need to import rare earths creates geopolitical dependencies.

Complex noun-verb relationships.

4

Anstatt Innovationen selbst zu fördern, hat man sie allzu oft nur importiert.

Instead of promoting innovations themselves, they were all too often only imported.

Conjunction 'anstatt' + 'zu' + infinitive.

5

Die Komplexität beim Importieren digitaler Assets wird oft unterschätzt.

The complexity of importing digital assets is often underestimated.

Nominalized infinitive with 'beim'.

6

Es ist ein Trugschluss zu glauben, man könne Stabilität einfach importieren.

It is a fallacy to believe that stability can simply be imported.

Subjunctive I (Konjunktiv I) for indirect speech/thought.

7

Die Zollbehörden überwachen penibel alles, was in die EU importiert wird.

The customs authorities meticulously monitor everything imported into the EU.

Adverb 'penibel' and relative clause.

8

Der Importeur muss für die Sicherheit der von ihm importierten Produkte haften.

The importer must be liable for the safety of the products imported by him.

Legal terminology (haften für).

Collocations courantes

Waren importieren
Daten importieren
Rohstoffe importieren
illegal importieren
direkt importieren
billig importieren
Kontakte importieren
Lebensmittel importieren
Energie importieren
Bilder importieren

Phrases Courantes

aus dem Ausland importieren

— To import from abroad. This is the most standard way to specify foreign origin.

Wir müssen diese Teile aus dem Ausland importieren.

in das System importieren

— To import into the system. Used in IT and office contexts.

Bitte importieren Sie die Liste in das System.

Waren für den Eigenbedarf importieren

— To import goods for personal use rather than for resale.

Er hat das Auto nur für den Eigenbedarf importiert.

Importieren und Exportieren

— The act of importing and exporting, often used together to describe trade.

Das Geschäft lebt vom Importieren und Exportieren.

automatisch importieren

— To import automatically, common in software settings.

Die Software importiert die Updates automatisch.

massenhaft importieren

— To import in massive quantities.

Billigkleidung wird massenhaft importiert.

legal importieren

— To import following all laws and regulations.

Wir stellen sicher, dass wir alles legal importieren.

Zollfrei importieren

— To import without paying customs duties.

Innerhalb der EU kann man meist zollfrei importieren.

Fehler beim Importieren

— An error occurred while importing (usually data).

Es gab einen Fehler beim Importieren der Datei.

etwas mühsam importieren

— To import something with great effort or difficulty.

Wir mussten die Daten mühsam von Hand importieren.

Expressions idiomatiques

"Probleme importieren"

— To bring problems from one situation or country into another.

Wir sollten keine fremden Konflikte in unser Land importieren.

metaphorica
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