At the A1 level, 'vergleichen' is a word you might hear when talking about shopping or basic descriptions. You learn that it means to look at two things and see if they are the same or different. You use it in very simple sentences like 'Ich vergleiche die Preise' (I compare the prices). At this stage, you don't need to worry about complex grammar, just remember that 'vergleichen' is the action of looking at two things together. You might use it when talking about colors, sizes, or simple costs at a market. It is an important word for making choices.
At the A2 level, you start using 'vergleichen' more actively to describe your daily life. You can now use the preposition 'mit' to connect two things: 'Ich vergleiche das rote Hemd mit dem blauen Hemd.' You also begin to use the Perfect tense: 'Ich habe die Hotels verglichen.' This level is about practical utility—comparing products, weather in different cities, or simple daily routines. You understand that 'vergleichen' helps you explain why you chose one thing over another. You also learn the noun 'der Vergleich' (the comparison) in phrases like 'im Vergleich zu'.
At the B1 level, you use 'vergleichen' to express opinions and handle more abstract situations. You might compare living in the city versus the countryside, or compare the school system in Germany with the system in your home country. You are comfortable with the irregular past forms (verglich, verglichen). You start to use the verb in subordinate clauses: 'Es ist wichtig, dass man verschiedene Meinungen vergleicht.' You also learn related words like 'vergleichbar' (comparable) and 'unvergleichlich' (incomparable). Your ability to compare becomes a tool for discussion and debate.
At the B2 level, 'vergleichen' becomes a key tool for academic and professional communication. You use it to analyze data, trends, and complex ideas. You can distinguish between 'vergleichen' and more specific verbs like 'gegenüberstellen' (to contrast) or 'abgleichen' (to align). You use the verb in the passive voice: 'Die Ergebnisse wurden mit den Vorjahreswerten verglichen.' You can also use it reflexively to talk about social pressure: 'Sich ständig mit anderen auf Social Media zu vergleichen, kann unglücklich machen.' Your comparisons are now nuanced and detailed.
At the C1 level, you use 'vergleichen' with stylistic precision. You use it in literary analysis, scientific reporting, and high-level business strategy. You understand the subtle rhetorical effects of comparing disparate concepts. You might use the nominalized form 'das Vergleichen' to discuss the philosophical nature of human judgment. You are aware of idiomatic expressions and can use the verb to draw complex analogies. You can discuss the 'Vergleichbarkeit' (comparability) of historical events or philosophical theories, handling the required prepositional cases and advanced syntax with ease.
At the C2 level, 'vergleichen' is used with total mastery of nuance and context. You can use it to explore deep philosophical parallels or to critique the validity of a comparison itself (e.g., 'Dieser Vergleich hinkt' - This comparison is flawed/limps). You use the verb in highly sophisticated structures, perhaps in the subjunctive II for hypothetical scenarios: 'Verglichen wir die aktuelle Krise mit jener von 1929, fänden wir frappierende Parallelen.' You move effortlessly between the verb, its noun forms, and its many derivatives to construct complex, persuasive arguments in any register.

Vergleichen 30秒で

  • Vergleichen is a core German verb meaning 'to compare', essential for daily choices and academic analysis.
  • It is an irregular verb (vergleichen - verglich - verglichen) and always takes the preposition 'mit' for the second item.
  • The verb is inseparable (ver-), meaning the prefix never moves to the end of the sentence in simple tenses.
  • It is used in various contexts, from comparing prices in a supermarket to comparing complex philosophical theories.

The German verb vergleichen is a fundamental pillar of cognitive expression in the German language. At its core, it describes the mental or physical act of placing two or more entities side-by-side to discern their similarities and differences. Whether you are at a supermarket looking at price tags or a scientist analyzing data sets, vergleichen is the tool you use to navigate choice and logic. In linguistic terms, it is a transitive verb, meaning it typically requires a direct object—the things being compared.

