Auszudrücken

Auszudrücken is a German infinitive with zu derived from the verb ausdrücken, which has several related meanings. The prefix aus- signals outward direction or completion, and drücken originally means to press or squeeze. As a result, the word covers both a figurative sense of expressing something and a literal sense of squeezing liquids or substances out of something.

In its main figurative use, ausdrücken means to express or convey thoughts, feelings, or opinions. It is commonly used with nouns referring to inner states or viewpoints, for example, “seine Gefühle ausdrücken” (to express one’s feelings) or “eine Meinung ausdrücken” (to express an opinion). The phrase can be used in various syntactic constructions, often with the direct object preceding or following the verb, as in “Sie drückt ihre Trauer aus” or “Sie drücken ihre Zustimmung aus.” When used in subordinate clauses, the infinitive with zu appears as auszu­drücken, for example: “Es ist schwer, das auszudrücken.”

In a literal sense, ausdrücken also means to squeeze out liquids or substances. This is common with objects like fruit, toothpaste, or juice, for example: “Saft aus der Orange ausdrücken” or “die Creme aus der Tube ausdrücken.” In such uses, ausdrücken remains a separable verb in finite tenses (drückt aus).

Related terms include ausdrucken, often written as one word in the sense of printing out a document, which is distinct from ausdrücken.

Overall, auszudrücken is a versatile verb used across everyday language to denote both articulation of intangible content and the physical act of squeezing something out.