Vereinbaren

Vereinbaren is a German verb meaning to arrange, to agree upon, or to settle terms, and to set up something by mutual agreement. It is used when two or more parties decide on a plan, date, or conditions. The action is transitive and typically denotes a mutual decision.

Common usages include those for scheduling and contracts. For example, einen Termin vereinbaren means to arrange an appointment, as in Wir haben einen Termin vereinbart. Die Konditionen oder Bedingungen vereinbaren refers to agreeing on terms. In many contexts, the idea of reaching an understanding is conveyed by phrases such as sich auf etwas einigen, or by the noun Vereinbarung (an agreement), or the common collocation eine Vereinbarung treffen.

Grammar and forms: Vereinbaren is a regular verb without a separable prefix; the past participle is vereinbart (no ge-). Present tense forms are ich vereinbare, du vereinbarst, er vereinbart, wir vereinbaren, ihr vereinbart, sie vereinbaren. Preterite forms include ich vereinbarte, du vereinbartest, er vereinbarte, wir vereinbarten, ihr vereinbartet, sie vereinbarten. The perfect tense is formed with haben: Wir haben einen Termin vereinbart.

Etymology and nuance: the verb derives from Verein (agreement, association) plus a suffix forming a verb, conveying the act of bringing terms into agreement. While closely related to phrases like eine Vereinbarung treffen, vereinbaren emphasizes the act of mutual agreement to a specific arrangement rather than the outcome alone.