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liegen
/ˈliːɡn̩/
to lie
Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch.
The book is lying on the table.
neutral
to be in a horizontal or flat position; to rest on a surface
Er liegt im Bett.
He is lying in bed.
Die Stadt liegt am Fluss.
The city lies by the river.
Can also describe geographical locations or states (e.g., temperature, prices).
neutral
to be located; to be situated
Das Hotel liegt zentral.
The hotel is located centrally.
Often used with geographical or positional contexts.
neutral
to be in a certain state or condition
Das Problem liegt in der Technik.
The problem lies in the technology.
Commonly used with abstract nouns (e.g., 'das Problem', 'die Schuld').
Collocations
im Bett liegento be in bedauf der Seite liegento lie on one's sideim Schatten liegento lie in the shade
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Prepositions with 'liegen'
Remember that 'liegen' is often used with the prepositions 'auf' (on), 'in' (in), or 'an' (at) to describe location. For example: 'Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch' (The book is lying on the table).
Gold Rule
Position vs. Action
Use 'liegen' for horizontal positions (e.g., 'Er liegt auf dem Sofa'). For actions like placing something down, use 'legen' (e.g., 'Er legt das Buch auf den Tisch').
Word Origin
From Old High German 'liggen', from Proto-Germanic '*ligjaną', from Proto-Indo-European '*legh-' ('to lie, lay'). Related to English 'lie', Dutch 'liggen', and Swedish 'ligga'.
Usage Notes
The verb 'liegen' is intransitive and does not take a direct object. It is often used with prepositional phrases to indicate location (e.g., 'auf dem Tisch', 'in der Stadt'). In some contexts, it can imply a state or condition rather than a physical position.
Word Breakdown
lie-
root related to 'to lie'
root-gen
infinitive verb ending
suffixDeutsch-Englisch Wörterbuch