15秒でわかる
- Used for trends, rumors, or diseases spreading rapidly.
- Literally means 'to grab around oneself' like a wildfire.
- Common in news, professional settings, and serious conversations.
意味
This phrase describes something—usually an idea, a disease, or a trend—that starts small and then rapidly spreads or gains ground in all directions.
主な例文
3 / 6Discussing a new fashion trend
Dieser neue Modestil greift in Berlin immer mehr um sich.
This new fashion style is spreading more and more in Berlin.
A serious news report about a virus
Die Grippewelle griff im ganzen Land schnell um sich.
The flu wave spread quickly throughout the whole country.
Complaining about bad habits in the office
Die Unpünktlichkeit greift hier langsam um sich.
Tardiness is slowly starting to spread around here.
文化的背景
In German media, this phrase is frequently used to discuss 'German Angst' or economic instability, reflecting a cultural preoccupation with security. In Vienna, the phrase might be used in coffee house culture to describe how a new political rumor is spreading through the districts. Swiss news often uses this to describe international trends that are starting to affect the Swiss cantons. German tech bloggers use this to describe 'viral' phenomena, often as a more formal alternative to 'viral gehen'.
Use with Abstract Nouns
It sounds most natural when used with nouns like 'Angst', 'Panik', 'Skepsis', or 'Euphorie'.
Avoid 'mich/dich'
Never change 'sich' to another pronoun. It's a fixed part of the idiom.
15秒でわかる
- Used for trends, rumors, or diseases spreading rapidly.
- Literally means 'to grab around oneself' like a wildfire.
- Common in news, professional settings, and serious conversations.
What It Means
Imagine a fire in a dry forest. It doesn't just move in one line; it reaches out and 'grabs' everything nearby. That is exactly what um sich greifen feels like. It is used when a phenomenon becomes more frequent or widespread. You will often hear it when people talk about things that are a bit hard to stop. It suggests a certain momentum or speed. It is not just moving; it is actively expanding its territory.
How To Use It
This is a separable verb phrase. The um sich part stays together, and greifen changes based on the subject. In a simple sentence, you would say: Die Angst greift um sich. (The fear is spreading). If you want to say it has already happened, use the perfect tense: Es hat um sich gegriffen. It usually describes abstract things like rumors, habits, or diseases. You do not need an object because the thing spreading is the subject of the sentence.
When To Use It
You will see this constantly in German news. It is perfect for describing social trends or economic changes. In an office, you might use it to talk about a new software everyone is suddenly using. At home, you could use it if everyone in the family is catching the same cold. It adds a bit of drama and scale to your description. Use it when you want to sound observant and articulate.
When NOT To Use It
Do not use this for physical objects you are manually spreading. If you are putting jam on your bread, use streichen. If you are physically spreading out a blanket, use ausbreiten. This phrase is for things that seem to spread 'on their own.' Also, avoid using it for very slow, controlled growth. It implies a bit of a wild, unchecked expansion. Don't use it for your bank account growing—unless the growth is somehow chaotic!
Cultural Background
The imagery comes from the way fire or a plague behaves. In old German cities with wooden houses, a fire would literally 'grab' the next building. It reflects a very European historical anxiety about things getting out of control quickly. Today, it has lost its 'deadly' edge but kept its sense of urgency. It makes you sound like someone who understands the 'big picture' of how society moves.
Common Variations
You will often see it paired with immer weiter. For example: Die Korruption greift immer weiter um sich. This emphasizes that the spreading hasn't stopped yet. Sometimes people use rasend schnell (blazingly fast) to describe the speed. You might also hear um sich fressen in very informal contexts, which is like 'to eat its way around,' but um sich greifen is much more common and versatile.
使い方のコツ
The phrase is highly versatile, sitting comfortably between neutral and formal registers. The main 'gotcha' is ensuring you use it with abstract subjects or large-scale physical disasters like fire, rather than everyday physical objects.
Use with Abstract Nouns
It sounds most natural when used with nouns like 'Angst', 'Panik', 'Skepsis', or 'Euphorie'.
Avoid 'mich/dich'
Never change 'sich' to another pronoun. It's a fixed part of the idiom.
Newspaper German
If you want to sound like a journalist, use this phrase instead of 'sich verbreiten'.
例文
6Dieser neue Modestil greift in Berlin immer mehr um sich.
This new fashion style is spreading more and more in Berlin.
Shows how the phrase works for harmless social trends.
Die Grippewelle griff im ganzen Land schnell um sich.
The flu wave spread quickly throughout the whole country.
A classic use case for health-related topics.
Die Unpünktlichkeit greift hier langsam um sich.
Tardiness is slowly starting to spread around here.
Used here to express mild frustration about a growing problem.
Hast du das Video gesehen? Das greift gerade total um sich!
Did you see the video? It's totally going viral right now!
A modern, informal take on 'going viral'.
Vorsicht, die schlechte Laune von Klaus greift um sich!
Watch out, Klaus's bad mood is spreading!
Using a serious phrase for a funny, relatable social moment.
Nach der Nachricht griff eine tiefe Verzweiflung um sich.
After the news, a deep despair spread everywhere.
Used for heavy, emotional atmospheres.
自分をテスト
Füllen Sie die Lücke mit der richtigen Form von 'um sich greifen'.
In {der|m} letzten Woche ________ {die|f} Grippe in {der|f} ganzen Schule ________.
We need the Präteritum (past tense) because of 'In der letzten Woche'. The phrase is 'um sich greifen'.
Welcher Satz ist korrekt?
Wählen Sie die richtige Verwendung.
The phrase is a fixed idiom with 'sich'.
Verbinden Sie das Subjekt mit dem passenden Kontext.
Was greift oft um sich?
All of these are typical subjects for 'um sich greifen'.
Vervollständigen Sie den Dialog.
A: Warum sind alle so nervös? B: Weil {die|f} Angst vor Entlassungen im Büro ________.
The abstract noun 'Angst' is a perfect subject for this phrase.
🎉 スコア： /4
ビジュアル学習ツール
練習問題バンク
4 問題In {der|m} letzten Woche ________ {die|f} Grippe in {der|f} ganzen Schule ________.
We need the Präteritum (past tense) because of 'In der letzten Woche'. The phrase is 'um sich greifen'.
Wählen Sie die richtige Verwendung.
The phrase is a fixed idiom with 'sich'.
左の各項目を右のペアと一致させてください:
All of these are typical subjects for 'um sich greifen'.
A: Warum sind alle so nervös? B: Weil {die|f} Angst vor Entlassungen im Büro ________.
The abstract noun 'Angst' is a perfect subject for this phrase.
🎉 スコア： /4
よくある質問
3 問Yes, but it's rare. 'Die Begeisterung griff um sich' is possible, but it still sounds like the enthusiasm was 'contagious' and perhaps a bit overwhelming.
No, 'um sich' is a prepositional phrase acting as an adverbial. 'Greifen' is the verb. You don't say 'Ich greife um'.
'Grassieren' is even more formal and almost always used for diseases or very bad social problems. 'Um sich greifen' is slightly more versatile.
関連フレーズ
sich ausbreiten
similarTo spread out
grassieren
specialized formTo be rampant (disease/evil)
an Boden gewinnen
similarTo gain ground
Platz greifen
similarTo take hold