Primary Meaning
The act of examining two or more things to identify similarities and differences. It is often used with the preposition mit (with) to indicate the second element of the comparison.
Grammatical Structure
It follows the pattern: etwas (Akk.) mit etwas (Dat.) vergleichen. For example: Ich vergleiche den Apfel mit der Birne.
Metaphorical Use
Beyond physical objects, it applies to abstract concepts like ideologies, time periods, or personal achievements.

"Man kann Äpfel nicht mit Birnen vergleichen."

— Common German Proverb (You can't compare apples with pears)

In daily life, this verb appears in contexts ranging from the mundane to the highly professional. A consumer might say, "Ich muss die Preise vergleichen," before making a purchase. In a legal context, a 'Vergleich' (the noun form) refers to a settlement or compromise, showing how the root concept of 'matching' or 'balancing' extends into social and legal structures. The verb is irregular in its past forms: verglich (Präteritum) and verglichen (Perfekt).

"Wenn wir unsere Ergebnisse vergleichen, sehen wir deutliche Unterschiede."

Word Origin
Derived from 'gleich' (equal/same). The prefix 'ver-' often indicates a process or a change of state, so 'vergleichen' literally means 'to make equal' or 'to bring into a state of equality for examination'.

Using vergleichen correctly requires understanding its valency—the way it connects to other words in a sentence. As an A2 learner, you primarily use it to compare tangible things. As you progress to B2 and C1, you will use it to compare arguments, statistics, and literary styles. The most common structure is [Subject] + [Verb] + [Object 1 (Akk)] + mit + [Object 2 (Dat)].

  • Present Tense: Ich vergleiche die Angebote. (I am comparing the offers.)
  • Past Tense (Präteritum): Er verglich die beiden Autos. (He compared the two cars.)
  • Perfect Tense: Wir haben die Noten verglichen. (We have compared the grades.)

"Bevor ich das Handy kaufe, möchte ich die Funktionen vergleichen."

One of the trickiest aspects for English speakers is the word order in subordinate clauses. Because vergleichen is often used in decision-making contexts, it frequently appears after 'weil' (because) or 'obwohl' (although). Example: "Ich bin unsicher, weil ich die Optionen noch nicht verglichen habe." Notice how the participle 'verglichen' moves to the very end.

Reflexive Use?
While less common, you can say 'sich mit jemandem vergleichen' (to compare oneself with someone). This is often used in psychological contexts: "Hör auf, dich mit anderen zu vergleichen!" (Stop comparing yourself to others!)

You will encounter vergleichen in almost every facet of German life. In the German 'Konsumgesellschaft' (consumer society), price comparison websites like Check24 or Idealo are ubiquitous, and their slogans often revolve around the imperative "Vergleichen Sie jetzt!" (Compare now!).

"Im Vergleich zu letztem Jahr sind die Preise gestiegen."

— Common News Phrase

In academic settings, from primary school to university, vergleichen is a standard 'Operator'—a specific instruction verb used in exams. If a task starts with "Vergleichen Sie...", students are expected to create a structured analysis of similarities and differences. In professional meetings, you might hear: "Lassen Sie uns die Quartalszahlen vergleichen."

At the Doctor
A doctor might compare your current X-ray with an older one: "Ich vergleiche die neuen Aufnahmen mit den alten."
In Sports
Commentators constantly compare athletes: "Man kann ihn mit Legenden wie Pelé vergleichen."

Even advanced learners make mistakes with vergleichen. The most frequent error is using the wrong preposition. English speakers often want to use 'zu' because of 'compare to'. However, in German, 'mit' is the standard. Using 'zu' is usually only seen in the fixed phrase 'im Vergleich zu' (in comparison to), but the verb itself takes 'mit'.

❌ Falsch: Ich vergleiche Berlin zu London.
✅ Richtig: Ich vergleiche Berlin mit London.

Another mistake involves the past participle. Because it's a strong verb (irregular), the participle is verglichen, not 'vergleicht'. Many learners mistakenly apply the regular '-t' ending. Also, watch out for the vowel change in the Präteritum: vergleichen becomes verglich.

