hinweisen

Hinweisen is a German verb meaning to point out, indicate, or mention; to draw attention to a fact, detail, or piece of information. It is commonly used with the preposition auf to specify what is being indicated: auf etwas hinweisen. It can also appear with darauf hinweisen to reference something already mentioned.

Grammatically, hinweisen is separable: in the present tense the prefix hin is separated from the verb stem, as in er weist hin or er weist auf den Fehler hin. When using darauf, you say er weist darauf hin. The past participle is hingewiesen, and the auxiliary is haben: er hat auf den Fehler hingewiesen. The simple past is er wies auf den Fehler hin.

Beside the verb, the related noun Hinweis means a hint, clue, or notice. Hinweise appear in manuals, guides, warnings, and other texts to signal important information or directions. The noun is masculine ( der Hinweis, plural die Hinweise ) and is commonly found in headings such as Wichtige Hinweise or Hinweis: beachten.

In usage, hinweisen often conveys formal or careful attention rather than casual remark. It is frequently used in academic, legal, technical, and instructional contexts to direct readers or listeners to specific information, requirements, or potential issues. Common collocations include auf etwas hinweisen and Hinweise geben, meaning to provide hints or information.

Examples: Er weist darauf hin, dass weitere Untersuchungen nötig sind. Der Bericht weist auf mehrere Unstimmigkeiten hin. Bitte beachten Sie die Hinweise im Handbuch.