frieren

Frieren is a German verb meaning to become cold or to freeze. In everyday language it describes both the sensation of cold (a person or object feels cold) and the physical process by which a liquid turns into a solid as temperatures drop, for example water that freezes at or below 0 degrees Celsius under standard atmospheric pressure. The verb can express a state (I am cold) as well as a process (water freezes).

Conjugation and usage examples: In the present tense: ich friere, du frierst, er friert, wir frieren, ihr friert, sie frieren. The simple past (Präteritum) forms are: ich fror, du frorst, er fror, wir froren, ihr frort, sie froren. The past participle is gefroren. In the Perfekt the state is typically described with a form of sein: der See ist gefroren. Common examples: Es friert heute Nacht outside; Ich friere mir die Finger ab; Das Wasser friert bei 0 °C and ist dann gefroren.

Etymology and related terms: Frieren belongs to the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family and has cognates in related languages (for example Dutch vriezen). Related German constructions include eingefrieren (to freeze something for storage) and gefrieren, with gefroren used to describe something that has become frozen.

See also: frost, freezing point, gefrieren, eingefrieren, gefroren. Frail weather or cooking contexts may use frieren to convey both a personal sensation of cold and the physical phase transition of substances.