German has several words that touch upon the concept of comparison, but they are not always interchangeable with vergleichen. Understanding these nuances will elevate your German from 'functional' to 'fluent'.

Gegenüberstellen
Literally 'to place opposite'. This is more formal and often implies a direct contrast or a confrontation of two opposing views.
Abgleichen
This means 'to reconcile' or 'to synchronize'. You use this when you want to make sure two lists or datasets match exactly (e.g., syncing your calendar).
Messen mit
'To measure against'. Often used in competitive contexts: "Er will sich mit den Besten messen."

"Wir müssen die Daten abgleichen, um Fehler zu vermeiden."

How Formal Is It?

難易度

知っておくべき文法

Dative case after 'mit'

Inseparable prefixes (ver-)

Vowel change in strong verbs (ei -> i)

Word order in subordinate clauses

Comparison of adjectives (Komparativ/Superlativ)

レベル別の例文

1

Ich vergleiche die Äpfel.

I compare the apples.

Simple present tense.

2

Vergleichst du die Preise?

Are you comparing the prices?

Question form.

3

Wir vergleichen die Autos.

We compare the cars.

Plural subject.

4

Er vergleicht zwei Fotos.

He compares two photos.

Third person singular.

5

Kannst du das vergleichen?

Can you compare that?

Modal verb 'können' + infinitive.

6

Ich möchte die Farben vergleichen.

I want to compare the colors.

Modal verb 'möchten' + infinitive.

7

Sie vergleichen die Häuser.

They compare the houses.

Present tense.

8

Hier kann man gut vergleichen.

Here one can compare well.

Impersonal 'man'.

1

Ich vergleiche mein Handy mit deinem Handy.

I compare my phone with your phone.

Use of 'mit' + Dative.

2

Hast du die Angebote verglichen?

Have you compared the offers?

Perfect tense with 'haben'.

3

Wir haben die Hotels im Internet verglichen.

We compared the hotels on the internet.

Perfect tense.

4

Er vergleicht die Abfahrtszeiten der Züge.

He compares the departure times of the trains.

Compound noun 'Abfahrtszeiten'.

5

Man muss die Qualität vergleichen.

One must compare the quality.

Modal verb 'müssen'.

6

Ich verglich die beiden Schuhe.

I compared the two shoes.

Präteritum (simple past).

7

Sie vergleicht ihre Noten mit ihren Freunden.

She compares her grades with her friends.

Possessive pronouns.

8

Vergleichen Sie die Preise, bevor Sie kaufen!

Compare the prices before you buy!

Imperative form (formal).

1

Es ist schwer, das Leben in der Stadt mit dem auf dem Land zu vergleichen.

It is hard to compare life in the city with that in the country.

Infinitive with 'zu'.

2

Wenn man die Gehälter vergleicht, sieht man große Unterschiede.

When you compare the salaries, you see big differences.

Conditional 'wenn' clause.

3

Ich habe die Vor- und Nachteile sorgfältig verglichen.

I have carefully compared the pros and cons.

Adverb 'sorgfältig'.

4

Verglichen mit gestern ist es heute viel kälter.

Compared to yesterday, it is much colder today.

Participle used as a prepositional phrase.

5

Sie vergleicht sich oft mit ihrer älteren Schwester.

She often compares herself with her older sister.

Reflexive use 'sich vergleichen'.

6

Wir sollten die verschiedenen Möglichkeiten vergleichen.

We should compare the different possibilities.

Konjunktiv II 'sollten'.

7

Der Lehrer verglich die Aufsätze der Schüler.

The teacher compared the students' essays.

Präteritum.

8

Man kann diese Situation nicht mit der von früher vergleichen.

One cannot compare this situation with the one from before.

Negation 'nicht'.

1

In dieser Studie werden die Auswirkungen von Stress verglichen.

In this study, the effects of stress are being compared.

Passive voice.

2

Es ist unfair, die Leistung eines Anfängers mit der eines Profis zu vergleichen.

