senken

Senken is a German verb meaning to lower, sink, or reduce. It is used for both physical actions—lowering an object, sinking a ship—and for abstract changes, such as lowering prices, reducing temperatures, or diminishing volumes. The verb is transitive (you senken something, as in den Preis senken) but can also appear in intransitive or semi-reflexive uses to describe a decline in level or state.

Conjugation and usage: in the present indicative the forms are ich senke, du senkst, er senkt, wir senken, ihr senkt, sie senken. The simple past (Präteritum) forms include ich senkte, du senktest, er senkte, wir senkten, ihr senkte, sie senkten. The perfect tense is formed with haben: ich habe gesenkt. The verb can also appear in passive constructions, as in Der Preis wird gesenkt.

Related terms and meanings: the noun Senkung denotes the act or result of lowering or reduction, such as a price cut or a decrease in measurements. Senke is a related noun meaning a depression or basin, and can refer to a geological or geographical low area. The word is of historical Germanic origin, with cognates in related languages.

Other uses and notes: outside its verb sense, Senken can be encountered as a surname or as part of place names in German-speaking regions, though it is relatively uncommon. The term is widely understood in contexts ranging from economics and engineering to geography and daily speech.