Vermuten

Vermuten is a German verb meaning to suppose, presume, or suspect something to be true, often based on reasoning, evidence, or incomplete information rather than certainty. The related noun Vermutung refers to an assumption or suspicion. The adverb vermutlich expresses the sense of probability, roughly “probably.”

The prefix ver- characterizes many German verbs and in vermuten conveys a sense of forming an opinion about something. The verb is a regular weak verb in its conjugation. Present tense forms are: ich vermute, du vermutest, er vermutet, wir vermuten, ihr vermutet, sie vermuten. The Präteritum (simple past) forms are: ich vermutete, du vermutetest, er vermutete, wir vermuteten, ihr vermutetet, sie vermuteten. The Perfekt (present perfect) is formed with haben: ich habe vermutet, du hast vermutet, er hat vermutet, wir haben vermutet, ihr habt vermutet, sie haben vermutet. The past participle is vermutet, and the passive voice uses es wird vermutet or es wird vermutet, dass …

Usage notes: vermuten is used to express an inference or educated guess about a fact not confirmed. It often appears with dass clauses: Ich vermute, dass er heute nicht kommt. In news or formal prose it can introduce a hypothesis: Es wird vermutet, dass der Unfall die Ursache war. It stands in contrast to wissen (to know) and glauben (to believe without substantial evidence). Common related forms include vermutlich (probably) and Vermutung (the suspicion or hypothesis).