It is unfair to compare the performance of a beginner with that of a professional.

Genitive case 'eines Anfängers'.

3

Wir müssen die aktuellen Daten mit den Prognosen vergleichen.

We must compare the current data with the forecasts.

Plural dative 'den Prognosen'.

4

Verglichen mit anderen Ländern ist die Steuerlast hier hoch.

Compared with other countries, the tax burden here is high.

Introductory participle phrase.

5

Die Forscher verglichen die DNA-Proben miteinander.

The researchers compared the DNA samples with each other.

Reciprocal 'miteinander'.

6

Man darf nicht Äpfel mit Birnen vergleichen.

One must not compare apples with pears.

Idiomatic expression.

7

Bevor wir eine Entscheidung treffen, müssen wir alle Anbieter vergleichen.

Before we make a decision, we must compare all providers.

Temporal 'bevor' clause.

8

Er verglich seine Situation mit einer Sackgasse.

He compared his situation to a dead end.

Metaphorical usage.

1

Die Arbeit vergleicht die philosophischen Ansätze von Kant und Hegel.

The work compares the philosophical approaches of Kant and Hegel.

Academic context.

2

Bei genauerem Vergleichen fallen subtile Nuancen auf.

Upon closer comparison, subtle nuances become apparent.

Nominalized verb 'Vergleichen'.

3

Es lässt sich kaum vergleichen, wie unterschiedlich die Kulturen sind.

It can hardly be compared how different the cultures are.

'Sich lassen' + infinitive (passive substitute).

4

Verglichen mit der Komplexität des Gehirns ist ein Computer simpel.

Compared to the complexity of the brain, a computer is simple.

Comparison of abstract complexity.

5

Die Ergebnisse sind nur bedingt miteinander vergleichbar.

The results are only comparable to a limited extent.

Adjective 'vergleichbar'.

6

Er verglich die politische Lage mit einem Pulverfass.

He compared the political situation to a powder keg.

Advanced metaphor.

7

Man muss die historischen Kontexte vergleichen, um die Entwicklung zu verstehen.

One must compare the historical contexts to understand the development.

Purpose clause with 'um...zu'.

8

Diese beiden Romane lassen sich in Bezug auf ihre Struktur gut vergleichen.

These two novels can be well compared in terms of their structure.

Prepositional phrase 'in Bezug auf'.

1

In seiner Abhandlung vergleicht er die ontologischen Prämissen beider Denkschulen.

In his treatise, he compares the ontological premises of both schools of thought.

Highly formal/academic vocabulary.

2

Ein Vergleich hinkt immer dann, wenn die Ausgangsbedingungen zu disparat sind.

A comparison is always flawed when the initial conditions are too disparate.

Idiom 'ein Vergleich hinkt'.

3

Man verglich sein Schweigen mit einer beredten Zustimmung.

His silence was compared to eloquent consent.

Oxymoron/Paradox context.

4

Die Unvergleichbarkeit dieser beiden Phänomene ist Gegenstand der Debatte.

The incomparability of these two phenomena is the subject of the debate.

Noun 'Unvergleichbarkeit'.

5

Verglichen mit der Erhabenheit der Natur wirkt menschliches Streben oft nichtig.

Compared to the sublimity of nature, human striving often seems trivial.

Philosophical register.

6

Er verglich die Flüchtigkeit des Glücks mit dem Schmelzen von Schnee.

He compared the fleeting nature of happiness to the melting of snow.

Poetic usage.

7

Die Studie vergleicht die sozioökonomischen Parameter über drei Dekaden hinweg.

The study compares socio-economic parameters across three decades.

Prepositional construction 'über...hinweg'.

8

Es wäre vermessen, seine frühen Werke mit seinen Spätwerken zu vergleichen.

It would be presumptuous to compare his early works with his late works.

Konjunktiv II 'wäre vermessen'.

