Zählt

Zählt is a German verb form meaning counts or is counting. It is the third-person singular present tense of zählen, the verb used to count, tally, or enumerate. In ordinary speech it appears in sentences such as Er zählt die Münzen (He counts the coins) or Die Stimmen zählen (The votes are counted).

Grammatically, zählen is conjugated like other regular German verbs. The present tense forms include ich zähle, du zählst, er/sie/es zählt, wir zählen, ihr zählt, sie zählen. The imperative for addressing multiple people is Zählt! The perfect tense is formed with haben: Ich habe gezählt (I have counted). The noun forms related to counting include Zähler (counter), Zählung (counting or enumeration), and Zahlen (numbers).

In usage, zählt also appears in idiomatic expressions, most notably Das zählt, meaning That counts or That matters. The phrase is common in discussions of importance, arguments, or decisions. In statistical or numerical contexts, zählt can occur when describing procedures like counting items, votes, or participants, as in Jede Stimme zählt (Every vote counts).

Etymologically, zählen derives from the Germanic family of words related to counting numbers and quantities, with cognates across related Germanic languages. Related terms such as Zahl (number) and Zähler reflect the same semantic field. Overall, Zählt functions as a basic verb in daily German, essential for arithmetic, measurement, and expressing significance.