exportieren

Use exportieren when you’re talking about sending goods or products from Germany to another country. Think big trucks and shipping containers! It’s also used for digital information. You might export your contact list from one app to another. Or, a company might export its software solutions globally. It’s a versatile verb for outward movement of value.

Imagine a German car manufacturer. They don't just sell cars in Germany; they exportieren them worldwide. A software startup might exportieren its innovative app to users in Japan and Brazil. Even your phone can exportieren your photos to a cloud storage service. It’s happening all the time, in big business and small personal tasks. It’s like the digital equivalent of a ship leaving the harbor.

Use exportieren when discussing international trade between Germany and other nations. It’s perfect for talking about a country’s economy and its global business dealings. It’s also the go-to verb for moving digital files or data out of a system or device. If you’re saving your game progress to a file on your hard drive, you might be exportieren that data. It’s about deliberate outward transfer.

Don’t use exportieren if you’re just moving something within your own country or local area, unless it’s specifically about international trade. For example, sending a file from your desktop to your laptop at home isn't exportieren. That's just transferring files. Also, avoid it for personal belongings you take with you when traveling; that’s usually mitnehmen (to take with you). It’s not for everyday, casual movement of personal items.

A common slip-up is using exportieren for bringing things *into* Germany. That’s the job of importieren! Another mistake is using it for personal items you take on holiday. You wouldn’t exportieren your toothbrush to France; you’d mitnehmen. It's easy to confuse the direction of movement, so always check if it's going out or coming in.

• versenden: This is a more general term for "to send" or "to ship." It can be used for domestic or international sending. Exportieren is more specific to international trade or system-wide data transfer.
• liefern: This means "to deliver." It focuses on the arrival of the goods, not the act of sending them out of the country.
• ausführen: This can also mean "to export," especially in official economic contexts. It's a bit more formal than exportieren.

• Export: The noun form, referring to the goods or the act itself. "Der Export deutscher Autos ist wichtig." (The export of German cars is important.)
• exportfähig: Adjective meaning "exportable." "Sind diese Produkte exportfähig?" (Are these products exportable?)
• Exportland: Noun meaning "export country." "Deutschland ist ein wichtiges Exportland." (Germany is an important export country.)