freuen

Freuen is a German verb meaning to be glad or to rejoice. It is used most often in reflexive form as sich freuen to express the subject’s own happiness, or in impersonal constructions such as Es freut mich. The sense can also extend to looking forward to something in the future.

Conjugation in the present tense is: ich freue mich, du freust dich, er freut sich, wir freuen uns, ihr freut euch, sie freuen sich. The past tense and perfect are formed with haben, as in ich habe mich gefreut. The verb is typically used with reflexive pronouns in its common form, and there is no separable prefix.

Common prepositional uses include auf + Akk to express anticipation (Ich freue mich auf das Konzert) and über + Akk to express happiness about something that has occurred (Ich freue mich über deine Nachricht). In polite, impersonal contexts, one often encounters Es freut mich, … or Es freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen.

Usage notes: sich freuen conveys personal happiness and can refer to a future event (looking forward) or to something recent or known. It is distinct in mood from words like glücklich sein (to be happy) or hoffen (to hope). The transitive sense “to please someone” exists in forms like Der Erfolg freut ihn, but the reflexive usage is far more common in everyday speech.

Etymology: The verb is derived from Germanic roots related to Freude (joy). The noun Freude means joy or pleasure.