Leeren

Leeren is a German verb meaning to empty or to drain. It is primarily transitive, requiring a direct object, and is used for containers, spaces, or supplies. For example, Ich leere die Flasche describes the act of making the bottle empty. The verb can also be used in more abstract senses, such as to exhaust resources or to remove contents from a space.

Etymology and usage context: Leeren derives from the adjective leer, meaning empty. It has a long presence in the German language and is closely related to other terms used for removing contents, such as entleeren and ausleeren. While entleeren often emphasizes draining liquids or draining something completely, ausleeren highlights removing all contents from within a container or space.

Grammar and conjugation: Leeren is a regular -en verb and follows standard German conjugation patterns. The present tense forms include ich leere and du leerst, with the third-person forms following the regular endings in typical usage. The past simple (Präteritum) is leerte, and the past participle used with haben is geleert, as in Wir haben die Vorräte geleert. Because of its regularity, leeren behaves similarly to many common verbs when forming compound tenses.

Compounds and related forms: In more precise contexts, entleeren is used for draining or emptying fluids, while ausleeren emphasizes removing contents from the inside of something. The noun form related to the action is Entleerung, referring to the act or process of emptying. The word Leeren itself is primarily used as a verb rather than a noun.

See also: leer (empty); Entleerung; Entleeren; Ausleeren.