Verbrauche

Verbrauche is a German verb form derived from verbrauchen, meaning to use up or consume. It is commonly used to describe the act of consuming goods, energy, or resources, and appears in present, past, and other tenses like any regular German verb.

Etymology and grammar: verbrauchen consists of the prefix ver- added to brauchen (to need or to use). It is a regular verb. In the present tense, typical forms are ich verbrauche, du verbrauchst, er verbraucht, wir verbrauchen, ihr verbraucht, sie verbrauchen. The simple past forms are ich verbrauchte, du verbrauchtest, er verbrauchte, wir verbrauchten, ihr verbrauchtet, sie verbrauchten. The past participle is verbraucht, used with haben in perfect constructions (ich habe verbraucht). A related noun is das Verbrauchen (the act of consuming), though the more common noun for general consumption is der Verbrauch.

Usage and contexts: verbrauchen is widely used in everyday language, technical writing, and economics. Examples include: Wir verbrauchen heute weniger Energie als gestern. Efficient use of resources aims to reduce the amount we verbrauchen. In statistical contexts, the term Verbrauch is often preferred to refer to total consumption, while Verbrauchen as a verb focuses on the action itself. The word also appears in imperative form for du in informal directives, though such usage is less common in neutral prose.

Related terms: Verbrauchen is part of a family of words centered on consumption. Verbauch (noun) refers to consumption or consumption level; Verbraucher means consumer; Energieverbrauch refers to energy consumption. These terms help distinguish between the act of consuming (Verbrauchen) and the result or actor (Verbrauch, Verbraucher).