teilen

You use teilen when you want to express the act of sharing. Think about what you're sharing and with whom. For physical items, you often use it with a direct object: Ich teile mein Brot. (I share my bread.) For opinions or feelings, it's similar: Ich teile deine Meinung. (I share your opinion.) It's a versatile verb that fits many situations.

• Sharing food: Wir teilen uns eine Pizza. (We're sharing a pizza.)
• Sharing opinions: Er teilt diese Ansicht nicht. (He doesn't share this view.)
• Sharing digital content: Kannst du den Link mit mir teilen? (Can you share the link with me?)
• Sharing a space: Wir teilen uns ein Büro. (We share an office.)
• Sharing feelings: Sie teilte ihre Freude mit uns. (She shared her joy with us.)
• Sharing a password: Ich teile mein Netflix-Passwort mit meinen Freunden. (I share my Netflix password with my friends.)

Use teilen when you're giving someone a part of something you possess. This includes physical items, digital files, or even abstract concepts like opinions or experiences. It's perfect for everyday situations, like splitting a bill at a restaurant or sharing a funny story. It's also great for expressing agreement or empathy with someone's thoughts.

Avoid teilen when you mean to 'give away' something completely without expecting anything back, where schenken (to gift) might be more appropriate. Also, don't use it for 'dividing' a task in a way that implies separate responsibilities; aufteilen might be better for that. And if you're talking about splitting a country, aufteilen is definitely the word. It's not for loaning something temporarily, where leihen (to borrow/lend) is used.

• ✗ Ich gebe meine Meinung dir. → ✓ Ich teile meine Meinung mit dir. (Giving away your opinion is weird; sharing it is natural.)
• ✗ Wir schenken die Rechnung. → ✓ Wir teilen uns die Rechnung. (You don't gift a bill, you split it!)
• ✗ Kannst du das Buch leihen? (if you mean share) → ✓ Kannst du das Buch mit mir teilen? (Loaning is different from sharing long-term.)
• ✗ Wir teilen das Projekt. (if you mean divide tasks) → ✓ Wir teilen das Projekt auf. (This implies dividing into separate parts.)

• mit jemandem etwas teilen: This is the most common structure, meaning 'to share something with someone'.
• sich etwas teilen: Used when people share something amongst themselves, like Wir teilen uns eine Wohnung. (We share an apartment.)
• aufteilen: Means to divide something into parts or portions, often implying a more structured distribution. Think dividing a budget or a cake into specific slices.
• verteilen: Means to distribute or hand out something to multiple people, like a teacher distributing papers.

• mitteilen: This means 'to inform' or 'to communicate' something. It's about conveying information, not sharing an object or opinion. Ich teile dir mit, dass... (I'm informing you that...)
• teilhaben: Means to participate in or have a share in something, often something abstract like an der Freude teilhaben (to share in the joy).
• austeilen: Can mean to distribute, but also to dish out punishments or insults. Not as friendly!

• What's the difference between teilen and geben?

Geben means to give something away, often permanently. Teilen means to share, implying you still have access or are dividing it up.

• Can I use teilen for digital files?

Absolutely! Sharing links, photos, or documents online is a very common use of teilen.

• Is teilen always about physical things?

No, you can share opinions, feelings, or even a space like an office or apartment.