よく使う組み合わせ

Preise vergleichen
Angebote vergleichen
Noten vergleichen
Daten vergleichen
Ergebnisse vergleichen
sorgfältig vergleichen
direkt vergleichen
miteinander vergleichen
statistisch vergleichen
kritisch vergleichen

よく混同される語

Vergleichen vs angleichen

Vergleichen vs begleichen

Vergleichen vs ausgleichen

間違えやすい

Vergleichen vs

Vergleichen vs

Vergleichen vs

Vergleichen vs

Vergleichen vs

文型パターン

使い方

passive

In reports, the passive 'wird verglichen' is very common.

noun usage

'Der Vergleich' is often used with 'ziehen' (to draw a comparison).

preposition error

Commonly confused: 'vergleichen zu' (wrong) vs 'vergleichen mit' (right).

よくある間違い
  • Using 'zu' instead of 'mit' with the verb.
  • Saying 'geverglichen' instead of 'verglichen'.
  • Using the regular form 'vergleichte' instead of 'verglich'.
  • Confusing 'vergleichen' with 'begleichen' (to pay).
  • Forgetting the dative case after 'mit'.

ヒント

Preposition Rule

Always pair 'vergleichen' with 'mit'. It's the most common mistake for English speakers.

Noun Power

Learn 'der Vergleich'. You will hear 'im Vergleich zu' more often than the verb itself in news.

Natural Flow

Use 'verglichen mit...' at the start of sentences to sound more fluent.

Academic Style

In essays, use 'gegenüberstellen' for a more formal way of saying 'compare and contrast'.

Strong Verb

Remember the 'i' in 'verglich' and 'verglichen'. It follows the 'ei-i-i' pattern of strong verbs.

Consumerism

Look for the word 'Preisvergleich' on German websites to find the best deals.

Reflexive

Use 'sich vergleichen' when talking about social media or competition.

No 'ge-'

Because 'ver-' is an inseparable prefix, the past participle is 'verglichen', NOT 'geverglichen'.

Apples and Pears

Use the idiom 'Äpfel mit Birnen vergleichen' to point out a logical fallacy.

Context Clues

If you hear 'mit' after a verb starting with 'ver-', it's likely 'vergleichen'.

暗記しよう

語源

文化的な背景

Comparing oneself to others is often viewed critically in German psychological discourse.

Germans love comparison portals like Check24.

Comparison is a standard task in the Abitur (final school exams).

実生活で練習する

実際の使用場面

会話のきっかけ

"Wie vergleichen Sie die Lebensqualität in Berlin und München?"

"Hast du schon die Preise für die neuen Laptops verglichen?"

"Kann man diese beiden Filme überhaupt miteinander vergleichen?"

"Warum vergleichen wir uns so oft mit anderen Menschen?"

"Wie vergleichen Sie das deutsche Schulsystem mit dem in Ihrem Land?"

日記のテーマ

Vergleiche dein Leben heute mit deinem Leben vor fünf Jahren.

Vergleiche zwei deiner Lieblingsbücher. Welches ist besser und warum?

Vergleiche die Vor- und Nachteile von Homeoffice und Büroarbeit.

Vergleiche zwei Städte, die du besucht hast.

Schreibe über eine Situation, in der du einen wichtigen Vergleich anstellen musstest.

よくある質問

10 問

No, it is an irregular (strong) verb. The forms are vergleichen, verglich, verglichen.

It almost always takes 'mit' followed by the dative case.

No, the verb 'vergleichen' uses 'mit'. However, the noun phrase 'im Vergleich zu' uses 'zu'.

The noun is 'der Vergleich' (masculine).

You can say 'verglichen mit' or 'im Vergleich zu'.

It means to compare two things that are completely different and cannot be compared logically.

No, 'ver-' is an inseparable prefix in German.

Yes, 'sich vergleichen' means to compare oneself (with someone else).

Vergleichen is for finding differences; abgleichen is for making sure two things match or are synchronized.

In spoken German, use the perfect: 'Ich habe verglichen'. In formal writing, use the Präteritum: 'Ich verglich'.

自分をテスト 180 問

/ 180 correct

Perfect score!

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